Photography by Mike Schuster
Trends come and go. Some come around full circle sooner than expected. Like anyone ever predicted to see kids rocking studded belts and high tops in like barely 10 years after it was still hip. But then again, hit up some backwoods towns and the Joe Dirt look never really left. ‘Cause some styling is really timeless. And the same holds true for certain models of auto styling where they were really so far advanced they remained current for over a decade. The same body style (with some modern twists) could drop tomorrow and buyers would still line up to order one. And there is no better example than the Acura NSX.
The silhouette of the NSX is so immune to becoming dated that there are actually people out there that have no idea what it year it might be from. On a recent cruise, I was rolling with my homeboy who actually got quizzed at a gas station as to if this was a new Acura. While he skirted around the issue that it was actually a 17 year old car, the gawkers still weren’t convinced.
Now we gawk at enough NSXs during a regular week, but nothing ever popped up like this. It is as if owner Ron Warnick of Cinncinnatti, OH decided his mission was to eradicate anything that harkened back to the days when Clinton was still jogging 10 miles a day. He started in 1997 by simply adding a Tubi exhaust and dreamt of other mods but never found the right time to build was he describes as “what the next NSX should have looked like.” But after some life changing events, he decided to tackle what shows the age of the NSX, which has always been the boxy and mundane interior. So Warnick decided he would not only revise it but reinvent it. And on that tip, it was removed and put in a corner.
He turned to Spade Kreations in Cinncinnatti to hit the computer and design something that resembled nothing of the original. The most outstanding feature is the sweeping arc dash panel housing several gauges and a fully functional tablet PC in the center.
This color matched panel houses several Defi BF gauges including: oil pressure, fuel pressure, boost and water temp. The entire dash has been recreated out of fibreglass as are the door skins. The carbon fiber accents are found all over the interior: trim bexels, door inserts and Ritmo carbon door sills. All of the control knobs have been machined in billet aluminum to really fast forward the look a couple decades. The pedals have been swapped for Autovation racing models and they continued by adding a Science of Speed shift knob and Sparco quick release wheel. The Recaros have also been recovered in suede to complete what we consider one of the most innovative, yet functional interiors seen in years.
The lunacy spread to the trunk area where even our amazing photos by talented photographer Michael Schuster found it tough to capture the insane level of workmanship. Several carbon fiber panels are integrated with painted inserts and color-matched meshed curved into the center of the trunk. Lurking behind all that flare is one serious sub, the JL Audio 8W3V2 8-inch brute. In the cabin are JL Audio ZR525CSI components and the whole package is driven by a JL Audio 450W 4-channel amp. Warnick decided on Kicker for all of the wiring and distribution blocks and has the system lit up by four Kinetik KHC-2000s. The Alpine DVA-5207 DVD player is only once source of media since Warnick also has the Xenarc MP-FL11 mobile computer to deliver any type of media.
Beyond the flash on this project, it moves…swiftly. The C30A engine was about to get a massaging from the guys over at Science of Speed in Tempe, AZ. They bolted up a CompTech high boost supercharger and a CompTech high flow intake for the now force fed air. The fuel was ramped up a bit with a Walbro 255lph pump and RC Engineering 550cc injectors. All of the exhaust is funnelled out the back through TaiTec GT headers, CompTech high-flow cats and JGTC exhaust. Management was delegated to the AEM EMS standalone and after some time on the rollers threw down 360whp at the hands of the techs at Autowave in Huntington Beach ,CA. Warnick listened to reason and upgrade the driveline with an RPS street disc, Cyn-R-G segmented flywheel and CompTech 4.55 gears.future-shock-ron-warnick-1991-acura-nsx-comptech-volk-racing-cantrell-studios-bridgestone-jl-audio
From the outside, Warnick’s NSX is highly modified but is still understated. A car as at home on the track as it would be pulling into the Valet of a 5-star. The rear has been replaced with an ’02 JDM NSX bumper but the balance is all updated by Cantrell Studios. An NSX-R style carbon fiber hood is upfront along with a Cantrell Studios GT front bumper. A set of Cantrell Studios wide front fenders and rear quarter flares were added along with matching sideskirts. Sitting atop the rear deck is a Procar NSX-R carbon fiber spoiler with Craft Square CF mirrors adorning the sides. Honda NSX ’02 front headlights were added (at a cost of $1000 per side) and the rear smoked tails from the JDM model were also blended in.
When it came to landing gear Warnick wanted to run with something dramatic. The wider fenders meant more offset and more lip when he went shopping for Volk Racing GT-Cs. He settled on 18x8 in the front with 19x10.5 in the back, wearing Bridgestone Potenza S03s in 255/35R18 and 285/30R19. Poking though the spokes is a complete Brembo GT braking system with 4-piston/328mm all around. And the suspension was upgraded with TEIN Type RA coilovers and CompTech sway bars to keep it planted. Science of Speed rapid non compliance toe links and rear beam bushings were added to improve stability. Then more parts borrowed from the Honda NSX including an upper and front chassis reinforcement bar were added for chassis strength.
Modding an NSX to this level can be difficult but no more difficult that say, brain surgery and ironically, Warnick does that too. He is a practicing Neurological Surgeon that has sunk countless hours and dollars into a build that he prefers not to comment on. He realizes after the passing of a friend that life was too short and he wanted to complete what started so long ago. This is the culmination of over six years to build and the caliber of project we don’t stumble on too often.
ESSENTIALS
Owner: Ron Warnick
Location: Cinncinnati, OH
Vehicle: 1991 Acura NSX
Power: 360whp
Engine: Honda 3.0L C30A V6
ENGINE MODIFICATIONS
- CompTech high output supercharger
- CompTech high flow intake
- TaiTec GT Headers
- CompTech high-flow cats
- CompTech SS exhaust
- Walbro 255lph
- RC Engineering 550cc injectors
ENGINE MANAGEMENT
- AEM EMS standalone
DRIVELINE
- RPS Street Disc
- Cyn-R-G flywheel
- CompTech 4.55 gears
WHEELS, TIRES, BRAKES
- Volk Racing GT-C wheels: 18x8-inch (f), 19x10.5-inch (r)
- Bridgestone Potenza S03 tires: 255/35R18 (f), 285/30R19 (r)
- Brembo GT 4-piston/328mm
EXTERIOR
- Cantrell Studios (NSX-R CF hood, front bumper, wide front fenders, rear quarter flares, sideskirts)
- JDM Honda NSX rear bumper
- Procar NSX-R wing
- Craft Square CF mirrors
- JDM Honda NSX headlights
- JDM Honda NSX tails
INTERIOR
- Custom dash by Spade Kreations
- Defi BF gauges (oil pressure, fuel pressure, boost, water temp)
- Ritmo CF door sills
- Autovation pedals
- SOS shift knob
- Sparco steering wheel
- Recaro seats
AUDIO / MULTIMEDIA
- Xenarc MP-FL11 mobile computer
- Dash mounted Tablet PC
- JL Audio 8W3V2 subwoofer
- JL Audio ZR 525CSI speakers
- JL Audio 450.4 amp
- Alpine DVA-5207DVD
- Kinetik KHC-2000 battery x2
- Spade Kreations custom enclosures
PHOTO GALLERY
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