Except in video games
For years, rumors of a Honda-badged “baby NSX” have swirled, and now that car has finally arrived. Well, sort of. The sleek, seductive coupe you see rendered here is yet another concept designed exclusively for the Gran Turismo video game series.
Called the Honda Sports Vision Gran Turismo, the concept matches what we’d heard about the rumored baby NSX almost exactly. The coupe is significantly smaller than the Acura NSX, and is powered by a mid-mounted turbocharged DOHC VTEC 2.0-liter I-4, likely inspired by the Civic Type R’s turbo-four, that makes 404 hp at 7,500 rpm. This fictional powerplant sends its power to the rear wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Carbon-fiber body pieces contribute to a low curb weight of roughly 1,982 pounds, and Honda even tested and fine-tuned the car’s aerodynamics using a full-scale model and a real wind tunnel.
Honda designers from around the world competed for a chance to style the Vision GT, and ultimately a team from the automaker’s Los Angeles studio won and took the lead on the project. Other designers from Japan and the U.S. later joined in to give input on everything from the seating position to the engine and the tires.
Honda clearly put a lot of work into the design of this virtual car, so here’s hoping with enough prodding from fans, media, and potential customers it will put the Sports Vision Gran Turismo—or something like it—into production. Until then, you can only experience the car in Gran Turismo Sport on PlayStation 4.
Check out the video below for more on the car’s design process.
Source: Polyphony Digital