Welcome to the Hooniverse News! As always, this is a weekly recap of the biggest stories in the automotive industry without the fluff or bull. This week: Acura NSX Type S is the proper sendoff for a great car, Acura is bringing back the Integra and this is absolutely not a joke, Lamborghini is making another Countach for some reason, Radford is coming back with a stunning Lotus throwback, Aston Martin took the roof off the Valkyrie, Chevrolet COPO Camaro is a proper big-block drag car, plus your news for the week.

Acura NSX Type S

As promised after last week’s teaser, Acura stormed into Monterey Car Week with a stunning new variant of the NSX. And it’s the last variant, as well. The NSX Type S is billed as the “quickest, most powerful, and best handling” NSX they’ve produced yet. And it’ll be among the most desirable too because only 350 units are being produced globally. Considering that they’re built in America, we’re getting the bulk of them with only 50 of those going to the NSX’s overseas markets.

As for the car itself, it’s a proper evolution of a car that shattered expectations when it first came on the scene and brought true hybrid supercar performance to the sub half-a-million-dollar market for the first time. The Type S upgrades begin with a 27 horsepower and 16 lb.-ft. Increase, which equals 600 horsepower and 492 lb.-ft. of torque. They used turbochargers shared with the NSX GT3 Evo race car to increase boost pressure by 6% to accomplish that. Its 9-speed DCT has been retuned to keep up and features 60% faster upshift response and a new “Rapid Downshift Mode”. Putting all that power to the ground is a retuned SH-AWD system with torque vectoring. That “SH” literally stands for “Super Handling” and that’s not just marketing hype.

It rides on brand new forged alloy wheels with a new design increase the car’s track by 0.4 inches front and 0.8 inches rear and new Pirelli P-Zero tires specific to the NSX Type S will help keep the thing more planted. And if you opt for the Lightweight Package, you can get carbon ceramic rotors (plus a bunch of carbon interior trim) which reduces curb weight by nearly 58 pounds.

The car also features a few very noticeable and very beautiful new aero elements. The bodywork up front has a new nose with a nicely integrated carbon splitter plus larger and more angular air intakes. It looks halfway to a GT3 car, and best of all, it’s functional. So is the new rear diffuser which enhances high-speed stability. That diffuser is modeled after the one on the NSX GT3 Evo. All of this combined with the rear deck-lid spoiler, its new stance, and its exclusive Gotham Gray matte metallic finish (other colors are available too) produces a stunning send off for a criminally-underrated car that not enough people bought. Only ~2,800 of them have been sold globally. The Type S’s limited run of 350 units is more than what was sold in 2020 and 2021 combined.

Prices start at $169,500 – no word on if that includes destination but I’m guessing it doesn’t. That represents an increase in price of a little over $10K. For what you get, that’s not bad at all. If you want the Lightweight Package on top of that, you’re looking at $182,500.

[Source: Acura]

The Acura Integra is coming back

Just as Acura was unveiling the swan song for the NSX, they dropped news regarding the birth of another legendary nameplate. It’s something that the community has been asking about for ages, but it seemed like a pipe dream. Well, it won’t be for much longer. Acura is bringing back the Integra. This is NOT a drill.

The shocking announcement is of course light on details and the car is at least a few months away from any kind of full reveal. But we do know it’ll rejoin the lineup as a compact premium car with some kind of performance mindset. When you think about modern compact performance from the Honda family, the Civic Type R is the first thing that comes to mind. That powertrain in a more refined shell that Acura can provide sounds like a winning combination. But of course that is purely speculation… but it does also make a load of sense.

Regardless, we’ll learn more soon enough.

[Source: Acura]

Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4

Editor’s note: so literally the minute this post went live, Lamborghini went and dropped all details about the Countach. A previous release had indicated it would be shown on Sunday, not Friday. Oh well. This section has been edited with new information.

Well it was a week filled with Radwood-era revivals and it was all kicked off by Lamborghini. Let’s say it was news that, like the Integra, nobody expected. It’s… a Countach.

The news came seemingly out of nowhere. Brands will of course revive old nameplates all the time (see above) but this one is different. It’s the first time Lamborghini has ever done such a thing and they chose their single most legendary car to do it with on the 50-year anniversary of its debut as a concept car. The official announcement came with a handful of close up teaser shots on Instagram. But with the internet being a thing, someone has already leaked it. So Lamborghini went ahead and debuted the whole thing to us today.

