08 Acura Advance Concept (6/07) A Jet Fighter Ready for a Dogfight   by Casey Williams  www.car-data.com Acura’s performance icon for a decade and a half was the mid-engine NSX. It led an image and performance revolution that took Honda’s premiere brand from the original Legacy and Integra to the TL Type-S, TSX, and starship RL. Giving a hint at what a next-generation supercar could be, Acura unveiled the Advance Concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit during January 2007.

Acura is not giving a lot of detail about the car, but here is what we know. The concept is a front-engine – not mid-engine like the NSX - prototype draped in a curvaceous body with sharp creases. Slivered LED lighting in front and bright red LEDs in the rear glow brightly. A theme of recent Acura production cars, the Advance features a chevron outlined center bumper that hints at a grille without actually being one (the chevron theme is also carried over to the rear window and center of the taillamp cluster). Quad exhaust outlets and a canopy-like roof design hint at the power of a jet fighter.

A couple of assumptions can also be made about the Advance’s powertrain. It would probably use a version of Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system that dynamically shifts power from wheel to wheel depending on traction and cornering demands. This, and the 19/20” wheels front/rear on the concept, would give the car incredibly balanced handling. Honda has been toying with the idea of a V10 engine that would fit under the Advance’s long hood, but a V8 of about 5-litres is also possible. Horsepower would need to be in the 450-500 range to be taken seriously. Of course, any high-end touring machine would have four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes and electronic stability control.

When the original NSX rolled out with a price tag around $60,000, it offered upper echelon European performance and looks for about half the price. If the Advance Concept can evolve into a production car and beat Ferrari and Lamborghini with a sub-$100,000 price tag, the car would be impressive. Of course, today, it would also have to contend with the Corvette Z06 and Dodge Viper – neither is going to get out of Acura’s way without a dogfight.