The MG "NSX", chicken or egg springs to mind. 🤔

[Pride]

I know it's been mentioned before but here's an interesting new publication about the car that could have been the NSX way before Honda launched it.

But just imagine the legendary Leyland reliability if they did put it in production. 😂

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/its-a-shame-this-mid-engined-awd-sports-car-of-the-80s-never-happened/

[NZNick]

Interesting that the sketch shows a longitudinal engine like the NC1, as opposed to Honda's transverse C30A in the NA1. Wonder if they would have got so much hate for the reduced luggage space as Acura are getting in the USA at the moment...

[philboo]

Wow that takes me back. I actually remember seeing it on tomorrow’s or the old, old, old top gear when they’d go to motor shows. I temeber thinking it looked brilliant and had forgotten all about it, the EX-E really did look and sound like next generation motoring back then.

[Pride]

It resides at Gaydon museum according to the write up.

Did anyone see it at the AGM this year and if so what did you think of it???

[Silver Surfer]

1354113542

Here you are...

SS

[Pride]

Even the spec is similar to our cars except for the 4wd.
It looks as though that was BL's last chance to have built a true world supercar, in fact I think 1985 was around the time Leyland was teaming up and collaborating with Honda to produce the Rover 200/Honda Prelude, Honda obviously saw this EX-E and decided to develop it secretly as the New Secret eXperiment.

Talk about adding insult to injury by Honda to the ultimate demise of Leyland, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall of the Leyland boardroom when the NSX was officially announced to the World.:)

[Nick Graves]

Well, the powertrain was extant in the Metro 6R4. Roy Axe's EX-E was purely a showcase for what they could do, given the Messtro and Nonego they were making at the time.

It probably did inspire the NS-X to some degree.

More to the point was the Pathfinder; a sort of high-roof estate car that went through various iterations before eventually becoming the Freelander. That was directly plagiarised to become the CR-V!

[Pride]

Very interesting Nick.

[duncan]

Hmm, looking around Gaydon with it’s selection of BL cars that were never brought forward I’d disagree with the comment that “Honda obviously saw this EX-E and decided to develop it secretly as the New Secret eXperiment”. A more likely scenario is one of instant dismissal for anyone going into their bosses and suggesting a cunning plan based on copying what BL were going to do.

[Pride]

Hmm, looking around Gaydon with it’s selection of BL cars that were never brought forward I’d disagree with the comment that “Honda obviously saw this EX-E and decided to develop it secretly as the New Secret eXperiment”. A more likely scenario is one of instant dismissal for anyone going into their bosses and suggesting a cunning plan based on copying what BL were going to do.

You're probably right but in 1984 Honda had designed the HPX which is said to be the design lead to the NSX but in my opinion they must have looked at the EX-E design and decided to use more of those design cues instead.

HPX.
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[havoc]

To be fair, that's pretty typical for a mid-80s MR concept car. Not a lot there that shouts "NSX" to me.