Travel: Buy an Acura NSX and Then Test-Drive It (4 of 4)

Buy an Acura NSX and Then Test-Drive It (4 of 4)

By Yoav Gilad
November 6, 2014

Photography by Yoav Gilad

If you haven’t yet, read part three of the Acura NSX test-drive story.

The air that early-July morning was bracing. It rained on and off during the night, but the clouds were now gone and only a cool chill remained. My wife remained in bed as I closed the door quietly and tip-toed down the stairs across the hall from our room.

I have a habit of being early to most things and this morning was no exception. We had made plans the day before, while my wife and I drove from Austin, to meet at a local breakfast spot that was popular. I had no idea where it was but figured I’d find it using Google maps. When I checked the map, it turned out to be about six or seven miles away and factoring traffic, I figured it would take about twenty minutes.

I’d be there about ten minutes early this way. It just so happened that my idea of traffic (being from Los Angeles) is a bit different from Santa Fe’s reality. The entire drive took less than ten minutes and as a result I now had just under a half-hour to spare until my meeting. I didn’t even turn into the restaurant’s parking lot. Ample spare time, Santa Fe’s mountains, and a sports car? Time to drive!

The restaurant flew past as I braked, blipped the gas pedal with my heel, flicked the transmission from fourth to third, off the clutch, blipped again, went to second, back off the clutch, and then buried the throttle. Up to third again. But then I entered a tight right-hander and downshifted back to second as I swung the NSX towards the inside of the curve. And back onto the gas as the road straightened. Here on my own, I was more comfortable pushing the Acura than when my wife was riding shotgun. And the NSX obliged.

It’s funny, but I hadn’t appreciated how comfortable the seating position and how supportive the seats are. Through all the miles over the last few days, I never really experienced fatigue in my back or legs. And yet, when running through the New Mexico canyons, I stayed perfectly in place as the bolsters are placed ideally. In the first segment of this road-trip cum test-drive I marveled at how well designed the cabin was and how easily the instruments were manipulated–everything was designed and executed with a focus on maximizing ease of interaction. The seats–and shifter–were no exception.

When I managed to break my concentration for a moment I realized that I was dangerously close to being late. I found a dusty turnout and quickly reversed my course in a cloud of dirt and sand. Now I had a real incentive to mash it.

I pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot just ahead of a small SUV, parked, and ran inside. My “date” wasn’t there yet. I walked back outside and there she was climbing out of the small SUV. She was wearing sunglasses and a polka-dot blouse. I introduced myself and she extended her hand. As we walked past the NSX, she asked how I liked it, then remarked how it was “two cylinders short for Americans who had their tastes formed by ad writers.” She should know, she’s had a driver’s license since before the US became involved in World War II. Her name is Denise McCluggage and she’s the grand dame of motor racing and automotive journalism.

I’ve been reading her writing since I can remember and while I was officially there trying to woo her for Petrolicious (it didn’t work out, I’m sad to say), I was more than a bit thrilled that she took the time to meet.

We ate breakfast and she couldn’t tell me enough to stories to sate my appetite. Stories of cross-country drives with racing champs like Phil Hill and how the two of them had a system wherein one would use the restroom while the other pumped gas in order to decrease the time off the road. She tells the story of Luigi Chinetti’s Christmas Eve drive to see Enzo Ferrari (which she happened to write up for AutoWeek just this past week). And stories of a local car club, their events, and drives with Sir Stirling Moss.

But she was no groupie. Denise is the real article, a racer herself, quicker in her prime than you, or I, ever were. She won the GT category at Sebring in ’61, achieved a class win in the Monte Carlo Rally, raced at the Nurburgring, and was invited to drive the 24 Hours of Le Mans multiple times by major factory teams but was never allowed because women were banned due to a woman’s death sometime in the past. “Men were killed at Le Mans, why were they permitted to continue?” she quipped.

