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| The bright-red NS-X drew crowds of enthusiastic viewers at the
Chicago Auto Show in February 1989 |
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It was to be an exciting time in Honda’s
history. In June 1989, the company launched a series of test drives in Japan,
eventually moving on to the U.S. and countries throughout Europe.
The American test drives were held at California’s Laguna Seca circuit and
on general roads. Laguna Seca was an appropriate choice, since its reputation
for extreme difficulty would test the car’s body and suspension performance.
Then, having succeeded in that leg of the journey, the team headed for West Germany,
where test drives were held near Nurburgring, the circuit that had played a key
role in the car’s development.
And at each drive people praised the NSX’s stability, as well as its extremely
comfortable accommodations. American journalists, in particular, issued impressive
comments such as, “This car will change the standard for modern sportscars,”
and “All the cars we currently have are now history.” These were powerful
words indeed, conveying their respect for the new car and its highly advanced
technologies. The members of the development team simply couldn’t have been
happier.
“A car is a machine that functions through a direct link with the driver
and passenger,” Uehara said. “The quality of that car is determined
by whether or not the car can kindle excitement in the person who drives it.”
The birth of the NS-X opened doors to a new era in sportscars. It changed the
perceptions of automakers around the world, who learned they could achieve both
performance and comfort in a single vehicle. |
