New NSX or used 458 - Interesting take

Blackbolt22, I liked my 74 Capri (my first car also) more than I like the new NSX.

 

I'd be shocked if the R8 is a "best selling".
Not much soul, but same for the tts.
Some people like them though.

 

Imo the 2015 R8 V10 manual is by far one of the best cars out there. Drove one for 10 days and have been missing it since. It's one step under the Italia/speciale but the perfect stable mate compared to the other offerings out there. Especially for the manual transmission

 

Through 2014, they had sold 26K. That's 3700 per year. As far as exotics go, that's very good.

Not much soul? 610 hp NA V10 that can send 100% of the power to the rear? It's only barely slower than cars that are way lighter and more powerful and sounds better than anything in it's class aside from the Huracan which is essentially the same.

Hockenheim: 1.09,0

- Porsche 918 Spyder: 1.06,3
- Lamborghini Aventador SV: 1.07,8
- SLS AMG BS: 1.08,2
- Lamborghini Gallardo LP570 SC: 1.08,2
- Corvette ZR1: 1.08,3
- Ferrari 488 GTB: 1.08,3
- Porsche 997 GT2 RS: 1.08,4
- Porsche 991 GT3 RS: 1.08,5
- Porsche Carrera GT: 1.08,6
- Lamborghin Aventador LP700: 1.08,6
- Porsche 991.1 Turbo S: 1.08,7
- McLaren MP4-12C: 1.08,7
- Corvette C7 Z06 (Z07 Pack): 1.08,7
- Lamborghini Huracan LP610: 1.08,8
- Porsche 991.1 Turbo: 1.09,3

Acceleration (km/h):

0-80: 2,2
0-100: 2,9
0-130: 4,3
0-160: 6,2
0-180: 7,6
0-200: 9,5
0-220: 11,7
0-240: 14,4
0-260: 17,8

0-400 m: 10,7

 

It's not an exotic.

The made-similar Huracan is however.

Funny how they classify these cars.

I need to drive one of those Huranacs sometime Steven!

 

Weird statement considering the R8 is actually just faster version of the Huracan with different design.

If you've owned or driven an R8, you'll find that it gets just as much attention as any other exotic.

 

That's a great point- but let me ask you this. What if Kia made a mid engined "supercar" and priced it around $120,000. Tell me your first reaction wouldn't be similar to mine: why are they doing that?

As to the i8- I haven't driven one but I did sit in one and I had the exact same experience as everyone who commented- I found it difficult to get in and out (Id rank it about on par with the F40 for ingress/egress). For me the mission for the i8 would be to use as a more daily car and thus the ingress/egress is a huge issue and hence I didn't even bother with the test drive. I think I'd take the R8 over both the NSX and i8. But not sure if I would want the new model or would look for an older one with stick shift.

 

I would say it isn't fair to compare cars like a R8, an i8 or a NSX regarding their exotic status with a pure exotic car like the Ferrari 458 is.

These cars have another mission, these cars are sporty flagship offerings of mass producers with huge product portfolios manned with normal everyday cars. The mission is to improve a brande image, but it is like it is, these cars always arise out of their mass producer DNA. It is clear, such cars will never have a "Ferrari soul". Even though they usually have a much higher quality for a less amount of money than, lets say, a Ferrari with its average quality and an exorbitant price, but no, an exotic status they will never achieve. But lets be honest, they don't wanna be exotics!

They just want to be very good and fast cars, they wanna be a sporty statement of technological leadership of a mass producer. And sorry to say that, these cars are in their nature damned good cars with clear advantages!

Only my two cents in this discussion...

 

Daniel, thanks for the post. Very well said.

 

No problem. Let me know when

 

At the end of the day, I don't care why they are doing it, I care what it is. If they make a sweet looking, high performing car for $120K, I'll be all over it.

You don't have to be an exotic brand to make an exotic car.

Ford GT, 918 Spyder, Bugatti Veyron -- all are exotics and highly desirable, yet the brands really aren't associated with exotic cars at all.

 

By those standards, the 918 isn't as exotic as a 458 either because it's just an exercise in branding for a company where 80% of sales are SUVs, sedans, and lower performance sports cars.

 

hey, am i crazy if i say i want the old nsx more than the new one?

 

Not at all. I wish they didn't call this car an NSX. I don't think there's any connection between the two.

The old NSX was a pure but usable sports car. It showed Ferrari how to do it. This car seems like an experiment in technology and a marketing exercise to revive a brand no one cares about anymore.

I don't see Ferrari or anyone else learning anything from it other than what not to do.

 

Actually the Huracan is the faster car: Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 vs Audi R8 II V10 Plus [51705910]
The R8 is friendlier and more usable though.

 

Here's my 2 cents. To me, having had both the r8 and i8, One of the problems with both of these cars is that one you get inside, the interior feels like you're driving a regular car. The R8 felt like my RS5 and S6, the i8 felt like an M3/M4.
There was no sense of occasion. Sure, they are both beautiful outside. But once inside you can almost forget which car you were in.

Back to the NSX. I think if this car was launched 2 years ago, we would all be much more impressed. It's too little too late from Acura.

 

Hockenheim short 1'08"80 / 1'09"40
Vairano 1'11"80 / 1'13"80
Sachsenring 1'32"84 / 1'33"78

At Hockenheim and Sachsenring, Huracan was on Trofeo R and the R8 was on Cup 2.
At Vairano the Huracan was on Trofeo R and the R8 were on Continental SportContact 6 (whatever the hell those are)

 

I'll disagree with Porsche and Bugatti. For most people Porsche is exotic- even if might not be considered as such here.

Also there are sweet performing cars out there for $120k. And even less.

Every one you listed has racing heritage and the brands are in some form built on that.

I think the rest of my point is better made by TheMayor, so I'll leave it there.

 

BMW i8 -- fake motor noises pumped into the cockpit to simulate a high strung engine and mask it's 3 cylinder motor.

FAIL

 

Reminds me a bit of my Fisker Karma. Super cool car and I loved it on many levels but when it came to stirring any emotion while driving - it was anemic at best. A wheezy, turbo-charged 4 cylinder GM EcoTec engine. The exhaust note could be best described as "wet fart". As fast and quick as electric or hybrid cars might be...they have no answer for the aural aspect of going fast.

 

I8 is an economy hybrid car with a pretty body. Say what you want about nsx but it IS a sports car

 

Porsche GT4 Cayman is way better than I8. And GT3 RS is much better than NSX except.....THE LOOK.

 

I've driven the R8 v10 extensively in coupe and spider config. Nowhere near the attention as a true exotic esp in SoCal where I travel.

As someone said, the sense of occasion esp inside just isn't there. Could be a base Audi A series. For $200k it's gotta be a hoot.

I feel same way about 911tt also though.

 

We'll see about that last statement. GT3 RS is not as potent as many people think. It's really down on power/torque compared to most road cars.

At Hockenheim, the new 991.2 TTS on P Zerosjust did 1:08.5, which is the same as the GT3 RS on track oriented tires.

It's quite possible the NSX, on the good tires, will be just as quick given similar power/torque, AWD, instant torque availability, true torque vectoring, and the latest and greatest electronics.

 

SoCal is not really an indication of the vast majority of places in the world, or even America. Go to London or Monaco with a 458 and you'll blend right in with how common they are. Outside of supercar Meccas like LA, Socal, London etc, an R8 gets annoying amounts of attention just like all the other exotics.