For me, the experience was surreal. It far exceeded any expectations I had. To chat with Denise, a legend involved in the Golden Age of racing who was no mere spectator but a participant, was incomparable. We walked back to her SUV and hugged goodbye. I wished that I lived in Santa Fe just so I could spend more time with her and knew I’d have to return just to see her again. I may be mistaken, but I truly felt that I’d made a friend.

By the time I returned to the hotel, Marcia was waiting and ready to go. We were back on the road in a matter of minutes cutting through New Mexico’s mountainous desert, headed for Scottsdale, Arizona and an impromptu Petrolicious cars and coffee. It was a beautiful day with blue skies and big, puffy white clouds. The NSX was running strong and we were eager to get back in our time zone. We could almost see the Pacific as we flew through the Rocky Mountain passes.

At some point we got tired of the highway and decided to take local roads. We were also growing hungry and opted for a Navajo fry-bread lunch. There were signs at quite a few exits and on a previous road trip through the southwest we had discovered the fried delicacy. It’s sort of like those puffy clouds but made of fried flour and piled high with assorted chopped veggies, cheese, and meat (in most cases) and very filling. Parking in front of a small building next to another car, this fry-bread spot was also a gift shop, local “museum”, and home to the proprietors. The fry-bread was three or four bucks, a water was one.

There was a couple sitting on the outdoor plastic chairs at a plastic table awaiting their fry-bread. They owned the hulking GMC Yukon Hybrid parked next to our little Acura NSX. The couple looked like they were in their mid-fifties. Marcia and I joined them at the table and said our hellos. They were very friendly, coincidentally from Georgia where we had started our drive. We chatted pleasantly while munching on the fry-bread and wiping our fingers, and they asked us where we were headed.

“California,” Marcia replied.

“By way of Arizona?” the man asked.

We nodded. “I’m never going back to Arizona!” the man announced, and continued without waiting for an inquiry, “I was attacked by a damned mountain lion there!” He stood and revealed horrific looking scars on his left arm and legs.

“I was riding my Harley in a canyon with a friend. We’re riding through kind-of slowly, maybe fifteen, twenty miles per hour and suddenly!… This hundred-and-eighty pound cougar jumps on my back!” Marcia and I were both speechless.

“I go flying off the bike, tumbling down into a wash with this cougar on top of me! His head is down by my ankles and its hind-quarters on my shoulders. I just started trying to rip its privates off! I guess it decided I wasn’t worth the trouble ’cause after a bit of wrestling, it sprinted back up the canyon.”

His friend stopped videotaping (seriously), called an ambulance, and the man was rushed to the emergency room. He needed hundreds of stitches, but survived. As a postscript, he told us that the same cougar tried attacking a small child a few weeks later and a wildlife management officer managed to shoot the lion. “How did you know it was the same cougar?” I asked. “It had road rash on its right hind quarter. They called me and told me they killed the one that attacked me, as it was reported to wildlife management when I went to the ER. I’m now the only person in the state of Georgia with a legal mountain lion pelt,” he explained with a proud smile.

We told them not to worry as the NSX was a hardtop and that we’d be fine through Arizona, after all, Scottsdale’s cougars were probably more dangerous, but less interested in me. We passed through Gallup and the Petrified Forest National Park, then turned off the freeway again in Holbrook, Arizona. I love traveling by car as you have the option to get out and look around, but it’s also very easy to just swallow miles and miss everything as they just blend from one to the other. In only a matter of hours, you’re in a completely new vista that bears little resemblance to where you were that morning. The transition from Texas’s Gulf Coast to its Western border is extreme and takes little more than twelve hours of steady driving. We were now almost halfway through Arizona and I felt like we really could almost see the Pacific; every time I’ve driven cross-country (this was my ninth, I believe) it has felt too quick. There’s a metaphor for you to chew on.

