The first US-built Honda NSX supercars began rolling off the the company’s Ohio assembly plant this week.

The new-generation sports car is being built at the Performance Manufacturing Centre, with the first model selling in a charity auction for almost $NZ2million.
The auction winner was US motor executive Rick Hendrick who drove his Valencia Red Pearl Acura NSX off the line this week.

The NSX VIN 001 features exclusive interwoven wheels, carbon ceramic brake rotors, leather and Alcantara interior trim and carbon fibre upgrades including the engine cover, roof, and rear decklid spoiler.

Hendrick, the owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group, said it was rewarding to see a supercar coming to life in the United States.
The PMC is the exclusive manufacturing home for the new NSX, the only supercar made in America.

“Today marks the realisation of a big dream here at the PMC and the culmination of more than 30 years of manufacturing experience and expertise here in Ohio,” said Clement D’Souza, engineering large project leader for the NSX.

“Our world-class team of expert technicians has realised major innovations in the design and manufacturing of a next-generation supercar that truly delivers incredible precision crafted performance.”

The facility was home to master technicians, who developed 12 patent-pending technologies and other advanced methods of producing a made-to-order supercar.

With no walls to separate departments, the Honda Performance Manufacturing Center is focused on a one team atmosphere. Picture/Supplied

The PMC was designed to blend human craftsmanship and advanced technologies to assure superior build quality and precision crafted performance. Technicians had developed 12 patent-pending technologies and other advanced methods of producing a made-to-order supercar. New manufacturing methods had been developed around the capabilities and specifications of the NSX.

Innovations to the NSX construction, painting, assembly and quality control process included robotic MIG welding of the aluminum-intensive space frame, 14 hours of hand assembly by 16 manufacturing technicians, and a dynamic performance testing and confirmation process drawn from the company’s extensive race experience.
Nearby, at the company’s largest engine plant, master builders hand-assemble the NSX’s 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine, which is then mated to its 9-speed dual-clutch transmission and rear direct drive electric motor.

Each NSX engine was machine balanced, bench-tested and broken in to the equivalent of about 200km of service to ensure that every NSX engine was track-ready when delivered. The engine was installed at the PMC, along with its front-mounted Twin Motor Unit, which enabled electrically powered torque vectoring, a world’s first capability in the sports car realm.

NSX development involved a global R&D team led by engineer, and the final design was created at the Acura Design Studio in California.