It’s a futuristic “few off” supercar with limited numbers and a hybrid powertrain. Lamborghini just unveiled the final all-motor Aventador a few months ago, so from here on out all models will be hybrids or electrics. In a way, that makes this Countach the first of its kind. Except it isn’t. I’ll explain. They won’t flat out admit it, but this is very clearly built on the same Aventador platform that has spawned dozens of other variants and limited-run models. One of those models was the Sián FKP 37, which was the first Lamborghini to employ a hybrid motor. That car uses a familiar 6.5-liter V12 and pairs it with a 48-volt electric motor and supercapacitor hybrid system.

This Countach? Exactly the same. The only thing that differs slightly is its total output: the Countach delivers 769 horsepower while the Sian had 774 horsepower. The Countach has the same 2.8-second 0-60 time and its same 208-mph top speed. It is quite literally a Sian that’s trying to sneak into a Radwood.

Anyways, only 112 are being built and all are probably spoken for already.

[Source: Lamborghini, Instagram]

Radford Type 62-2

And now for another classic revival, but one that’s too gorgeous to make fun of, the Lotus 62 race car has been recreated. But not by Lotus. This gorgeous little thing comes to us from Radford, a famous British coachbuilding company that has been revived by some notable names. Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button, F1 TV presenter Ant Anstead, and designer Mark Stubbs, which has proven to be a winning combination already.

There’s a lot to love here, like its 3.5-liter supercharged V6 shared by the Lotus Emira, Evora, and Exige, plus the six-speed manual or seven-speed DCT that comes with it. And with carbon panels and a riveted aluminum chassis, it will be properly light as well.

It promises an unfiltered and engaging driving experience that can be ordered in three variants with different levels of performance. The 430-horsepower “Classic” model is all about pure driving bliss with a manual and less aero, the 500-horsepower “Gold Leaf” model is a step up with DCT, the ducktail spoiler, and center-locking wheels, and the ultimate “JPS” model is a 600 horsepower track weapon with an aero kit, carbon wheels and brakes, and I’m sure a pant-wetting design. Those three letters are synonymous with Lotus and motorsport, so that will be one to watch for.

The Gold Leaf is what is pictured. And I think this is a car where you’d be forgiven for buying just to stare at all day. Maybe. Okay maybe not. But this is hands-down one of the most beautiful cars I’ve laid eyes on in a very long time. And it’s only their first product. Radford should be on everyone’s radar now.

[Source: Radford via Jalopnik]

Aston Martin Valkyrie Roadster

Filed under “shit I shouldn’t care about but also kind of like”: the Aston Martin Valkyrie Roadster. It can’t be denied that the Valkyrie has been one of the most ambitious and radical projects undertaken by any automaker in recent years. It has a shape that’s hard to comprehend for a road car and a Cosworth V12 that is literally the stuff of dreams.

But this is literally just the same car we’ve already seen but with a removable roof. That of course means there are fewer bits of carbon between that V12 and the ears of people with 3 yachts and the patent to a life-saving drug. This car is objectively cool and I admire the work of its aero designer, Adrian Newey, and the engineers at Cosworth making that incredible engine, and of course the people at Aston Martin who had the guts to make this thing. I just don’t have much else to say about this car.

[Source: Aston Martin]

Chevrolet COPO Camaro

While the other brands were at Pebble Beach showing off their fancy supercars to rich people, Chevrolet was back in Detroit saying fuck it, here’s a big block Camaro.

COPO is of course the Central Office Production Order system which drag racers used to create a true drag racer out of a Camaro in 1969. COPO is synonymous with big block power designed to be unleashed at the strip, and that’s exactly what GM has done once more.

At its heart is a 572 cubic inch big block V8 with enough power that GM isn’t letting that figure slip. It’s a cast iron block with four-bolt main caps, aluminum heads, a forged steel crankshaft, forged steel connecting rods, and forged aluminum pistons. An ATI Racing Products TH400 three-speed automatic transmission sends that power to the Hoosier drag slicks on the rear axle.

GM sells this as a Chevrolet Performance part for $105,500 and cannot be registered for street use. Though I’m sure that won’t stop some people.The COPO name was brought back in 2021 and since then they’ve sold 700 of them. There used to be a little hard to get and were usually limited in numbers, but this one won’t be. Anybody who has the cash for one can get it.

[Source: Chevrolet]

What’s your automotive news?

That’s all I’ve got for you this week, so now it’s your turn. If you saw anything, fixed something, broke everything, or otherwise did anything even remotely car related that you want to share with your fellow hoon, sound off in the comments.

Have a good weekend.