New car news

08 January 2007 - 09:00

Detroit show: Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept

Gotcha. Whisperings of a successor to Honda's much-missed NSX have been bouncing round for far, far too long, but the concept model for the Japanese firm's next sports car was finally unveiled at Detroit.

And it's a pretty serious lump of metal. Low-slung, muscular and genuinely futuristic in appearance, the Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept, as it's being called, was one of the biggest draws at the show.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the position of the concept's engine. The V10 is front-mounted, breaking with the tradition of mid-mounted NSXs.

Thankfully it's still rear wheel-driven, and although there's no word on performance, we'll happily file it into our 'absurdly quick' cabinet.

Twenty-inch aluminium wheels hide carbon ceramic brake discs and eight-piston callipers, while those fat, flared wheel arches give the concept an over-pumped, hyper-aggressive stance.

The low, aerodynamic cabin is constructed entirely of tinted glass, and the futuristic build continues with a carbon-fibre underbody and a set of quad exhaust pipes.

Sadly, Honda hasn't confirmed whether this stunning concept will make it into production, but judging by the reaction at Detroit, we'd say it doesn't have a choice. Or is that just wishful thinking?