Here's my $.02. I'm an avid fan of all cars, from the single cylinder Benz tricycle of the 1880s to the newest hybrid Civics. In my opinion, it's a matter of mentality.

There has always been the school of high-performance, many-cylindered engines = great acceleration, with some sacrifice of handling, refinement, etc. Ferrari's SOHC V12 (the "Colombo"), Aston Martins, Jensens, the old Detroit muscle (Hemi 426, Magnum 440 from Mopar, Ford's 427, 428 Cobra Jet and 429, Chevy's 302, 402 and 454, et. al.), the old Lamborghini V12s..... as far back as the REALLY old eras, where sports cars like the Bugatti, Cord, Dusenberg, Ford V8, etc. etc. followed this idea. The newer Camaros, Trans Ams, Corvettes follow this line of thought.

The other school of thought, dating back equally far, is that smaller engines + light body = excellent performance plus nimble handling. This philosophy is just as old, and can trace its roots all the way back to the old Delahayes, Delages, MGs, some Ferraris (the Dino 246GT comes to mind), up through Porsche, Lotus, BMW, Datsun (the 240Z), et. al. All of these cars are either fours or sixes. It's from this branch that Honda/Toyota/Nissan/etc. draws from - relatively lightweight cars which have performance anywhere from brisk to searing, and handle very well. Great examples of this are the Supra Turbo, the 300ZX, the RX-7, the WRX STi, Evo, etc.

Of course, I'm generalizing tremendously. Some companies sit on both sides of the fence, like Jaguar, whose E-Type came in both sixes and twelves, or Mercedes with the 300SL and SLK, and also the SL500, SL600... and some transformed themselves from one to another, like Ferrari from their early sixes to their monster twelves. Lotus, king of the lightweights, had the turbo V8 Esprit for a while. But I really think these two philosophies dominate auto history. Shelby tried to take the best of both worlds with his monster AC Cobras, light-weight AND huge engine - and even though they went 0-100-0 in 14 seconds, the handling was notoriously piss-poor, even the in 289. Likewise, lots of people complained about the famous slant six from Chevy, even though it got great mileage, because it could barely climb hills in the huge cars they put it in.

So the NSX and Corvette are natural "enemies." Honda isn't interested in enlarging the six to even out the performance difference, and they're not going to switch to an eight - it's against their line of thinking. I doubt they even compare the two cars. But they do even the score in other ways - with outstanding, hand-built quality, exclusivity/rarity, advanced suspension and a marvelous, refined, gem of an engine. Yet the price is a big problem - for that price, you could almost get two Z06s, which shares some of the same qualities. To me, it seems that Honda is following the old mantra "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Naturally, people who favor the small-engine, light-car philosophy want the NSX to compete with the less expensive, higher-performing cars now out (some with the same exclusivity appeal like the Viper), and want Honda to update their design, and consider their competition. Yet with a 200-per-year production, I doubt Honda is looking to outperform anybody - they are making a simple, handsome sports car which is perfect for what it is. They're not trying to beat the Z06 or anyone else - the NSX, to them, is fulfilling its destiny nicely.

So I doubt this will happen, because they only need to sell 200 a year, and apparently they're doing so, so there's no need. They're not trying to outrun the Z06 or 360 Modena or 911 Carrera - it's not their goal. They ARE trying - and succeeding - to build a car which has remained excellent in build quality and reliability for years, and will continue to be great for years to come. The sticker price is part of this - how many NSX owners are going to heap the abuse on them that lots of Z06s see?

Nathan1234, I think the whole thread is sort of pointless because the two schools of thought are so different. Honda isn't inclined to change its working formula, while the Corvette Z06 is challenging the Viper for the premier American sports car, and continues to evolve, since a lot of its respect depends on its performance. Unless Honda decides to begin changing the NSX - which it won't, since there's no pressure - the NSX will continue to slowly lose ground as a premium sports car, while gaining ground as an exclusive, refined, unusual exotic. Instead, it seems they continue to experiment with other platforms like the S2000, Civic Type R, RSX-S, etc. etc. - because they feel high pressure to keep sales up.

There's tons more to bring up, but I'm tired... maybe I'll post more later. Anyway, I hope that's more what you were looking for as far as a complete answer goes.