Honda's very own and much lauded supercar contender, the Acura NSX, has been hailed as being close to automotive perfection as possible. Its all-aluminum construction has made the building of a performance car an art form-the NSX is a genuine stab at legend status. If critics could find one area in which the NSX was lacking, it was under the engine cover. The naturally aspirated V6 was never going to be a fire-breathing monster motor, but naturally, some owners of Honda's finest took matters into their own hands. Bill Chiusano of Chandler, Ariz., is one of those people and the wild ride you are looking at right now is his version of Honda's supercar.
Chiusano's quest started out with a high-speed cross-country blast when he picked up the NSX from its previous owner and headed for home back in Arizona. "I made the trip in record time. The only problem I had was a thrown A/C belt which made me suffer a bit in the desert."
At the time, the NSX was all black and bone stock, but Chiusano had already made his plans. "I wanted the car to look unique as well as have some real performance," he said.
Chiusano got the project under way by taking the NSX to renowned bodyman Kenyatta Goins at Goins Automotive in Tempe, Ariz. Goins stripped the Acura of all panels, glass and doors, carefully prepped the car, and then shot it with Sherwin Williams Spa Yellow and several layers of pearl.
Modifications to the stock NSX bodylines were also expertly carried out by Goins. TAITEC widebody rear panels were installed, along with TAITEC one-piece carbon-fiber headlight assemblies, carbon-fiber rear diffuser and carbon-fiber rear wing. The front widebody fenders were sourced from Marga Hills and the sideskirts came from Lechers. All of these rare JDM parts were sourced through Science of Speed. XLFAB custom manufactured the carbon front spoiler and carbon bumper canards. Proving his outfit doesn't just do installs, Goins also manufactured the custom rear decklid and the one-of-a-kind fuel door. A JGTC -style carbon hood was installed with the rest of the components, along with a custom roof-mounted cold air intake and custom wire-mesh inserts for all of the vents. The graphics were supplied by NTNS Graphix in Chandler.
When it came to choosing wheels, Chiusano decided to go with a set of Work Meister SR2s. The fronts measure 17x8 in. and the rears 18x11, and these trick rims are wrapped with Pirelli P7000 tires.
With the NSX now sporting a brash, in-your-face look, it was time to inject some serious performance to match. For this phase, Chiusano turned to the experts at Basch Acura in Phoenix. Mark Basch started out by performing a complete blueprint rebuild on the V6 powerplant. Next, Basch installed one of his supercharger systems, centered around a blower that pumps out a conservative 6 psi of boost to give the NSX a serious performance bump. Fuel delivery is increased with a set of RC 440cc injectors (up from 270cc) and the timing and fuel curves are controlled via a programmable piggyback ECU.
The stock headers were replaced with DC Sport items, and RM racing supplied the DTM dual-tip exhaust system as well as the carbon-fiber intake system. Basch also modified the drivetrain, replacing the stock gear set with a close-ratio JDM NSX-R and a Comptech 4.55 ring gear and pinion. The clutch was replaced with a Centerforce dual friction unit and the LSD was modified to increase the breakaway torque by 40 lb-ft to 110.