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2017 Acura NSX | 2017 Autoblog Technology of the Year Finalist

Like its iconic predecessor, the second-generation Acura NSX blazes trails. The old NSX proved that you could get reliability and daily use from an exotic car, and subsequently changed the automotive world. Acura's engineers pushed in a new direction for the prodigal successor: technology. And so the new NSX sets a new bar in the way technology is used to achieve speed. The highlight here is the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system, which supplements the 500-horsepower twin-turbo V6 with three electric motors, making 573 peak ponies. The two front motors each act on a front wheel, doing all kinds of tricks to help the car corner faster, brake harder, and accelerate like the proverbial cannon shot. They help make the NSX more stable at high speed, and let you sneak up on unsuspecting video producers at low speed. Then there's the third motor sandwiched between the engine and nine-speed transmission, which never lets a shift go by without filling in the milliseconds with velvety torque. If the all-wheel-drive hybrid supercar sounds familiar, yes, Porsche did something similar with the 918 Spyder. But even when you load the options on the NSX (try not to, we dare you), it's never more than a fifth the price of the Porsche. Then there are the little details, like a new form of casting Honda engineers developed for the NSX's crash structure. Or the three-dimensional bend to the A-pillar and roof rail that makes it less obstructive to the driver and also stronger. Even the Marysville, Ohio factory gets some credit here, with 12 patents filed relating to the assembly process. There's only so much a driver can do with two hands and two feet. The NSX takes your inputs and figures out how to maximize the contribution from each individual wheel. This is a car that harnesses all the greatness of technology to change what's possible in a sports car.Related Video: 2017 Acura NSX | First Drive

New Honda ad has Senna, Type R, Asimo, and astronauts

Now that Honda is back into the guts-and-performance game, automotively speaking, the Japanese company has hit the throttle on hardcore imagery. Its latest is in an ad for the company itself highlighting a small selection of its ample range of products, from motorcycles to an airplane and the coming Acura NSX, branded Honda in other markets. Called "Ignition," Wieden+Kennedy created the 90-second spot for Honda Motor Europe, with the tagline "Dare to do what others only dream of." The theme is a space launch, to give that "feeling of daring and human endeavor," perfectly supported by the print artwork with Asimo the robot up front and fabulously complicated hybrid V6 power units spewing flames from the Formula 1 cars in back. Then there's the family in the HR-V in the middle, defying gravity and sipping from juice boxes, because space is for everyone. Ayrton Senna makes a cameo again, and a Stanley Kubrick aesthetic hangs all over the production. You can check out the ad in the video above.

Production Acura NSX spied getting sharper on the 'Ring

Acura hasn't been shy about trotting out the concept version of its upcoming NSX hybrid supercar - we've seen it colorized on Facebook, wearing Super GT drag and running wrapped at Mid Ohio - but until now, we've missed seeing the production version at all. Thankfully, our boys in the field have been diligently camped out by the Nürburgring, just the place for Acura engineers to get the NSX shaken down and ready for the public.
The first thing you'll likely notice (and no doubt appreciate) is that Acura is staying very true to the concept car. The same wind-tunnel-carved wedge shape is in evidence in the car's silhouette, and details like aggressively scalloped engine vents behind the cabin have made it through unscathed.
We do notice that there are some vertical elements at the bottom of the front fascia/grille that appear to be revised, and the mirrors are considerably less slinky than those of the concept car. Still, by and large, we're seeing a direct translation from show stand to real life here.