Whoa, never in my life did I think that a Honda, or Acura in this instance, would sell for close to half a million dollars new, however Honda in Australia have announced that their local examples will sell for a steep $420K — suggesting ours won’t be far off. During early 2015, Honda New Zealand had quoted the revolutionary supercar to sell for around $200K. But $420K seems cheap though, when you compare it to what Nascar owner Rick Hendrick paid for his $1.8 million example, which was the first one off the production line. If you thought $420K bought you all the bells and whistles, you’d be wrong. An extra $1500 will get you metallic paint, and you’ll need to fork out a further $10K if you opt for the Valencia Red Pearl, which is said to be the NSX’s new hero colour. 

From what I’ve seen, the Acura NSX is full of technology and drives accordingly. However, I do think that this example is going to go down in history as a seriously disjointed-from-its-roots supercar that Hollywood celebrities will buy in the masses, shifting away from the true Honda motorsport heritage. An unfortunate thought, but I’m calling it now. There’s nothing even remotely similar to the original released in the early ’90s, whereas at least the R35 GT-R is still twin turbo, all-wheel drive, with six cylinders. 

Probably the only variant of the latest NSX that gets me excited is the GT3 version, which is rid of its twin electric motor units, and sports a much more aggressive race-inspired appearance. 

For comparison, the 2017 Nissan GT-R will be priced from $191K, a 2013 Ferrari 458 Italia with low kilometres will cost you $389K, or a beach house in the North Island of New Zealand can be had for the same amount. Hard choice! 

René Vermeer

Dutch, French, or just a Kiwi, René isn’t quite sure, but he does know he has a passion for Japanese vehicles like no other. A well-seasoned Gran Turismo player dating back to his single-digit days, René has a comprehensive knowledge of a wide range of performance vehicles and has owned more than 30 performance cars here in New Zealand, ranging from Nissans to Hondas. A lover of photography, you’ll find him either peeping under someone’s bonnet to snap a detailed shot, or on the side of the racetrack, perfecting his panning.

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