DURBAN - THE HONDA NSX - a vehicle that is widely acknowledged as the ultimate supercar - has been spotted making tracks through some rough, tough and picturesque KwaZulu-Natal sights recently.
This legendary sports car, which is not sold in South Africa, was seen travelling with a convoy of Porsches (which included the 718 Cayman, 718 Boxster, 911 GT3 and 2019 Porsche 911 or 922) in the Drakensberg, Johannesburg and Durban.
A German crew member in the convoy, who asked not to be named, told the Sunday Tribune that all the vehicles had been flown to South Africa for testing.
“We come to South Africa to test vehicles because of your climate and the fact that we can test at both high and low altitudes very easily,” said
the source.
The Honda NSX among a line of supercars, including Porsches, that zoomed through William Nicol Drive in Johannesburg. Pictures: Instagram
He added that once the testing had been completed, the cars would be transported back to Germany out of Durban.
It has become common practice for the world’s leading automotive manufacturers to test their vehicles here.
The varying altitude is a major factor - making it possible to test a car in Lesotho or in the Drakensberg and then drive to Durban, and test it at sea level that same day.
South Africa’s hot, dry and dusty climate appeals too and means that the vehicles are tested in what is deemed a harsh environment, as does the favourable rate of exchange.
The Honda NSX among a line of supercars, including Porsches, that zoomed through William Nicol Drive in Johannesburg. Pictures: Instagram
Volkswagen is said to have a top-secret test track near Upington, in the Northern Cape. The secure facility is used to test many yet-to-be-launched products within the Volkswagen Group, including Porsche. Many other manufacturers - including BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Fiat - have recently tested future models in Upington.
But the Honda NSX is undoubtedly one of the stars of the top-secret testing show.
“Inspired by the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the legendary fighter jet, the New Sportscar eXperimental, as it was first called, has received accolade after accolade. In fact, Gordon Murray, South African-born designer of Formula One race cars and the McLaren F1 road car, drove the NSX while developing the McLaren F1 - and he is on record as saying that all other benchmark cars vanished from his mind.
“This supercar - widely described as the pinnacle of engineering for Honda - has been on sale since 1990,” said AutoTrader chief executive George Mienie.
“The vehicle spotted on South African roads this week is powered by a 3.5-litre DOHC V6 engine and three electric motors, and it scampers from zero to 100 km/* in under three seconds,” Mienie added.
“It has been widely heralded as the ultimate driver’s car. This is thanks, in part, to the fact that it has three times the downforce at the rear of the car than at the front, which provides ultimate balance,” he said.
The Honda NSX among a line of supercars, including Porsches, that zoomed through William Nicol Drive in Johannesburg. Pictures: Instagram
Interestingly, it is not built in Japan but rather in Marysville, Ohio. A highly specialised team of just 100 people build each car to order. Each NSX is individually painted and hand-finished; it takes more than 20 hours to paint a single car.
Sadly, it is unlikely that the NSX will ever be sold in South Africa. In 2016, Honda South Africa said it had cancelled plans to bring the supercar to South Africa, saying it would cost about R5.5 million here. At that stage, the rand was trading at R16 to the dollar.
Sbu Zondi, Durban Tourism’s senior manager, marketing and communications, said leading motoring brands choosing Durban and KZN to run tests affirmed the province’s status as a destination of choice.
The Honda NSX among a line of supercars, including Porsches, that zoomed through William Nicol Drive in Johannesburg. Pictures: Instagram
“We welcome the international market exploring our province. We’ve often had top car manufacturers testing their products here, including the people from Top Gear.
“We’re not only about road and climate; we have many other attractions that visitors appreciated,” said Zondi.
He admitted that car testing related to a niche market, therefore it had not received their full attention previously.
"We plan to do more to reap greater benefits from this market in future,” Zondi
promised.