When I first took delivery of the car, in a cold and damp Seattle winter, I was severely underwhelmed by the NSX. My first couple of drives were frankly worrying: the engine seemed really tight and unwilling to rev, the gearchange was unexpectedly agricultural, the clutch was juddery and heavy, and the steering was barely turnable. Having come from a diet of a 2002 Lotus Elise S2 (which I had to leave in storage in the UK), I expected a lot more from the "best supercar to come from Japan".

Initial Service at Acura of Lynnwood

I put my concerns aside and just focused on ensuring the car was in the best possible fettle and that there were no lurking maladies that would torpedo my ownership. I expected to have to change the clutch and flywheel, despite the low (28k) mileage - the records suggested it had only driven hundreds of yards at a time over many years - but I wanted to check the engine and suspension/steering thoroughly. That was when I had my first disappointment in Honda/Acura...

I took my car up to the much-lauded Acura dealership in Lynnwood, north of Seattle, because they had Honda Washington's only NSX tech - someone who supposedly knew the car backwards and could care properly for it. Wow, was I in for a shock. They didn't lift an eyebrow when I rolled up, and didn't even realise that the NSX was an Acura! They thought it was a Ferrari when I arrived, and didn't understand why I was rolling into the service area. The car was given a thorough service, with clutch/flywheel duly replaced, and it was given two big thumbs up by the Tech. He was impressed by the condition of the car, but said, "It needs to be driven!". A stupid amount of money was exchanged, and I left Lynnwood Acura never to return.

Starting to Drive the Beast

Over the coming months, the NSX Tech was proven right. Every time I drove the Beast, it got much better. The engine and geearbox thrived on the regular miles, and everything started to hum. The steering and suspension loosed up nicely, and the gearchange returned to the fabled Honda snickety-snick. 

Initially I was very surprised by how slow the steering was - it feels like 10 turns lock to lock sometimes - and was disappointed by the lack of the "HOLY SH&T" factor when VTEC kicked in - a famous and desirable trait of all VTEC-equipped Hondas, let's be frank. But the more I drove the car, the more it started to make sense. And then I learned to appreciate the genius of Honda's engineers and the test drivers. I can't think of any car I've ever driven that geeks out quite as much as the NSX.

"The NSX Sucks, It's Got Such Slow Steering" - Automotive ignoramus

First, let's talk about the "slow" steering. Yes, it IS slow. And yes, it IS weird at low speed to have to dial the steering wheel so much. But drive the car at over 50mph on a winding road, or faster in high speed corners and it makes SO MUCH sense. The engineers are geniuses, and they really took care to understand the feedback of the test drivers instead of customers.

The "slow" steering affords the most incredible precision at anything over 50mph. You can meter in the steering lock with minute precision, placing the car exactly where you want it at any point through a corner. If you start to explore the limits of adhesion, the steering - combined with the innate poise and balance of the chassis - affords millimetre-precise corrections without any drama. The steering is nothing short of revelatory, and I contend that anyone who criticises it is ignorant and a bad driver.

How Can VTEC be Disappointing?

Knowing what to expect, and what the engineers' intent was, I learned to really use the VTEC and appreciate it. The cam switch reveals a subtle change in the engine note, very civilised, and an equally subtle nudge - a polite "ahem", if you like - in the back, and that's it. But then you look at the instruments, and the tacho is still climbing at unabated speed to the red line of 8250rpm with no hint of breathlessness while the speedo needle seems to have engaged another gear itself and is screaming around the dial to barely-believable speeds. The car seems to accelerate faster the faster you go, defying the laws of aerodynamic drag! Suddenly you realise that you are going REALLY fast and you need to slow down.

So, What's It Like?

Overall, I'd describe the NSX as the thinking (wo)man's car. Everything about it has been designed and built so deliberately and so thoughtfully, it's an engineering geek's fantasy playground. What's more, the people who designed and built it really knew what they were doing and what they were trying to achieve. 

It's such a privilege to drive an NSX. Its so fast yet so easy to drive. And if you pay attention, it will reveal all its modesty and all its secrets. It's a very special car, probably unique in the automotive world. Perhaps only the McLaren F1 can compare with the absurd levels of engineering attention to detail and focus of purpose.