Anyway, from Holbrook we cut south on some roads (state routes 377, 260, and 87) that looked promising but were actually somewhat congested. Shame that the last two-hundred miles were so frustrating. We arrived at Marcia’s sister’s house and dropped our things off before we had to head out to attend the cars and coffee that Petrolicious‘s home office had publicized on Facebook. I was a bit disappointed that only two people showed up, but between them, Marcia’s sister and her sister’s boyfriend, and us two, we had a good time. Of the two people who showed up, one drove a Porsche 911 Carrera, the other, a younger guy, drove a 327,000 mile Volvo wagon. In the backseat of the Volvo, was a turbo about the size of a large pizza that he planned to install. He managed and maintained some older guy’s collection. In spite of all the “bro-trucks” and stucco strip malls in Scottsdale, it’s home to quite a thriving classic car community. It’s no wonder that Barrett-Jackson is based here and the January auctions take place here.

We spent the night in Scottsdale and then headed for home the following morning.

The Acura NSX made it with no major incidents. More to the point, over the five or six days and approximately 3500 miles, driving it was an easy thrill. The funny things is that had I gone out and test driven one before buying it, I probably wouldn’t have actually bought it. You might remember my list of other potential cars from the first part of this story. I was considering a ’65 Ford Mustang Fastback, or an early ’80s Ferrari 308. And I could easily envision the Mustang’s mighty rumble winning, or perhaps the Magnum P.I. Ferrari’s stunning shape. And I probably wouldn’t have minded driving either one every day. But I would have been poorer for never having given the NSX a chance, because it’s as close to a perfect car as I have ever driven.

Some people equate great ergonomics and reliability with a lack of soul or passion. Those people are idiots. Their cars might have more presence, a higher top speed, or cost more, but they don’t actually deliver a great experience. The people who prattle on about soul would rather stare at their cars gathering dust in a temperature- and humidity-controlled garage, instead of actually driving them regularly. You know why? Because their cars aren’t actually fun to drive. The Acura NSX is.

As a wise woman once said, the Acura NSX is “two cylinders short for [those] who had their tastes formed by ad writers.” If you get the chance, buy an Acura NSX and then take the test-drive. You won’t be disappointed. Oh and yeah, since returning I’ve driven it nearly every single day and no, it isn’t for sale.

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Jonah Rosselot
Jonah Rosselot
7 years ago

Really enjoyed this story. Thank you, and keep it up! Cant wait to hear the next adventure.

Celio Parcera
Celio Parcera
8 years ago

The Honda NSX is really cool. I used to own a [url=”http://www.coc-europe.com/coc-honda”]Honda[/url] EP3 type R which is really fun to drive but the shape will never be as special as the NSX. Collector!

GARY MILES
GARY MILES
9 years ago

Yoav,

Thanks for a great story about road-tripping in your new NSX. I’ve driven mine to Yosemite, Santa Barbara, Reno, Napa, and my old stomping grounds in Pasadena on multiple occasions; it is indeed a great road car. I still get chills when driving it after going on 18 years! One thing you need to be aware of however, is the well-documented “snap ring” issue in the transmission of the earlier cars. You can find more information on NSX Prime. Mine failed at about 80k miles. I don’t think I’ll ever part with the car…it’ll have to be pried from my cold, demented hands!

Best,

Gary

Paul Waibel
Paul Waibel
9 years ago

This is a fantastic series. It’s well written and complemented nicely by the photos. I remember this car. Like you, it made my short list of possible candidates when I was looking around last summer. Upon seeing the post on NSX prime, I thought “this is the one”. Unfortunately, it was gone by the time I worked up the courage to plunk down the money and formalize the purchase. Fortune favors the bold and someone was quicker. It’s good to see that someone using the car as intended and recording the experience.

After a near-miss with a local 91 NSX in good shape, I ended up buying a 2004 Porsche 911 40th Anniversary Edition. The Porsche is fantastic and makes an excellent driver, but I *will* own an NSX one day. Congrats again on the purchase and thanks for the articles. Cheers.

Ted Zimmermann
Ted Zimmermann
9 years ago
Reply to  Paul Waibel

Hi, Paul – I own a 911 40th, too (Nr. 0711). What number is your car? I manage the Registry of the 40ths. You should check out the Registry website if you haven’t already seen it: http://www.facebook.com/40jahre911. I’d love to get some info about your car for the Registry records – you can email me at 40jahre911@gmail.com. Hope to hear from you soon! PS – a recent pic of my 40th is attached.

