THE BENCHMARK IS
PASSION. TEAMWORK. PRECISION.
The words above the entrance to the Performance Manufacturing Center define what happens inside.
PMC is the purpose-built facility in Ohio29 where Acura NSX is produced. It’s 200,000 square feet of innovation, a place where craftsmanship and technology converge in ways so forward-thinking, it’s sparked a dozen patents. The openness of the space – expansive, airy and absolutely pristine – aptly represents the values of transparency and collaboration here.
Although there are machines at work – the enormous robotic MIG welding machines are hard to miss – PMC is largely a human operation, where close to 100 of Acura’s top engineers and production associates go about the meticulous business of creating built-to-order supercars – one NSX at a time.
MADE IN AMERICA
STEP INSIDE THE PERFORMANCE MANUFACTURING CENTER
and see how every NSX is built.
NATURALLY-OCCURRING
INNOVATION
BUILDING AN ENTIRELY NEW KIND OF SUPERCAR requires entirely new ways of thinking. At the Performance Manufacturing Center, the same level of innovation that went into the NSX itself went into its production. Top specialists in each area of production were asked to imagine their dream process and work station – then make it real. Thus new tools, systems, materials and practices – many of which are patent-pending – were brought to life, ensuring a perfect union of technology and craftsmanship.
A LABOR OF LOVE THE PROCESS OF BUILDING EACH NSX IS UNIQUE, a seamless collaboration of technology and human touch. From MIG-welding the bespoke multi-material space frame to final fit and finish, this is a wholly new approach to automobile production: unequalled innovation guided by masters of the craft.
Engineers and technicians guide each car along its journey to completion, a process of 22 stations for a total of 14 hands-on hours. It begins with assembly of the multi-material space frame, joined by robotic MIG welding – an automobile industry first. Next comes robotic tooling of the inner and outer hood, door and hatch panels. These components are then hand-carted to the paint shop.
MASTER CRAFTSMANSHIP
AT EVERY STEP
CREATING A FINISH THIS EXTRAORDINARY TAKES TIME.
To begin, 10 dip-tanks clean and rinse all surfaces; next comes an electro-deposition coating that’s then cured at 390F. Finally, eleven coats of primer and paint and clear coat are applied, one painstaking coat-and-cure at a time. Body panels are painted robotically, while the front grille is hand-sprayed piano black. Once fully cured, the painted panels are handled with soft leather gloves during assembly and visual inspections; laser inspections ensure perfection.
PRECISION COMES FROM HUMAN TOUCH AND HIGH TECHNOLOGY. While paint cures and undergoes inspection, assembly continues on the rest of the car: power unit components, chassis parts, seats, interior finishes and controls. Throughout assembly, screws are hand-started, then tightened with digitally-connected wrenches to ensure exact torque. The painted exterior panels are attached last to protect the finish.
There are 2700 markers to verify in-process quality (including measurements accurate to 0.002-inch) – and each car is meticulously tested again when assembly is complete. Each NSX undergoes a final, pre-delivery performance confirmation exceeding race-engineering benchmarks. This final inspection includes wheel alignment, corner weight and ride height checks and precision measurements of brake performance at all four wheels.
BUILT BY MASTERS
A TEAM OF EIGHT ELITE ASSOCIATES BUILD NSX ENGINES at Acura’s engine plant in Anna, Ohio – where 4,000 square feet is their exclusive domain. Each NSX engine is hand-built by one master builder at their own station, where every fastener is started by hand and every torque measurement is recorded – on all 547 bolts. When complete, the engine is broken in on a dynamotor, revving the engine to various speeds and loads for the equivalent of 150 miles of driving, so every engine is ready to go full throttle on delivery.
DESIGN
FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION
PASSION. TEAMWORK. PRECISION.
The words above the entrance to the Performance Manufacturing Center define what happens inside.
PMC is the purpose-built facility in Ohio29 where Acura NSX is produced. It’s 200,000 square feet of innovation, a place where craftsmanship and technology converge in ways so forward-thinking, it’s sparked a dozen patents. The openness of the space – expansive, airy and absolutely pristine – aptly represents the values of transparency and collaboration here.
Although there are machines at work – the enormous robotic MIG welding machines are hard to miss – PMC is largely a human operation, where close to 100 of Acura’s top engineers and production associates go about the meticulous business of creating built-to-order supercars – one NSX at a time.
MADE IN AMERICA
STEP INSIDE THE PERFORMANCE MANUFACTURING CENTER
and see how every NSX is built.
