For those of you unfamiliar with the gilded history of the USCC, one of the very first titles was awarded to a car that was pretty much stock. That car was a Ferrari F360 Modena belonging to one James Chen. Simply put, the $150,000 import cleaned up. We learned that, no matter how well modified, something like a Sentra or Integra just couldn't quite surmount one of Italy's best. The difference in sophistication (i.e. the price gap) was simply too wide to traverse. Yawn.
But then we implemented a base price test to level the playing field a bit. We got back to testing what mattered-enhanced "every day" cars and the glory of modification. We didn't care if it came from the factory a certain way. We wanted something unique, something personal, something badass (like a dual-engine Hyundai). But lesson learned-Chen's Ferrari proved that a lot of money and a mid-ship platform could work.
With this in mind, it's a surprise that there have been only two examples of the NSX in all of the previous Ultimate Street Car Challenges. The first came in 2005, when Kip Olsen didn't quite make the grade with several mid-pack finishes. His car was well built, but it came up just a bit short in nearly every category-good, but not quite "ultimate". The following year, Danny Young learned from Kip's mistakes and swept the competition with his megabuck '92 turbocharged version of the "everyman's exotic". Danny took no chances-just at road level we found eight-piston calipers, ceramic rotors, and even magnesium wheels from a (you guessed it) Ferrari. The combination worked, giving Danny three wins with the car show, engineering panel, and emissions tests, not to mention a slew of top finishes in the performance categories.
The owner of the '91 NSX on this page, Jon Martin, is taking a slightly less extreme approach than Danny, but is hoping for better results than Kip. Most of his attention (and money) was spent on the engine, which has had the displacement increased sizably with a 95.5mm bore and 88.0 mm stroke. Along with many other supporting mods (more compression, cam gears, upgraded valves, and so on), the 3.8 liters yield a rough estimate of 315 naturally aspirated horsepower at the wheels. The increase in power under the curve that an NA motor is known for can be a death knell for emissions and mileage, but will do wonders for the dyno and road course events. Jon hopes the conservative output will be enough to allow the NSX to hold it's own in the performance categories, but still maintain respectable emissions and mileage.
Lap times will be held down with JRZ two-way adjustable shocks, Swift springs, and upgraded bushings. But how will these pieces handle the street? Jon says that the NSX rides close to stock, but we'll believe it when we feel it. The same goes with the Centerforce dual-disc clutch.
Further blurring the line between "reasonable" and "over the top", rubber duty will come from Falken's Azenis RT-615 tires. We love the 615 so much, we decided to put it on our Project 350Z. But while it's sticky for a street tire, it's no treaded R-compound race tire. And Kip Olsen will tell you all about the danger of bringing anything but the gummiest tires in existence to the USCC.
Despite a few "compromises", Jon Martin's NSX might still pull it off. It comes with a good balance between performance and streetability. But the USCC is about more than just balance. The USCC is excellence in balance. Contenders must not only perform all the duties of a street car and race car, but also perform them all well. This NSX looks pretty good on paper, but will it be the "ultimate street car"?
By Jonathan Lopez
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