Mark McNeely
Mark McNeely
9 years ago

Yoav,
Thank you for letting me count on your writings to get me through my “white collar crime” class. Great read.

Riccardo
Riccardo
9 years ago

Yoav, what a fantastic read! I was looking forward to the next instalment every day (I’ll now be dissapointed that its finished). Road tripping through the USA is always a great experience, especially for us Europeans who love the USA. I’m a dyed in the wool 911 man, but your article has me really curious about the NSX now.

I reckon you guys need some sort of forum to get some traction going in terms of increased “presence”? Just look at Pistonheads in the UK for an example of what started as a TVR specific site and has now become massive.

Sohail
9 years ago
Reply to  Riccardo

Go for the NSX, I have a 911 and bought an NSX in the summer. They are both so different in character yet both equally fun. And the attention you get in an NSX in the uk (due to its rarity) is both funny and an exclamation point to the realisation of what an amazing car it is! I purchased a car that required a lot of work to get it to 100\% but even then, I haven’t stopped smiling since…

Andreas Lavesson
Andreas Lavesson
9 years ago

Fantastic ending to a great series of articles. Being kind of enticed by the two-wheeled world, I guess I now have another argument as to why I shouldn’t. “Possible death by mountain lion”.

I agree with Jeff Leon though, it’s a shame you have to sell the NSX in order to make room for another one of these.

Jeff Leon
Jeff Leon
9 years ago

Great write up! I felt like I was there. Now sell the NSX and buy another car. We need another story like this. 😀

I am headed to my garage to stare at my dusty sculptures. I felt like you were writing about me. Howling 12 cylinder with a difficult shifter. My car is fun and you know it!

TJ Martin
TJ Martin
9 years ago

And now … back to the topic at hand versus an unfortunate but needed virtual slap down . I knew where you were heading once you said you were meeting someone of importance in Santa Fe . Couldn’t of been anyone else other than the legend that is Denise M ! Love her comment about the missing two cylinders . As far as the guy and his Mt Lion story … well … I hate to tell the poor fellow but if he wants to avoid them he’d better stay away from CO , NM WY etc as well . And yeah .. they’ll attack people if hungry and desperate enough

As to Betty Boop’s accusation of my trying to entice you … . To put it quite simply … the potential ‘ gift ‘ in question has been in my collection for a very long time … cost me not dime one at the time I got it .. the only cost now being that of shipping it off .. isn’t worth hardly anything despite its rarity .. and I’d rather see it go with an NSX where it belongs rather than collect dust on one of my shelves . Gee … aint I just a terrible manipulative person ? Hell … I’m surprised I can even stand myself … wink wink

So Yoav … ” Is You Is or Is You Aint ” .. keeping it that is ?

B Bop
B Bop
9 years ago

Of course this article is going to bring the Denver CO troll [ TJ Martin ]out from under the bridge, pleading for Yoav to be his friend, enticing him with a rare free gift. Lock up your pets, hide the kids and keep the wife safe … shouldn’t be too long before “Mr Eclectic” arrives

TJ Martin
TJ Martin
9 years ago
Reply to  B Bop

Real cute B Bop ! So what do you do for an encore ? Stand on your head on top of the highest virtual mountain your limited knowledge and imagination is capable of providing proclaiming yourself the one and only genuine Troll on the site ? [ read the definition of a ‘ Troll ‘ wingnut . Your post today being the epitome of the term ]

So whats your problem anyway B Boop ? Did I perhaps burst your bubble on one automotive myth or another .. perhaps hitting a little too close to home for your fragile ego to handle ? Yeah … I’ll bet I did .. and too ____ bad

Oh well … I suppose even a site of this quality is bound to have its occasional Peanut Gallery … sigh ….

B Bop
B Bop
9 years ago
Reply to  TJ Martin

Thanks so much for the kind words TJ … “wink wink” 😉

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