Welcome to this week’s FC Throwback, where we take a look back at some of our favourite previous feature cars. This week it’s the Six Sigma Autodesign and Autofashion Honda NSX 2015…
When it comes to full-on Hondas and big kahunas, it doesn’t get any sexier than this Rocket Bunny remix of the Iconic NSX. Miura-san, we salute you!
I don’t know about you, but every now and then a car comes along that truly blows my mind. Usually, I’d break out a cliché sentence and say something along the lines of, ‘this NSX is one of those cars’. That, however, would be a porky pie. Yes, it might sound like madness, but a lie would leave my mouth via the medium of my Apple Mac. You see, for the past two years Rocket Bunny has been consistently blowing my brain apart. Every car that Miura-san crafts masterfully using CAD and talent is a thing of beauty. I must admit, the RX-7 kit he created is perhaps a little wide at the rear for me personally, but that really is a small complaint.
What’s more, I’ve been lucky enough to have the pleasure of seeing some of these kits be installed in front of my very eyes and what’s almost more impressive than the look Rocket Bunny products give, is the super high quality of the product itself. The fit is near perfect. A true-testament to Miura-san’s constant pursuit of perfection.
So I guess that makes it completely okay to chop up an uber rare Honda that was developed by Ayrton Senna, then? Well, some might say that you’re bastardising an icon. I think it’s ballsy as hell creating a batshit-crazy NSX and I absolutely love what’s been created. So other than Miura-san of TRA-Kyoto fame, who’s behind this beautiful Blue Bunny?
The car is a project that’s been created by Six Sigma Autodesign and Autofashion USA over in the States. FC photographer Dino shot this amazing vehicle after SEMA Show and commented, “this car is a mix of wildness, coupled to a more grown up way of executing things.” I think the main message here is refinement. Over the past few years overfenders, or bodykits as we call them here, have made a comeback. Things have gone full circle.
Dino has seen this take place in Japan and is as close to this movement as anyone. “The rear is where lots of cutting and chopping had to be done in order to accommodate Miura’s own fender design. The bumper-less look we first saw on the BenSopra 380SX works very well with the NSX – except this car isn’t totally without one. Miura designed his own rear bumper section which matches up to the wider fenders and tucks in to give that signature look to the rear end.” Dino explains to me. It’s abruptly stunning. The more you look around the car the more you fall in love with the aggressiveness of the whole package.
The thing I love the most? It’s the no-stone-left-unturned approach. The interior is on-point with Bride seats and Takata harnesses for the driver. Not just any seats, though, these are the carbon Kevlar shelled versions. As for the motor? Well it’s now packing a Gruppe M Supercharger. You don’t need me to recite the spec list, but one last thing I will pull out is the 6666 Customs wheels that seem to look so ‘right’ on Rocket Bunny kitted cars, anything else just wouldn’t cut the mustard. So, where’s your head at with this one? Is it a crime to chop up an icon or would you proudly roll down the street in this crazy machine? I know I’d be happy to go all out and Rocket Bunny an NSX tomorrow if my numbers came up on the lottery…
Honda NSX a little history lesson
Maybe I’m cool with this car being chopped up in the name of automotive art simply because the NSX doesn’t really hold a special place in my heart. A heinous crime for me to type such words, perhaps. But it’s a car that I have only really begun to appreciate over the past few years. Back in 2002, when I was working on Redline Magazine (RIP). I found myself in Southern California riding in a supercharged NSX. It didn’t wow me. I wasn’t overly excited about the whole experience. Don’t get me wrong, it was cool and all that, but compared to 500+bhp Nissan GT-Rs and even bigger power Toyota Supras, the NSX didn’t make my world go backwards.
But taking a step back and looking at the car for what it really is, makes you see how very special the Honda NSX is. The chassis is over 25-years old and it really is quite marvellous. A testament to the collaboration between Honda engineers and Ayrton Senna himself. Why did Honda team up with Senna? The answer was simple: the Honda brand had just collected another F1 engine manufactures’ championship with one of the most dominant F1 cars in history, the McLaren MP4/4. The Brazilian started on pole no fewer than 13 times (in a 16-race season) and won eight races to take the World Championship in 1988.
So it goes without saying that Senna was, without any doubt, the best man in the world to help Honda create a V6 supercar that would take on the might of Ferrari and Porsche. With a chassis that was nothing short of sublime and a motor that produced 280bhp from ‘just’ a V6, the NSX still commands respect today and is an engineering masterpiece.
TECH SPEC HONDA NSX
Engine
Honda C30A 3.0L DOHC VTEC V6; forged low-compression pistons’ Gruppe M supercharger kit; AEM air filter; Comptech exhaust manifolds; custom GReddy exhaust system; 550cc injectors; Science of Speed LMA kit; AEM wideband UEGO controller; AEM ECU; KC Machine Shorai lightweight battery kit; NSX-R shortened gears; Science of Speed clutch & flywheel; 4.55 final drive.
Chassis
Stance adjustable coilover suspension system; Comptech sway bars front/rear; 6666 Customs 8×17-inch (f) 10.5×17-inch (r) wheels; Nitto NT05 235/40ZR17 (f), 255/40ZR17 (r) tyres.
Styling
Full Rocket Bunny body conversion: front cowl section, front lip spoiler, twin front canards, front fender finishers, side skirts, side canards, rear fender section, rear bumper, ducktail spoiler, rear diffuser; GT wing with trunk mounted stays and additional reinforcements; Avery chrome blue wrap; Takata tow strap.
Interior
Bride carbon-Kevlar Stradia II bucket seats; Bride seat rails; Takata driver’s side harness; Personal Trophy leather steering wheel; Gruppe M boost gauge; Science of Speed shifter.
Words Ben Chandler Photos Dino Dalle Carbonare and Larry Chen
