Sports cars have always meant performance - lots of braking, acceleration and handling wrapped up in a swoopy 2-seater body. But until the Acura NSX came along, no sports car had ever offered such a finely honed balance of all the widely varying parameters of performance, and done so in such a civilized and intelligent fashion.

There are those, in fact, who argue that the NSX is the best sports car the world has ever produced. Not the most powerful, though its power-to-weight ratio places it within the realm of supercars. Not the fastest, though its top speed capability is almost triple most state speed limits. But the best.
And although opinions will obviously vary, there can be no doubt about the NSX's wonderful blend of refinement, performance and all-around brilliance.

Honda - the parent company of Acura - has made a few changes to the NSX for 1995, most notably the option of a removable roof panel. This wasn't available in time for our test drive, so we based our impressions on the standard hardtop coupe. At $73,300, our NSX certainly wasn't a cheap ride.

Honda engineers have used the Acura NSX to try several new technologies on a limited-production basis, perhaps the most important being the wide use of aluminum. As a result, the NSX's entire chassis and all of its body are made of aluminum, as are the suspension components and numerous other significant parts.
The aluminum body is light and won't rust. And through an innovative metallurgical technique, the panels have dent resistance equal to steel. About the only drawback is that repairs of major body damage are likely to be more expensive than those involving conventional sheet-steel panels.

Standard safety features include traction control, a 4-channel anti-lock braking system (ABS), dual airbags, side door beams and front and rear impact-absorption zones. Other standard items are power steering, leather seating and trim, automatic climate control, an AM/FM/ cassette system, power windows and door locks, cruise control, and a tilt steering wheel.
Technical points of interest include a twin-plate clutch, separate oil pump for the transmission, torque-sensing differ-ential, titanium connecting rods in the engine (a world's first for a production car) and forged - rather than cast - aluminum alloy wheels.

We were impressed by the high quality of this car's assembly and finish. And kudos to Acura for changing its ways: Previously, designers insisted on making the roof pillars and top black, regardless of body color, to emphasize the fighter-plane cockpit look. We know that some buyers will applaud the monochrome treatment applied to the '95 version.

All notions of sports cars as uncomfortable 2-seaters evaporate when you climb into an NSX. Even though the cabin is snug, it feels cozy rather than cramped. Honda engineers worked their usual magic on the ergonomic side and all instruments and controls are ideally located for viewing and operating. The driver's seat is power adjustable; the steering wheel can tilt and telescope. With these two adjustments, practically anybody can quickly obtain an ideal driving position - one in which the seat, steering wheel, pedals and shift lever come into close harmony. There is even decent room for fairly tall drivers.

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A particular advantage of the NSX is the sightlines. From the driver's seat you can see the tops of the two front fenders, and the view forward through the big wind-shield is clear and commanding. You feel as if you're sitting in the nose, with the road coming right up to meet you. Experienced race car drivers have compared the NSX in this respect with sitting in a real race car. The view to the sides is also good. The only limitations are in the rear quarter areas, which is true of many sports cars. We quickly learned to rely on the mirrors - rather than the usual over-the-shoulder glance - before making lane changes. As you might expect, there isn't a lot of room for cargo - just 5 cu. ft. in the far rear. You can stow little, soft-sided objects in the forward compartment, but with the NSX, you'll bring small suitcases or none at all.

The fit-and-finish of the passenger cabin, as with the rest of the car, is impec-cable.