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26 October 2006 And don't forget, the NSX famously had its chassis sorted by none other than Ayrton Senna. And for that alone, Stuart Milne says its one hell of a car. In the late 1980's, Honda was unstoppable as a Formula 1 engine provider. It powered both Williams and McLaren to victory five times between 1986 and 1990; including a sensational one-two in 1989, with Senna beating Alain Prost to the top. With this success, it would be crazy not to create an all-conquering road car. So in 1990, they did exactly that. The Honda NSX sent shockwaves through European sportscar circles. If the Japanese marque could marry a fast, fun supercar with its renowned reliability, they'd be in trouble.
The chassis development was ably assisted by the greatest racing driver ever - Ayrton Senna, and if that's good enough for him, it's good enough for me. Honda's NSX might have been a card-carrying supercar, but it was as easy to drive as a Civic. Its steering was light around town, visibility was excellent and the clutch could be operated with one foot - a far cry from the manhandling required to drive most fast cars. It was the supercar your granny could drive. And that was the only drawback. Some petrolheads wear their difficult-to-drive motors as a badge of honour; but the NSX could never fall into that category. The interior was dull too; with its drab, pensioner-pleasing dash it looked like it should come with a bi-focal windscreen. But none of that mattered when it was just you, an NSX and a long, empty stretch of road.
For me, it’s the lasting legacy of a driver the likes of whom we'll never see again. Of all the supercars you can buy, the NSX is the most sensible choice, which bizarrely seems to put some people off. But that's good news if you fancy a used one, because you can get an early model parked on your drive for about £12,000, rising to £50,000 for a last-of-the-line model. |
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