Porsche found out that Honda was secretly using a 911 GT3 as a benchmark while developing the Acura NSX, but the German company wasn’t going to let it slide without getting a jab in first.
It’s no secret that automakers often purchase competitor’s cars for research, and the Acura NSX was no different. The NSX development team over at Honda anonymously purchased a Porsche 911 GT3 and, according to NSX vehicle dynamics project leader, Nick Robinson, Honda was using the 911 GT3 to assess its steering.
But Porsche figured out that a particular 911 GT3 belonged to the NSX development team when the vehicle was recalled to fix an issue with the connecting rods. Robinson remembers that once the repaired sports car returned to the hands of Honda, there was a hidden message left under the engine cover that said, “Good luck Honda from Porsche. See you on the other side.”
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In addition to purchasing a Porsche 911 GT3 for benchmarking purposes, Honda also used a McLaren 12C. Unlike Porsche, however, McLaren didn’t realize who the vehicle belonged to when it went back to the dealership for remedial work. The British automaker did have an inquiry, said Robinson: “They wanted to know, where did you go 205 mph? What track?”
[Source: Automotive News]
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