The new Acura NSX is a helluva high-end sports car, with captivating performance balanced by impressive civility. We thoroughly enjoyed our full road test of one in sunny California. But for the sake of fun—and to show off the prowess of the hybrid’s launch-control system—Acura invited us to Milan Dragway in Milan, Michigan, for a few passes down a regulation quarter-mile.
While staring down the strip’s Christmas-tree lights, engaging the NSX’s launch-control program is about as simple as it gets in an exotic. Put the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic in gear, turn the central drive-mode knob to the right for a few seconds to activate Track mode, and pull up to the staging lights. As the yellows flicker down, mash the brake and gas pedals, then let off the brake just before the green light illuminates. What results is a computerized and anti-climactic slingshot that hurtles the 3868-pound Acura off the line with a minute chirp from its tires. The front ones.
The hybrid system’s electric motors provide an initial, silent boost and then fill in the gaps of the twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6’s powerband, making for a relentless, 573-hp shove punctuated by near-seamless shifts from the transmission. Again and again, our captive NSX test mule turned out low-11-second passes at 122 mph with the one-handed drama of a run to 7-Eleven. Granted, the NSX’s composed ride and deft handling excel at ripping corners with more than 1.0 g of grip, but this old-school fun made us smile, and respect the Acura even more.
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