Latest news with #NSXs
Asahi Shimbun
10-05-2025
- Automotive
- Asahi Shimbun
Man donates Honda NSX supercar for Mie police patrol use
SUZUKA, Mie Prefecture--Lawbreakers seeking to outrun the long arm of the law here should think twice before putting the pedal to the metal. A donor has gifted a speedy Honda NSX, a top-grade two-door sports car with an engine displacement of about 3,500cc, to be reborn as a speedy police patrol car. The NSX, donated to Mie prefectural police by a resident of Shiga Prefecture, has been repainted to meet the specifications of a patrol vehicle. Its license plate is 110, the dial number for police in Japan. The car was seen roaring at full speed to mark the special donation ceremony held at Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, on April 21. The donor was Toshiya Kobayashi, a real estate agent who lives in Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture. Kobayashi's hobby is motor racing. He said he has visited Suzuka Circuit many times to watch races there. Kobayashi, 43, has also competed in motor racing himself. Toyota Crowns account for the bulk of the Mie prefectural police's patrol car fleet. Suzuka, however, is the seat of a Honda Motor Co. factory. Kobayashi said he wanted to show his gratitude to Mie Prefecture, which he loves so much, to mark 10 years of his entrepreneurship. He bought the NSX secondhand and offered it to the Suzuka Police Station as a donation in June last year. 'An offender on the run could never get away from this car,' Kobayashi said. The donated NSX was manufactured in 2019. Officials of the prefectural police's accounting division said that NSXs of that model sell for around 25 million yen ($175,000) even in the used market. The Tochigi prefectural police department also keeps an NSX in its fleet, which, however, is an earlier model, the officials added. Incidentally, the police department of neighboring Aichi Prefecture, the seat of Toyota Motor Corp., utilizes a Toyota Crown Sport, with an engine displacement of about 2,500cc, which has been adapted into a patrol car. 'Ours is the only one NSX of the latest model that is kept by any police department in Japan,' said Yoji Tsurusawa, head of the Mie Prefectural Police Headquarters. 'We hope to make sure we will be saying proudly that we have this NSX in Mie Prefecture.' The Honda sports car will be used at awareness-raising events and on other occasions. It will also be used, among other things, in patrols and for traffic policing in different parts of the prefecture.
Bloomberg
23-04-2025
- Automotive
- Bloomberg
A Car Guy Makes a Left Turn
Matt Farah wanted to tell me about his ride. 'This is a final-year car,' he said of his 2005 Acura NSX, a mid-engined supercar he was steering through Los Angeles traffic. 'By the time they got to the very end, Acura wasn't selling very many. There were only 248 NSXs built in 2005, and this is one of 30 they built in silver.'
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Getting Lit and Low with the Custom Cars at Wekfest Chicago
Almost anything goes at Wekfest Chicago. The group ahead of me in line wore hoodies celebrating the Tesla Cybertruck (though there were no Teslas in attendance), vintage Corvettes, and Honda's Japanese culture. The show was in a rather dull area of Navy Pier, a windowless exhibition hall, though the entry line did have a window overlooking the crashing waves of Lake Michigan as a storm rolled in. We were lucky to be inside on this late March weekend. Though Wekfest participants must apply to display their cars, the show itself doesn't discriminate by make or model. Still, there were very few American cars willing to brave the typical Midwestern spring weather forecast. In fact, there were more NSXs in attendance than American cars. To be fair, though, that's based on combined Acura- and Honda-badged NSXs, compared to a combination of every Detroit brand. Similarly, German cars are a minority in the Chicago import scene. While a few vintage BMWs were clustered together and a couple VW Beetles made an appearance, the more contemporary examples were scattered, almost hidden, among the Japanese-dominant car clubs. There was a strong Honda showing at Wekfest, especially in terms of clean hot hatch-era cars with mostly-tasteful modifications. And, surprisingly, Motocompactos. See the color-coordinated Honda Motocompacto scooter basking in the glow of the Civic's underbody lighting? These zippy little suitcases were everywhere on the show floor. According to Jon Martinez, an attendee from Oak Grove Village, IL, there are even homegrown shops offering mods, like custom seats and carbon-fiber fenders. 'It has a following,' said Martinez. 