Honda NSX revealed... including the nitty-gritty

Honda's next-gen NSX has inadvertently -- or perhaps intentionally -- been publicly previewed by this allegedly official cutaway diagram, which gives a clear idea of how the finished article will look.

The rendering has appeared on a handful of websites and it illustrates the car's front-midship V10-engine configuration and double-wishbone front suspension.

Honda's next-gen supercar has seemingly been an on-again off-again affair, with the company revealing the HSC concept (ostensibly a precursor to the next-generation NSX) as long ago as 2003.

Development appeared to stall thereafter, until the 2005 announcement by Honda CEO Takeo Fukui that the 2003 HSC was only a test concept in the bridge from the existing platform to the next.

At the 2007 Detroit motor show Honda whipped the covers off the Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept, designed to incorporate a high-revving V10 engine and a rear-wheel-drive based version of Honda's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system.

It's believed a similar AWD system is also destined for the next-generation Honda Legend (which the Americans know as the Acura RL).

In keeping with recent Honda developments, the next-gen NSX's V10 engine is likely to feature the fuel-saving Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) cylinder deactivation system -- as per the new Accord V6, which can run on three, four or six cylinders.

Honda US insiders have been quoted by leftlanenews.com as saying the new NSX would launch in 2010, enabling the company to return fire at the lauded Nissan GT-R and upcoming production version of the Lexus LF-A.

It has the weight of expectation on its shoulders as the original V6-powered NSX --built from 1990 to 2005 -- was acknowledged as being the all-around equal (if not superior) of contemporary Ferraris.

Going on the rendering, we'd suggest the next-gen NSX at least looks the part, with its classic long-snout, stubby-tailed sports car proportions.

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