NATURALLY-OCCURRING
INNOVATION
BUILDING AN ENTIRELY NEW KIND OF SUPERCAR requires entirely new ways of thinking. At the Performance Manufacturing Center, the same level of innovation that went into the NSX itself went into its production. Top specialists in each area of production were asked to imagine their dream process and work station – then make it real. Thus new tools, systems, materials and practices – many of which are patent-pending – were brought to life, ensuring a perfect union of technology and craftsmanship.
A LABOR OF LOVE THE PROCESS OF BUILDING EACH NSX IS UNIQUE, a seamless collaboration of technology and human touch. From MIG-welding the bespoke multi-material space frame to final fit and finish, this is a wholly new approach to automobile production: unequalled innovation guided by masters of the craft.
Engineers and technicians guide each car along its journey to completion, a process of 22 stations for a total of 14 hands-on hours. It begins with assembly of the multi-material space frame, joined by robotic MIG welding – an automobile industry first. Next comes robotic tooling of the inner and outer hood, door and hatch panels. These components are then hand-carted to the paint shop.
MASTER CRAFTSMANSHIP
AT EVERY STEP
CREATING A FINISH THIS EXTRAORDINARY TAKES TIME.
To begin, 10 dip-tanks clean and rinse all surfaces; next comes an electro-deposition coating that’s then cured at 390F. Finally, eleven coats of primer and paint and clear coat are applied, one painstaking coat-and-cure at a time. Body panels are painted robotically, while the front grille is hand-sprayed piano black. Once fully cured, the painted panels are handled with soft leather gloves during assembly and visual inspections; laser inspections ensure perfection.
PRECISION COMES FROM HUMAN TOUCH AND HIGH TECHNOLOGY. While paint cures and undergoes inspection, assembly continues on the rest of the car: power unit components, chassis parts, seats, interior finishes and controls. Throughout assembly, screws are hand-started, then tightened with digitally-connected wrenches to ensure exact torque. The painted exterior panels are attached last to protect the finish.
There are 2700 markers to verify in-process quality (including measurements accurate to 0.002-inch) – and each car is meticulously tested again when assembly is complete. Each NSX undergoes a final, pre-delivery performance confirmation exceeding race-engineering benchmarks. This final inspection includes wheel alignment, corner weight and ride height checks and precision measurements of brake performance at all four wheels.
BUILT BY MASTERS
A TEAM OF EIGHT ELITE ASSOCIATES BUILD NSX ENGINES at Acura’s engine plant in Anna, Ohio – where 4,000 square feet is their exclusive domain. Each NSX engine is hand-built by one master builder at their own station, where every fastener is started by hand and every torque measurement is recorded – on all 547 bolts. When complete, the engine is broken in on a dynamotor, revving the engine to various speeds and loads for the equivalent of 150 miles of driving, so every engine is ready to go full throttle on delivery.
DESIGN
FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION
IN ITS EXTERIOR DESIGN, NSX PRESENTS PURITY OF FORM in graceful lines weaving through aggressively sculpted planes. Elegant design language creates intriguing contrasts from every angle; what appears as a singular striking shape reveals purposeful detail.
EXPLORE THE NUANCES OF NSX STYLING: its planes and curves, angles and contrasts, proportions and surfaces. Together these elements create an unmistakable identity uniquely its own.
THE ART OF
INTERWOVEN DYNAMICS
THERE WAS ONE UNASSAILABLE DESIGN RULE: Every aspect of the car must serve a purpose. So while NSX aesthetics are unmistakable, they’re not simply a matter of allure. Every character line, body panel, shape and crease; every air flow intake and outlet; every proportion and ratio is optimized to support its dynamic performance.
TUNED
FOR AERO
NSX TAKES AERODYNAMICS TO NEW LEVELS
of artistic integration, applying visual allure to the results of thousands of hours of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel analyses.
Three times the downforce at the rear of the car than at the front provides ultimate balance. Painstakingly carved design lines augment that balance with total airflow management. Together they create unparalleled performance with extraordinary efficiency.
THE BEAUTY OF
AIRFLOW MANAGEMENTTHE ABILITY TO TAME WIND ISN’T A MYTH
Three times the downforce at the rear of the car than at the front provides ultimate balance. Painstakingly carved design lines augment that balance with total airflow management. Together they create unparalleled performance with extraordinary efficiency.
THE BEAUTY OF
AIRFLOW MANAGEMENTTHE ABILITY TO TAME WIND ISN’T A MYTH
aerodynamics is proof of that. NSX takes it one step further, using artful design to stream air within, without and across the entire vehicle. By reintroducing air that serves thermal purposes upstream, front and rear power unit components, brakes and other systems are cooled efficiently as aerodynamics are optimized. Acura calls this Total Airflow Management, and when it’s executed in tandem with gracefully aggressive aesthetics it becomes the ultimate expression of interwoven dynamics.
PHOTO GALLERY
