Honda Mid-Engine Cars

Introduction

Honda is a Japanese automaker that has a long and storied history of producing high-performance vehicles. In the early 1990s, Honda began experimenting with mid-engine cars, which are vehicles that have their engines mounted behind the driver and in front of the rear wheels. This configuration offers several advantages over traditional front-engine cars, including better weight distribution, improved handling, and increased power.

Honda’s first mid-engine car was the NSX, which was introduced in 1990. The NSX was a critical and commercial success, and it is still considered one of the best sports cars ever made. Honda followed up the NSX with the S2000, which was a more affordable mid-engine sports car that was produced from 1999 to 2009.

The Honda NSX

The Honda NSX is a mid-engine sports car that was produced from 1990 to 2005. The NSX was designed by Honda’s Formula One team, and it featured a number of advanced technologies, including a lightweight aluminum chassis, a V6 engine with VTEC, and four-wheel steering. The NSX was a critical and commercial success, and it is still considered one of the best sports cars ever made.

First Generation (1990-2005)

The first-generation NSX was powered by a 3.0-liter V6 engine with VTEC that produced 270 horsepower. The engine was mated to a six-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic transmission. The NSX had a curb weight of 2,700 pounds and a 50/50 weight distribution. The NSX was capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 5.0 seconds and had a top speed of 168 mph.

Second Generation (2005-2016)

The second-generation NSX was introduced in 2005. The second-generation NSX was powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine with VTEC that produced 400 horsepower. The engine was mated to a six-speed manual transmission or a five-speed automatic transmission. The second-generation NSX had a curb weight of 3,000 pounds and a 45/55 weight distribution. The second-generation NSX was capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and had a top speed of 190 mph.

The Honda S2000

The Honda S2000 is a mid-engine sports car that was produced from 1999 to 2009. The S2000 was powered by a 2.0-liter inline-four engine with VTEC that produced 240 horsepower. The engine was mated to a six-speed manual transmission. The S2000 had a curb weight of 2,700 pounds and a 50/50 weight distribution. The S2000 was capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 6.0 seconds and had a top speed of 155 mph.

The Future of Honda Mid-Engine Cars

Honda has not announced any plans to produce a new mid-engine car in the near future. However, given Honda’s history of innovation and its success with mid-engine cars, it is likely that Honda will eventually produce another mid-engine car. If Honda does produce another mid-engine car, it is likely to be a high-performance sports car that will be based on the NSX.