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2016 Acura NSX: Everything there is to know [w/video]

The road to supercar stardom is littered with missteps. For every slam-dunk like the McLaren F1 and Ferrari F40, there are contenders that never quite reach their full potential – think Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren and Jaguar XJ220. Fear of building a mediocre halo car is why automakers take costly detours like reverse-engineering a carbon fiber chassis when aluminum just won't do (we're looking at you, Lexus LFA), and it's often those second, third, and even fourth major redirects that can make the difference between has-been and hero. History has been kind to the late, great Acura NSX. Though its final years saw it lagging in power, ballooning in price and burdened by unsightly bubble headlamps, the NSX went to pasture in 2005 with a reputation for being an innovative, driver-focused ride that also happened to be practical enough for daily use. Despite its lofty aspirations and attainable price point, fifteen years of production saw just under 9,000 NSXs on the road, which begs the inevitable question: was Acura's mid-engine top dog too tame to be great, yet too ubiquitous to be exotic? Considering how the NSX redux has been worked (and re-worked as a stillborn front-engine V10 GT, only to return to a mid-engine layout), it's safe to say Acura is intent on securing supercar greatness. While the essential spirit of the original NSX program targeted the "New Sports Experimental" idea, Large Project Leader Ted Klaus says that Shigeru Uehara, the man responsible for the original NSX (and Honda S2000, among others) advised the US-based development team that they ought to be "... open-minded to doing things for the emotional benefit of the customer," and not come from a place that was "hyper rational." In other words, build a car that makes the heart skip a beat. View 8 Photos As such, the next-generation NSX has departed from the 2013 concept and assumed a more emotional, expressive design language that hides a more engineering-intensive drivetrain. Gone is the naturally aspirated, transverse-mounted V6, replaced with a longitudinally mounted, turbocharged, dry-sump V6 that produces "north of 550 horsepower," according to Acura brass. As before, the internal combustion mill works with three electric motors to deliver power to all four wheels. Super Handling All-Wheel Drive, indeed – or, as Acura refers to it in this application, Sport Hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. Why the shift?

2015 Acura NSX burns to the ground at the 'Ring [w/video]

Assuming all goes to plan, automakers test their vehicles to the breaking point in the months and years leading up to that vehicle's actual release into the public. Which is good, because it's much better for a car to break in glorious fashion in the hands of the company that produces it than in the driveway of an owner who just spent their hard-earned cash to get it.
Such was the case with this production-guise Acura NSX prototype that we saw running around the Nürburgring just the other day. We can't be 100-percent certain, but the burned-out carcass is wearing the same number plate as the car that was spotted earlier, so it's likely the very same NSX. We have no idea what was the cause of the blaze that turned this Acura into the car-b-q you see pictured above, but our spy shooters on the ground in Germany say it was not involved in any collision, having caught on fire all on its own with engineers behind the wheel.
The good news is that nobody was hurt, though the car is quite clearly a complete loss. We're sure there's another ready to to test in the burned car's place... just as soon as the engineers at Honda figure out exactly what went wrong. Have a look at the smoldering aftermath up above, and feel free to scroll down below to see a video of the car in much better circumstances.

Acura touts full-line Top Safety Pick+ achievement in new ad

When a vehicle scores a Top Safety Pick+ in Insurance Institute for Highway Safety testing or a five-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it's a darn big deal. But when an automaker's entire lineup earns the TSP+ honor and gets top marks from NHTSA it's a, um, well, it's never happened before. So congratulations, Acura. The premium Japanese brand is the first automaker to score top marks on the latest IIHS testing while also earning five-star NHTSA ratings across its entire range of vehicle. This, of course, is not the first time it's earned such a distinction – in 2009, and well before TSP+ existed, Acura was the first automaker to boast a lineup filled with TSP and five-star vehicles. With this new, five-vehicle lineup of TSP+ and five stars, Acura certainly has something worth crowing about. That's why it's preparing a new marketing campaign to crow about super-safe ILX sedans and MDX crossovers. Expect to see it on your TV starting on October 18. If you simply can't wait to see what Acura's up to, though, we've got a 60-second spot that features some very disturbing crash-test "dummies." Take a look at the top of the page, and then scroll down for the official press release on Acura's lineup.Related Video: Acura Underscores Industry-leading Safety Performance with Emotional New Marketing Campaign • Acura is the first and only automotive brand to earn 5-star Overall Vehicle Score from the NHTSA and TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating from the IIHS across its model line • High impact and emotional national advertising campaign brings to life Acura's dedication to safety performance • The brand's first-of-its-kind campaign launches digitally on Oct. 15 and on national broadcast television on Oct. 18 TORRANCE, Calif. (Oct. 15, 2015) – Acura has taken a safety leadership position as the only automotive brand to earn a 5-star Overall Vehicle Score in the NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) and a TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) across its entire model line . Based on the brand's commitment to the latest safety design and implementation of advanced safety and driver-assistive technology, Acura earned top overall safety ratings from the U.S. government and the IIHS across its model line. Acura will showcase its leadership in a new high impact and emotional national advertising campaign highlighting the brand's dedication to safety performance.