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Acura NSX is industry's first supercar with a female design lead

Michelle Christensen. Unless you've been casting about the web for some behind-the-scenes takes on recent exotic car launches or were unusually curious during the early days of the sport crossover trend, her name probably means nothing to you. She grew up in Northern California, where her family drag-raced. Venerables like the 1932 Ford, Plymouth GTX, and Dodge Super Bee rolled through her family garage. And Christensen grew up designing prom dresses for friends and dreaming of working in a pit crew. In fact, she didn't even realize car design was a real profession until junior high, when her father pointed out Chip Foose at a car show. After that, she was hooked, so she went to Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where she reimagined the Plymouth Barracuda as her senior project. Today, Christensen can add the title of lead exterior designer on the 2016 Acura NSX to her resume. The first woman to lead the shape of a supercar, Christensen actually opened up her "First!" account with Acura in 2005 when the company swooped her up the night of graduation and she became its first female exterior car designer. Her first sketch on the job was a concept for the ZDX, and the bigwigs chose her design for production. She joined the NSX team after the mid-engined concept was introduced at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, replacing the front-engined V10 concept (we encourage you to go back and look at what was versus what is). Christensen thereafter led a crew of eight through a rework of the sheetmetal, with the focus being to keep the "emotional, 3-D kind of feeling." Reminiscing about her family's utterly unadorned '32 Ford hot rod, she said the NSX team was committed to keeping the design simple and light. Wind tunnel work led to larger bumper, hood and side intakes for better airflow on the production model. That, along with a switch in engine position, gave them a chance to go aggressive and to not only "punch more holes in it and make it more exotic," but also "take it to the gym and beef it up." In line with its decidedly un-retro rebirth, the third brake light that runs across the decklid is about the only nod to its predecessor. At age 34, we're certain we haven't seen the last of Christensen or her designs. Related Video:  

Honda to recall 1.1 million U.S. vehicles to re-replace Takata airbags

Honda said on Tuesday it would recall about 1.1 million Honda and Acura vehicles in the United States to re-replace defective Takata airbags on the driver's side. The company said it was aware of one injury linked to the defect that may have caused the airbag to rupture when it was deployed in a crash. The vehicles involved in the recall were previously repaired using specific Takata desiccated replacement inflators (PSDI-5D) or entire replacement airbag modules containing these inflators. "Those replacement inflators," Honda said in a statement, "are now deemed defective." Free repairs of the recalled cars would begin immediately in the United States with replacement parts made by alternate suppliers, Honda said. Honda became aware of the issue after a Honda Odyssey crash, where the front airbag deployed and injured the driver's arm. An investigation later showed that manufacturing issues at Takata's Mexico facility introduced excessive moisture into the inflator during assembly, leading to the problem. The total number of recalled inflators is now about 21 million in about 12.9 million Honda and Acura vehicles that have been subject to recall for replacing Takata front airbag inflators in the United States, the company said. Automakers in the United States repaired more than 7.2 million defective Takata air bag inflators in 2018, as companies have ramped up efforts to track down parts in need of replacement. Recalls Acura Honda

Acura heading to SEMA with... a '93 Legend?

Acura is gearing up for SEMA this year, and it'll be showing a 1993 Legend, the second-generation version of the sedan that had launched the brand in the first place. You read that right. The vehicle just happens to belong to one Christopher Bridges, better known to some as Ludacris and to others as Tej from the Fast and Furious movies. The Legend is the rapper-turned-actor's cherished possession, having appeared on the cover of his ninth studio album Ludaversal. It was involved in a collision recently, but is being painstakingly repaired, restored, and modified by Acura and will be on display at the Vegas tuner expo. Of course that's not all that Honda's premium division has in store for the show. It's also teaming up again with Galpin Auto Sports to customize a TLX and an ILX – the latter inspired by the aforementioned Ludacris project. Galpin may be better known for working on Fords, but did a custom TLX for last year's SEMA show as well. Joining the Legend and the Galpin customs will be a new NSX and an ILX fitted with several factory-backed accessories. Acura to Showcase Legendary Performance Heritage and Personalization at 2015 SEMA Show Oct 12, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif. - Acura to unveil rapper, actor Ludacris' custom-restored 1993 Legend - Highly modified 2016 ILX by Galpin Auto Sports will also debut at SEMA during the Acura press conference on Nov. 3 Acura's 2015 SEMA showcase will be highlighted by a custom-restored 1993 Acura Legend sedan owned by actor and rap artist Ludacris. Stepping up its game from the 2014 SEMA Show – where the performance-oriented Galpin Auto Sports Acura TLX was unveiled – the luxury brand will also feature a wide variety of vehicles showcasing its performance heritage and its products' customization potential at the 2015 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Following a collision that severely damaged Ludacris' cherished 1993 Legend, Team Acura set about to artfully restore and modify the vehicle under the guidance of Acura Design Studio in Los Angeles and under the watchful eye of Acura Global Creative Director, Dave Marek. Fans can follow the build progress leading up to SEMA on Acura (@Acura) and Ludacris' (@Ludacris) social media channels and by using the hashtag #LegendaryDuo. "Working with a real car guy and a passionate Acura owner like Ludacris has made the processes of bringing his Legend back to its original glory a fun and unique experience," said Marek.