2003 Acura Tl Type-s Sedan 4-door 3.2l on 2040-cars

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2017 Acura NSX No. 1 just rolled off the line in Ohio

The 2017 Acura NSX is officially in production. NASCAR titan Rick Hendrick, who paid $1.2 million at auction for the first one, drove it off the line Tuesday at the NSX factory in Marysville, OH. VIN No. 1 wears Valencia red pearl paint. It is equipped with carbon-ceramic brake rotors, leather and Alcantara trim, and uses carbon fiber for the engine cover, roof, and rear spoiler. Top that off with upgraded wheels, and it has every available option. The NSX is powered by a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 that teams with three electric motors for a system output of 573 hp and 476 pound-feet of torque. It has a nine-speed dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel drive. The NSX will start at $157,800 and maxes out north of $205,000 for a fully loaded model like this one. Hendrick's heady price came from his winning bid at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona in January, with proceeds going to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and Camp Southern Ground. Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motor Sports and the Hendrick Automotive Group, has also paid hefty prices for the first 2015 Chevy Corvette Z06 and 2014 Chevy Camaro Z/28 in support of charities. The NSX launch is a milestone for American Honda, which has built cars in Ohio for more than 30 years. The NSX is assembled at the company's Performance Manufacturing Center, and the engines are hand-built at a nearby facility in Ohio. "Today marks the realization of a big dream here at the PMC and the culmination of more than 30 years of manufacturing experience and expertise here in Ohio," Clement D'Souza, engineering large project leader for the NSX, said in a statement. "Our world class team of expert technicians, through their passion, has realized major innovations in the design and manufacturing of a next-generation Acura supercar that truly delivers incredible precision-crafted performance." Related Video: Image Credit: Acura Design/Style Green Plants/Manufacturing Acura Coupe Hybrid Performance Supercars rick hendrick

Autoblog's guilty pleasure cars

Guilty pleasures are part of life – don't even try to pretend like you don't have one (or two, or six). In the non-automotive space, this could come down to that secret playlist in your iPhone of songs you'll only listen to when you're alone; or think of that one TV show you really do love, but won't admit to your friends. I've got plenty, and so do you. Going back to cars, here's a particularly juicy one for me: several years ago, I had a mad crush on the very last iteration of the Cadillac DTS. Oh yes, the front-wheel-drive, Northstar V8-powered sofa-on-wheels that was the last remaining shred of the elderly-swooning days of Cadillac's past. Every time I had the chance to drive one, I was secretly giddy. Don't hate me, okay? These days, the DTS is gone, but I've still got a mess of other cars that hold a special place in my heart. And in the spirit of camaraderie, I've asked my other Autoblog editors to tell me some of their guilty pleasure cars, as well – Seyth Miersma, as you can see above, has a few choice emotions to share about the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Read on to find out what cars make us secretly happy. Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG This decadent convertible is the epitome of the guilty pleasure. It's big, powerful, fairly heavy and it's richly appointed inside and out. It's a chocolate eclair with the three-pointed star on the hood. Given my druthers, I'd take the SL65 AMG, which delivers 621 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. That output is borderline absurd for this laid-back convertible. I don't care. You don't need dessert. Sometimes you just crave it. The SL line is about the feel you get on the road. The roof is open. The air, sun and engine sounds all embrace you. It's the same dynamic you could have experienced in a Mercedes a century ago, yet the SL gives you the most modern of luxuries. An Airscarf feature that warms my neck and shoulders through a vent embedded in the seat? Yes, please. Sure, it's an old-guy car. Mr. Burns and Lord Grantham are probably too young and hip for an SL65. I don't care. This is my guilty pleasure. Release the hounds. – Greg Migliore Senior Editor Ford Flex I drove my first Flex in 2009 when my mother let me borrow hers for the summer while I was away at college. The incredibly spacious interior made moving twice that summer a breeze, and the 200-mile trips up north were quite comfortable.

Honda marks 20 million vehicles made in the USA

Japanese automakers manufacturing in the United States is nothing new. But it was in November of 1982 when the first Honda Accord rolled off the assembly line in Marysville, OH. It was the first Japanese vehicle assembled in the US, and in the nearly 32 years since, Honda has made 10 million Accords here for a total of 20 million cars manufactured in America - enough to span from New York to San Francisco twenty times. It's that double landmark which Honda is now celebrating.
Honda has come a long way in those three decades, keeping that original plant in Marysville on line while expanding to three more - in East Liberty, OH; Lincoln, AL; and Greensburg, IN - with a fifth plant (the Performance Manufacturing Center) opening on the same site in Marysville to build the Acura NSX next year. It also builds engines in Lincoln and in Anna, OH, and automatic transmissions at Russells Point, OH, and Tallapoosa, GA.
Between those seven sites, Honda produces 11 different models, including the Accord, Civic, Crosstour, CR-V, Pilot, Odyssey and Ridgeline as well as the Acura ILX, TL, RDX and MDX. Production keeps on ramping up as Honda produced a record 1.3 million vehicles in the US last year, 95 percent of which are sold in the US. Scope out the details in the press release below and click the image above to see it all laid out in a handy infographic.