The first run through to the stratospheric (especially in 1992) 8000-rpm redline and fuel cut-off came with a powerful linear surge of acceleration and a spine-tingling rip from the exhaust-the sound alone in this car was intoxicating, invigorating and, as it tuns out, crowd-pleasing. My second time by the initially empty lane showed a crowd of people leaning over the wall to catch a glimpse of the white Honda streaking by, and an earful of the artful music trumpeted out the exhaust.
It seemed to me, as I hurtled down the main straight at the Bondurant circuit, that the SOS NSX was trying as hard as it could to tear my face off. Acceleration just kept building and seemed equal in each gear. My only regret this day was that we couldn't really let the car stretch its legs on a circuit like Road America or Mid Ohio, where we would undoubtedly reach speeds well beyond 150 mph, but the Bondurant School track provided its own challenges. As I approached turn 1 at close to 120 mph, it was time to sample brakes and chassis for the 40 mph chicane that lay in front of me.
Braking was without fault, with the Brembos offering exceptional feel and initial bite. But it was the way that the entire car reacted to the brake that made the system all the more impressive. I was able to achieve threshold pressure on the brakes almost right away due to the exceptional feel, and I got to that pressure with the immediacy that we do such things in a race car. The Hoosiers dug in hard as the binders clamped down, and the chassis-rather than going through the dive attitude that is so common to street cars-simply settled straight down. As a result, all four tires seemed to be doing equal work and the rate of deceleration was really impressive. Despite the few high-frequency bumps scattered throughout the braking zone in turn 1, the NSX shed off the energy with total stability. At turn-in, some subtle brake pressure along with the scalpel-sharp steering response allowed me to rotate the car with surgical precision.
Downshifts prior to turn-in were something that I looked forward to in each braking zone. Pedal position facilitated heel-and-toe technique, and the staccato bark from the exhaust on each blip gave me more and more confidence. Not only did the car do things well, it made me feel like I did things well-a rare commodity in a tuner car.
Despite a mild to moderate mid-corner to corner exit understeer that we tried unsuccessfully to dial out, the suspension offered amazing ultimate grip and was quick and nimble in directional transitions. The lack of power steering was actually a wonderful thing, allowing the chassis and steering rack to provide me with unfettered feedback. Granted, I suspect that over a long stint in the car, my arms would become limp noodles. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant connection between car and driver.
We did have some time to make some damper changes, and the Motons reacted immediately. The tunability was impressive for a two-way system, although it would've been nice to have been able to play with high- and low-speed settings. Ultimately, we decided that more negative camber, a little toe-out and a softer spring at the front may have helped the mid-corner understeer matter. Frankly, I couldn't protest too much, as Brady Dohrmann took the settings I used and ran a very impressive 1:05.2 during testing at Firebird for the time attack
Alas, the time came to bid farewell to my white Honda chariot, and I was very sorry to see it go. I consider myself very lucky to be able to get behind the wheel of some of the modded hot rods that I've driven, but few are as capable as that SOS car. As I sit here in my hotel room waiting for another out-of-town work week to begin, I sense that I have to hatch some type of plan to own one of these things one day-legally.
By Mike Speck
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