Acura NSX at last: More than 550 hp, for more than $150,000, this year

When Honda's Acura luxury division announced it was bringing back the iconic NSX sports car in 2012 — as a mid-engined, Ohio-built hybrid supercar — there was a sizable amount of doubt around the industry about Honda's wherewithal to complete such a leap. Today, Acura revealed the finished NSX, and indeed, it's a supercar with more than 550 hp, three electric motors and a price that begins around $150,000 that will roll out of Ohio in a matter of months.

The previous generation NSX holds a special place in the hearts of enthusiasts; a lithe, affordable (by supercar standards) handling machine, tuned with input from the great Ayrton Senna, that could embarass the Italian machinery of its time. While the 21st century NSX retains the basic layout and some of the styling cues of the original, in all other respects it's become a far more substantial vehicle — five inches wider, with a wheelbase that's 11 inches longer.

Part of that bulk derives from the complicated powertrain of the new NSX. It begins with an all-new twin-turbo V-6 mated to a nine-speed dual-clutch transmission, and combines three electric motors — including two powering the front wheels that provide not just all-wheel-drive but active torque vectoring in turns — for a total system power of more than 550 hp, and what Acura executives claim is a "zero delay" acceleration. The power hits the road through 19- and 20-inch wheels, with carbon-ceramic brakes for stopping power.

That size and complexity inevitably add weight, something Acura has attempted to shed with the chassis. As described, it's a unique combination of aluminum, carbon fiber and steel, with aluminum and fiberglass body panels. The assembly will take place in a new plant Acura has built in Ohio with 100 workers expressly for small-volume production.

That line will start building shortly, once Acura opens its order books later this summer — although as Jerry Seinfeld, who was on hand to support the sponsor of his "Comedians in Cars Geting Coffee" web series has noted, many are already spoken for.