'The original, in the '80s, in Japan, people knew about it, and they knew this one was coming out, an electric version of it.' This trio of super clean Chicago-based BMW E30s wants to welcome you to the 'hood. It's hard to miss Joey Jacobs's Audi A4 Avant, which made the trek from Rochester, MI. The bagged wagon and matching trailer sat low on customized Vossen VLE-1 wheels, two of the 400 sets in existence, according to Jacobs. The DIY yellow accents took Jacobs about 70 hours of work with his vinyl cutter. Next up, the trailer will get a battery unit, a TV, and an air conditioner, so Jacobs won't have to spring for a hotel when he attends out-of-state car shows. We love an unusual wagon, and this Toyota Mark II fills the bill perfectly. When you see a Honda Civic, there's probably a Motocompacto nearby. They're the new go-to accessory for Honda owners. This Toyota Estima, the only van on the show floor, was imported a year ago by Allen Castillo of Chicago, rust-free and with just 45,000 miles. We think this daily driver is on the subtle side despite the bronze TRD wheels, but Castillo says it's an attention magnet. 'People feel it, families see it and say, 'That's super cool, I've never seen a cool minivan before.' It's more relatable than a sports car,' said Castillo. 'I love minivans, especially quirky Japanese minivans. There's a U.S. variant of this car, but they're so hard to get clean now.' Allen Castillo's Toyota Supra lives in the shadow of his Estima. Like all of Castillo's cars, the Supra is right-hand drive. Castillo says that compared to the Estima, the Supra doesn't get nearly as much attention from passerby despite the anime decals and pink wheels. Apparently, this is a thing — but why? 'I always liked R8s, the turbo, no-bumper look,' said owner Jason Green of Orland Park, IL. 'It spoke to me on some level, in a way I can't vocalize, but I love the look of it.' Anthony Rojas of Chicago can't wait to get his 2000 Toyota 4Runner out on the trails. It's his sixth 4Runner in eight years, because he said he gets bored fast. Rojas noted it's rare to see other off-road vehicles at a show like Wekfest, though he happened to park next to a similarly-outfitted Lexus SUV. 'The type of event that it is, it's more import cars,' he said. 'There's no car show for us. I was an import guy before I got into the off-road [culture]. Honda, JDM.' The cheeseheads sent their best. Wisconsin's coolest license plate is, undoubtedly, the Road America plate. This Historical plate is a close second, however, and showed up on a number of clean vintage Hondas, like this CRX Carlos Gonzalez of Chicago wasn't fazed that there were few other Blue Ovals to keep company with his 2015 Ford Roush RS1 Mustang. Gonzalez bought the Mustang new, and has since added airbags and tuned it for 413 wheel horsepower and 433 wheel torque. Gonzalez was at the show with his 3-year-old son, who watched cartoons on a tablet perched in the trunk, between the candy-colored taillights. 'He loves it, said Gonzalez. 'I nicknamed the car Roushy, so he always asks for Roushy. When it comes to the other parents in day care, yeah, [the Mustang stands out]. The teachers know me. I'm the one with the car.' Chrome pipes, a beefy roof rack, and a couple of remote control doppelgängers helped this yellow Volkswagen Beetle stand out from the crowd. This Acura TSX is a proud member of the wagon contingent, and it made a cheery contrast to the gray Chicago skies. Even among the strong Honda showing, this teal hatchback stood out thanks to its high-vis painted engine and bronze wheels, a color combination that takes us back in time. These immaculate, period-correct Borbet Type-As are serving up better deep dish than any tourist-friendly Chicago pizza chain. Import trucks, like this Datsun, easily outnumbered their domestic counterparts. The GMC Sierra in the background was a lone wolf. The Audi R8's never been particularly subtle, but it's hard to decide if this example is overkill, or just right. It's been a minute since we've seen such clean Recaro racing buckets, complete with a nostalgic geometric print. A Volvo Cross Country with a cozy pull-out kitchen setup and a custom trailer fabricated from an Audi wagon? We'd be down to share a campsite with these guys anytime. Patience makes perfect when it comes to this 1958 VW Beetle, considering the trifecta of the car's age, the body's patina, and the perfectly fitted two-tone polished and black Porsche Fuchs wheels. All Toyotas of the Midwest? That's a bold claim, but the brand certainly had a strong showing, with tons of clean, well-loved examples from the U.S. market and overseas This 1991 Mazda B2200 pickup truck shows that a good tailgate party has universal appeal. This 1991 Honda Civic wagon is part of a well-rounded family that includes the Ruckus scooter on the trailer, and of course, the requisite Motocompacto. Look at this freakin' adorable baby blue Nissan Pao. A sliding ragtop! Those itty-bitty wheels! It's so tiny, it shouldn't be out on its own. As American as the Golden Arches, this 2005 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 was one of the rare delegates from the Big Three. This 1982 Toyota Starlet came from halfway around the world and is exactly my age, yet I could only dream of being this clean. We weren't kidding about the Motocompactos. You Might Also Like Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades How to Buy or Lease a New Car Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
