Have you ever wondered if there’s a certain pressure that comes with owning a vehicle that enthusiasts regard as iconic?
Cars celebrated by the masses inherently carry with them an expectation that owners will uphold the vehicle’s reputation through the entirety of his or her possession. Should said key holder not toe the line, they will be subject to the wrath of those who feel they could better protect the sanctity of such a revered platform.
This outward pressure could be cause for apprehension, but this is were the importance of doing what you want comes into play. Because life is simply too short to do what others expect of you all of the time.
I’m a firm believer that the owner of the car dictates its final purpose, not the designer. If you’ve got the itch to turn a sports car into an off-road machine, then do it. And if you’ve got the coin to do the opposite, then hell, do that too. Who am I to say different just because I have a keyboard and an internet connection.
Typically, I’d follow a lead up like this with a car that divides opinions due to some sort of controversial, defining modification. But I assure you there’s no LS swap hiding in the back. It’s also not on air, the tires fit, and the wheels have not gone awry.
No, that free flow of thought was surprisingly brought on by an NSX that I feel very few will take any sort of offense to, because it does a damn good job of emphasizing all of the high points of the Honda/Acura icon.
A Strong Signal Within The Noise
Keiron first discovered Vittorio Bueme and his NSX in Ocean City two years ago.
Vittorio, along with his brother Steve and father Stefano, have made traveling from Buffalo to Ocean City an annual family tradition, and on one such trip to the now infamous waterfront venue, Vittorio spotted an NSX that was done in the same quality-first style he’d applied to the 350Z he owned at the time, and it sparked an idea.
The hunt for the perfect NSX to build upon began almost immediately. An ideal candidate was located in Arizona, and Vittorio flew out to see the car in person before pulling the trigger and having it shipped back home.
When asked about the condition of the car upon delivery, Vittorio admitted that while it had good bones, there was definite signs of neglect throughout the vehicle.
Once the teardown began, it didn’t take long for the project to snowball.
Blue Magic
“Fitting the body kit was one of the most challenging parts of the build,” mentioned Vittorio, describing the on, off, on, off process of affixing the Sorcery T12W V2 aero.
The Buemes are fortunate to have a family garage where they can help each other wrench on their cars comfortably all winter while waiting for the snow to thaw, and thankfully, Vittorio had his father and brother to help with the tedious job of getting the panel gaps acceptable.
Consisting of front and rear bumpers, fenders, and side skirts, the Sorcery kit is rather involved. Also added was a carbon fiber lip, and carbon fiber bumper inserts. The back end has been topped with a Sorcery W-Type dual-deck wing and trunk spoiler, both in carbon fiber of course.
All the carbon at the top of the rear end is balanced out at the bottom by a matching carbon fiber Sorcery V1 diffuser.
During the fitment process, the front fascia was upgraded to the later NA2 spec with fixed headlights rather than pop-ups. I’ve mentioned before that while I do really love a good pop-up headlight as much as the next person, the fixed versions do give the car a much more contemporary appearance.
“The car attracts [quite a bit of] attention, but not many people seem to really know what it is,” says Vittorio.
It seems a bit crazy to think that there are some people out there that can’t ID an NSX inside of five seconds, but remember we enthusiasts are the minority. Joe Fuel Efficiency sees Honda as a brand that is far, far removed from any sort of exotic-looking performance vehicle.
BalancedThose of you with eagle eyes may have already spotted the turbo hiding just rearward of the passenger tire. Given the car’s run-hard/stored-wet nature, Vittorio elected to drop the motor off at DMS Performance for a complete rebuild before power adders became part of the picture.
DMS went much further than a standard OEM-spec rebuild. The 9:1 compression V6 now has CP pistons sunk within LA Sleeve-equipped cylinders. 36mm intake valves join Supertech exhaust valves in heads bolted to the block with ARP studs. The Variable Volume Induction System (VVIS) has been deleted, and the turbo kit is a LoveFab LF6000 Stage 2 package based around a Precision Turbo 6766 billet ball-bearing unit. Cooling is handled by an air-to-water intercooler.
The vibrant tones of heated titanium appear throughout thanks to Chasing J’s who supplied their intake manifold plate, throttle body cover, oil cap, and hood prop. Carbon fiber adornments under hood were provided by NC Auto USA.
The sum of the parts results in a very quick car with street-friendly mannerisms and a show-ready appearance.
Handling refinements are taken care of with JRZ RS2 coilovers, and helping with steep entrances is a complete Stanceparts air cup lift kit.
Ubiquitous Toyo Proxes R888R tires at 225/40R18 and 295/30R18 wrap double-staggered matte-on-gloss-bronze Work Meister S1 wheels. The slight contrast between the two finishes is a nice touch and complements the KPMF blue/black iridescent vinyl wrap.
Enjoying The Ride
“It’s a rocket,” Vittorio explains as he describes what the ride is like from the NC Auto USA carbon-Kevlar NSX-R-style bucket seats. “It sounds amazing and pulls hard,” he then elaborated. Some of that sound can be attributed to the turbo, while the rest of the honors go to the custom titanium exhaust system.
Love for carbon and Kevlar-based products continues throughout the interior, and it would be easier at this point to list what NC Auto has not contributed rather than what they have.
Perhaps my favorite piece of the several employed is the rear bulkhead. For such an unseen piece it’s incredibly well done and flows with what is ultimately a very well thought out and cohesive car.
“I took my time, carefully piecing together the NSX I wanted,” Vittorio concluded before I asked if there were any further iterations of the car planned.
Thankfully, simply enjoying the car is now priority. It might see a few minor improvements here and there, but Vittorio’s goal for the foreseeable future is simply the open road and the odd lapping day.
Dave Thomas
Instagram: stanceiseverythingcom
Photos by Keiron Berndt
Instagram: keiron_berndt