Acura NSX engineers make sure Type S is much more than just a badge
The project's engineers talk about the in-depth development that went into the final NSX.
Acura's NSX has been a contentious beast since it hit dealers back in 2016, largely due to its perceived shift away from the design ethos of the original supercar and towards something a little more complex. Acura worked hard to iron out some of those issues over the years and now, for its final year of NSX production, the company is coming out with something pretty extraordinary: the Type S.
The changes from NSX to Type S are extensive, but the reasoning behind them isn't. So to explain what some of them are and why the company did what it did, Acura released a video Wednesday that interviews several engineers and shows plenty of driving footage of the updated car.
The Type S -- which debuted during Monterey Car Week -- takes the fundamentally solid bones of the regular production NSX and turns the wick up significantly. Despite only planning to build 350 examples of the Type S, Acura made a ton of changes all over the car. The drivetrain now produces a combined 600 horsepower and 492 pound-feet of torque. The car's nine-speed transmission has been retuned and comes with a feature that automatically selects the lowest possible gear if the driver holds the downshift paddle for 0.6 seconds.
This is what going out in style looks like.
There are also several aerodynamic changes in the front end and the rear diffuser that help create downforce and allow for better and more efficient cooling. Other mods include a retuned torque-vectoring system and a new suspension calibration that help reduce body motion, especially under braking. Overall mechanical grip is increased through the switch to special Pirelli P Zero tires, which Acura claims are good for an additional 6% more lateral grip.
Of course, we'll be sad to see the NSX go. It is a vehicle that focuses on efficiency and everyday usability as much as it does outright speed and performance, and it does so for less money than most of its European competitors. Luckily, Acura's increased commitment to the Type S brand softens the blow a bit. The fact that there's a new NSX coming helps, too.
