A tasty anecdote dating back almost 10 years has just been revealed, shedding light on the behind-the-scenes of automobile development and the friendly rivalry between two industry giants. While Honda was working on the new generation of its legendary NSX, Porsche seized the opportunity to leave an unexpected message to its Japanese competitor. A look back at this story that illustrates the spirit of competition and fair play that sometimes reign in the world of luxury automobiles.
The context: Honda and the development of the new NSX
By 2014, Honda was fully engaged in developing the second generation of its iconic supercar, the NSX. Nearly a decade after the first version ceased production in 2005, the Japanese automaker had ambitions to create a vehicle that would redefine the standards of the category.
To achieve this ambitious goal, Honda's development team adopted a common practice in the automotive industry: the acquisition and in-depth study of competing models. This method, used by most manufacturers, including the most prestigious brands such as Ferrari or Lamborghini, allows for a detailed analysis of the technical solutions adopted by the competition.
The Porsche 911 GT3: the benchmark to beat
In their quest for excellence, Honda engineers set their sights on what was considered the gold standard for sports cars: the Porsche 911 GT3. The model chosen was the 991 version, launched only a year earlier.
Honda's goal was clear: to surpass the Porsche in every area. To do this, the development team purchased a 911 GT3 and subjected it to a battery of intensive tests. The engineers pushed the car to its limits, reaching speeds of over 320 km/h on the racetrack.
An unexpected reminder and a surprising discovery
Then an unexpected event came to disrupt Honda's plans. Porsche launched a recall campaign for all 991 GT3 models due to a potential problem with the engine's connecting rods, which could lead to major damage.
Honda's 911 GT3 had to be sent to an official Porsche dealership for this service. This is where the story takes an interesting turn. Upon examining the car, Porsche mechanics discovered that it had been subjected to extreme conditions, far beyond what a “normal” owner would subject their car to.
Intrigued, dealership officials investigated and soon discovered that the vehicle actually belonged to Honda's American subsidiary. They quickly made the connection with the development project for the new NSX, which was scheduled to be produced in Marysville, Ohio.
Porsche's Secret Message
Faced with this discovery, Porsche technicians could have simply ignored the information and treated the car like any other. But they chose a more playful and sporty approach.
Before returning the car to Honda, they decided to leave a hidden message for their Japanese counterparts. The message, placed in an inconspicuous place on the car, simply read: “Good luck Honda. See you on the other side.”
This anecdote, revealed by Nick Robinson, head of the NSX development test team, to the publication Automotive News, testifies to the healthy competitive spirit that can exist between top-level automakers.
A revealing episode of industry practices
This story, beyond its amusing side, highlights several interesting aspects of the automobile industry:
1. Study of the competition: It confirms that even the most prestigious manufacturers buy and carefully study their competitors' vehicles to improve their own products.
2. The pursuit of excellence: The fact that Honda chose the Porsche 911 GT3 as a reference shows the Japanese manufacturer's ambition for its new NSX.
3. Mutual respect: The friendly tone of the message left by Porsche reveals a certain respect between manufacturers, despite the fierce competition that reigns on the market.
4. Discretion in development: This anecdote also highlights the efforts of manufacturers to keep their development projects secret, even if sometimes, as here, reality catches up with them in unexpected ways.
In the end, Honda was successful in its gamble. The new generation of NSX, presented in 2016, was praised for its performance and technological innovation, proving that the in-depth study of the competition and the hard work of development had paid off.
This story remains a charming example of the spirit that can reign in the automobile industry, where fierce competition does not exclude moments of lightness and fair play between competitors.