First look: Showcar marks return of NSX

WHAT better way to kick off the 2007 automotive year than the North American International Auto Show in Detroit?As we have come to expect from this event, Motown was the stage for several crucial concept and production vehicles for not just the big American brands but also other manufacturers – from Japan, Europe and elsewhere around the globe.

Indeed, when Honda unveiled the concept pointing to its all-new NSX supercar the show stopped ... and jaws dropped.

Eighteen months after the Japanese constructor announced to the world that it would take the famous Ferrari-challenging NSX into a new generation, the Advanced Sportscar Concept has arrived. And what a formidable car it looks to be.

Revealed alongside the all-new Accord and with the badge of Honda's US premium-brand Acura, the all-new NSX ups the ante on its previous (3.2-litre mid-engine rear-drive V6) incarnation with a front-mounted V10 – the marque's most powerful production-car engine ever – and a new "rear-drive based" version of the company's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system.

The front-engine layout has produced a long, pronounced bonnet with heavily sculpted lines and embossed air vents, both of which are designed to hint at the powerful engine that lies underneath.

There are also subtle cues to its predecessor, such as the blackened-out cockpit, wraparound tail-lights and slim LED headlights that are pushed wide on the body and attempt to mimic the NSX's pop-up lights.

Designed in Los Angeles and to be further developed at a new design centre in California, the NSX concept rests on a 2763mm wheelbase, has a carbon-fibre underbody, 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels (255/40-series tyres up front, and 295/35 at the rear), carbon-ceramic disc brakes (with eight-piston callipers) and a low-slung cabin constructed entirely of tinted glass.

The "next stage" in the NSX development will be revealed at the Tokyo motor show later this year.

"I want to emphasise that this vehicle is about more than just great styling," Honda Motor Co president and chief executive Takeo Fukui said.

"As we advance toward building a car like this, I can tell you it will feature advanced technology matching our passion for performance."Mazda, Toyota and Lexus provided more pointers to a fabulous sports-driven future – and there was plenty to savour from Ford, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler.