An Eternal Sportsmind for Me
I first saw an Acura NSX in 1991 shortly after the car’s release. My elementary school principal drove two cars - a red 300ZX and a black NSX. Sometimes during recess I'd take a detour through the staff parking lot, hoping to see the NSX, although she did not bring it to school often.
Years later in middle school, a buddy of mine got Gran Turismo. In years of playing that game and sequels, I only drove the NSX. Clearly something about the car had a hold on me, but back in the days before easy access to the internet, it wasn’t a simple matter to do the research to find out about Senna’s influence, the aluminum body, or the many production car firsts. So it’s easy to remember that the NSX was a childhood favorite of mine, but it’s hard to recall the point at which my favorite car turned into a dream, and that in turn became an actual obsession. In a subtle manner worthy of the car itself, my dream slowly but surely turned into a daily hunt.
I got my first car in my junior year of college - a Civic Si. Nothing fancy, but the closest thing to an NSX within reach at the time. I love this car: it's a perfect mix of fun and practicality for a daily driver. After college, I moved to NYC, and against all common sense, rented out a garage space for $400 a month. My girlfriend was still in Pittsburgh, so I drove that car between NYC and Pittsburgh for two years. In retrospect, saving thousands spent on parking could have meant an NSX just a bit earlier, but those long drives in the Civic, often just me and the road at 2AM, were an unforgettable experience, and I realized that I’d never sell it. If I had to postpone my NSX dream a bit longer, so be it.
In early 2012, I got married and moved back to Pittsburgh. The much lower cost of living meant that as soon as I moved back, my budget opened up enough for me to start looking for "the other one" ("The One" being my wife, of course). Thus began my search for an NSX to call my own. I became an expert on all things NSX maintenance. I memorized the “Changes by Year” page on NSXPrime, and decided on a 2001 - the last year of the classic pop-up lights with all the upgraded mechanical bits. I checked NSXPrime, Autotrader, Cars.com, EBay and Craigslist multiple times a day. I came close a few times, and even flew out to see a car, but a small concern about a repair or a stiff aftermarket clutch made me reconsider.
Through all of this, I'd been digging up old for-sale listings, and emailing the owners to see if they were still interested in selling. I made several leads this way, but so many owners were just testing the waters, and also uncertain about how much they were willing to sell for. Often, an NSX owner will post a for-sale listing for a pristine car, only to have other owners convince them that they’ll regret the decision, and they shouldn’t sell.
During the summer of 2014, I came across a 2001 Berlina Black car in Arkansas. The carfax was clean, the pictures looked amazing, and after talking to the owner, I knew that this was with someone who takes pride in his cars. The car had no modifications other than a catback exhaust. He had bought it in 2012 and had not driven it much since then. On top of that, his wife wanted a swimming pool. The perfect storm was brewing, and I was right in the middle, wire transfer at the ready.
I had a good feeling about this car, and I bought a one-way ticket to Fayetteville, Arkansas. When I got to the owner’s house and saw the car for the first time, my jaw just about dropped. The paint was even shinier than the photos had promised. One bay of his 3-car garage was filled with tools and mementos from each of the 30+ cars he had owned, mostly Porsches. We went for a test drive - only the second time I had ever driven an NSX, but by far the most exciting. No rattles, no weird sounds from the engine, and it drove as well in real life as it did in my dreams. Back at his garage, I checked all the body panels for their VIN tags and, as an extra precaution, checked every panel with a paint depth meter, which showed consistent OEM thickness across the car. We finished the paperwork and I set off back to Pittsburgh with a signed title, a stack of service records, and a massive grin.
The NSX is an excellent highway car. The low center of gravity means the engineers could use softer springs without excessive body roll. Combined with the stiff chassis and well-designed suspension, it’s a much more comfortable car than my Civic. Thanks to a trick rear diff, the car is unaffected by grooves or crosswind. I left the highway several times to enjoy some side roads, and I now understand why mid-rear is such a desirable layout. Adding throttle in my Civic in a turn led to mountains of understeer, but the NSX just dug in and rotated right around my seating position. I’ve read about some twitchiness at the limit, but those limits remain far out of my reach for the foreseeable future.
I stopped for lunch at a Jimmy John’s, both because I like the sandwiches, and more importantly because there was an open parking spot right outside. No way was I going to let this car out of my sight unless I absolutely had to! As I was eating inside, a girl ran out from the salon next door and placed something under my wiper. At first I was annoyed - who are you, and why are you sticking things on my brand new-to-me NSX? However I soon realized it was only my car that had a flyer on it, and upon inspection I saw why: it was an invitation to a car show at a local dealer. The NSX continued to attract attention on the drive back. Usually people would walk up, a little confused, trying to figure out the make/model. Some would ask if it’s a Ferrari, or the new Corvette. The usual reaction from non-car people is disbelief when I tell them that it’s a 25 year old Acura design.
Since I got the car last September, I’ve found every excuse possible to drive it. I was initially worried that driving it too often would diminish the wow factor, but every drive is still an occasion. A trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, visits to local Cars and Coffee meets, and drives to work on sunny days, all made better by the NSX. Through NSXPrime, I’ve met a great group of local owners as well. Although the NSX is far less common than many other sports cars, the owners are so passionate about their cars, and unafraid to drive them, that we often outnumber Ferraris and Porsches at events.
Along my 900 mile drive home, I ran across several "caravans" of sports cars - a group of Porsches, several groups of Corvettes, and a bunch of older BMWs as well. Throughout it all I thought to myself: "How awesome is this, the NSX is so uncommon that I've seen over 100 other sports cars but not a single NSX this entire trip!" That almost held true, but when I was just a couple miles away from home, I ran into a fellow Prime member’s Black NSX, on its way back from a local meet. Even if I didn't get to be the only NSX on my drive, I can’t think of a better accidental welcome back to Pittsburgh.
Honda left a little easter egg in each NSX. Deep inside the dash, printed on a label on the climate control unit, is the mysterious phrase “An Eternal Sportsmind For You.” Some might say that something was lost in translation, but I think the phrase captures NSX ownership perfectly. I certainly intend to keep mine forever.
Nice job!
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