850CSi vs NSX: Which looks better?

[Blake]

850csi all the wai.

[Jorge]

I'm all for BMWs, and I'd kill for an 850CSi, but the NSX wins this round for me.

[limepickle]

Good God- I didn't realize how long my post was!

[limepickle]

I created an account just to post in this thread. This discussion is actually very important to me. As many have already stated, the NSX and 8 series are both really nice looking cars, but to me, if we are talking about looks only, the 8 series wins. I've seen an 840ci, 850i, 850ci, and an 850csi (really rare- only 225 imported to the US-I was very lucky to spot one, parked and detailed beautifully in someone's driveway). I've also seen a few NSXs, one that was parked just outside my neighbor's house (he is either a car salesman or some shady mafia guy, because there is a new car outside his house almost everyday). I've had the chance to look at both of them up close, and I certainly looked at them both for a long time. As for rarity in the US, if we are looking at both models as a whole, the NSX is about 1.5 times more common than an 8 series, even less common if we are only talking NA1. It is basically a wash in terms of rarity, and any personal experiences that differ are coincidental. Rarity makes a huge difference to our perception of looks. I can exemplify what I mean by referring to the Corvette or new Camaro, both of which are beautiful cars but that are also so common now that we as car fanatics are basically just tired of them. One thing about the NSX is that the pictures do it justice; pictures aren't the same obviously, but they never are. The reason is because the NSX has much sharper lines. Most pictures absolutely kill the 8 series, because glare ruins the subtle 300sl-like wheel arches and the 2d of all pictures usually destroys the perfect teardrop shape of the 8 series. The best picture I could find to show the teardrop shape is here: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...1t:429,r:1,s:0

Look at that ass! It is even better when you are directly behind it, and you can really see the shape just perfectly. You have to see it to know what I mean. Another major problems with the pictures is that they take the pictures from the ground so that the kidney grilles are highlighted. On the 850csi which has the front spoiler, the ground pictures are just okay, but these still miss the point. The point of the kidney grilles is to be a sub-theme which identifies the car as a BMW without looking like every other Bimmer. When you are standing next to the car and you're way above the hood, which you are if you're more than 2 feet tall, you'll see that the kidney grilles do in fact as the subtheme that they are meant to be and the beautifully slanted headlights are the real "eyes of the car." One thing I must agree on with the NSX voters is that I do like the look of the NSX lights when they are up more than the 8's. But like others have said, the 8 is all about class and elegance. To someone who knows cars, the 8 is a design marvel. I can tell you that I dislike the look of most BMWs (however, I acknowledge that they are extremely well-engineered cars). The fact that the 8 series, like the M1 and Z1, takes the otherwise obnoxious kidney grilles and puts them down low. No four round headlights on these cars, and not the new generation standard headlights either. Of the three, which all take styling cues from the BMW Turbo concept, the 8 series is the only one to use the centerline hood bulge. You notice that the 8 series does not have the notch coupé look that is overused today. This fact combined with the pillarless windows turns it into a very refined German muscle car, with of course much better handling. There is character in the 8 series design. From the 300sl wheel arches, to the grill, to the teardrop body, to the pillarless windows. This is what the NSX lacks, but I should at least give the NSX the full description that it deserves.

The NSX is a car that screams performance. People saw the 8 and wanted it to perform like a Ferrari, but at a deeper level, the design hinted at more of a grand tourer. The NSX is the opposite. One of the first things you notice is how short it is. It packs a lot of style and flare into a relatively short body. To me, that screams "Get in and go!" There is no doubt that the NSX was a more well-developed and engineered car than the 8 series. They were handbuilt by Honda's finest, and everything was aluminum (even the extremely rigid chassis!) That doesn't mean that the 8 series wasn't put together well. In terms of build quality (build quality not having to do with reliability or that stuff but more of the quality of materials and how well they are PUT TOGETHER- as in how far away from a kit car is it), the two are on par. However, Honda made the NSX to make a point and beat Ferrari on the track, whereas BMW made the 8 series to compete with Mercedes and Porsche on the road. The former took more development and research. It also means that the looks of the NSX come in large part to reflect the performance, whereas the looks of the 8 series emphasize ride quality and comfort. For example, the NSX has a spoiler and door cutouts for a race perfect .32 drag coefficient, optimal for a combination of straights and turns, whereas the 8 has the teardrop for a slippery highway .29 to reduce turbulence and maximize fuel efficiency. And this is where the NSX loses me in terms of LOOKS. In making a race car, Honda made the NSX look similar to other race-type performance cars. For you NSX owners, I'm sure many non-car people will ask you, "Is that a Ferrari?" No visual character- that doesn't mean that it has no character when you turn the key. It's just that visually, it looks like a generic exotic car. The fact that they made the recent Accord have the same tail-light design as the NSX really bums me out too, because that was one thing that I thought was cool and unique about the NSX. But for what it's worth, I think that the NSX is a very noble car. You can say what you want, but it gets the job done. Ferrari guys will tell you that it has no soul, but that's bogus. Ferraris are pretentious and overdone; if they had any soul, it was covered up by the ridiculous embellishments that Ferrari puts on its cars. No visual character is different from no soul. The soul is what's on the inside. And one place where the NSX deserves a lot of credit is in deviating from the standard curved hood Japanese pop ups to a really aggressive straight cut hood. Rx-7s are really cool and unique, but the hood looks to much like a Miata. And of course there's the whole line up of pop up generic Nissan Silvias and early Toyota MRs, so the NSX is really different for a Japanese car. But I'm getting really tired now- don't know what I'm saying.

To sum it up, the 8 series catches my eye in person and as a car enthusiast more than an NSX does

[tedy e30]

look at this and decide yourself ... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmROkK8FDyA&feature=related"]YouTube - bmw 850 goryl cz1[/ame]

[NWwagon]

i want nsx only because my neightbor as a supercharged one with straight pipes and it sounds beautiful, however the 8 series would be a fun car to own ive just never had the chance to ride in one.

[JonnyBoi]

id say the Nsx
but id own the 8series

[Joshbm]

850, my gfs dad has an 840 and i love it!!

[Oxer]

Why the face palm?

Edit-- ok, I read what I wrote, It wasnt the intent from a sales perspective, otherwise people wouldnt have paid so much money for one.

Facepalm away, but you cand deny the ecconomy of an nsx compares to other performance cars.

[NSXRguy]

iirc, The NSX was designed to basically be a civic on steroids. All the econonmy of a civic for the pleasure of daily driving, and a squeeze of the throttle would unleash the power within.

Fair enough the engineering in the suspension and chassis wasno comparison, but that was the main intent from a sales point of view.

Lots of people dont understand that. Everyone just assumes the NSX was hondas answer to the performance car market.

:facepalm:

[Oxer]

iirc, The NSX was designed to basically be a civic on steroids. All the econonmy of a civic for the pleasure of daily driving, and a squeeze of the throttle would unleash the power within.

Fair enough the engineering in the suspension and chassis wasno comparison, but that was the main intent from a sales point of view.

Lots of people dont understand that. Everyone just assumes the NSX was hondas answer to the performance car market.

[MaxBell]

Driftgirl, how dare you mention Civics and E30s in the same sentence...

[Rebounder]

BMW For sure. I've always liked them, plus, Eazy E had one. Need I say more?

that asscociation diminishes the 8's appeal...

[NISM0_SKYLINE]

BMW For sure. I've always liked them, plus, Eazy E had one. Need I say more?

[NSXRguy]

What looks better? A murcielago or a supra? I think theyre comparable.....