When everything was fitted, the outside of the NSX was sent to the paint shop, while the interior stayed behind to be completely re-trimmed. It’s way more time consuming, but it gives an OEM-plus final product. He uses rivets with threaded holes in them, measured to OEM thread spec. When some shops go about installing kits, they’ll use trusty self-tapping screws, but that doesn’t fly with Ayyagari. Something you won’t see, but makes a world of difference, is the use of “rivnuts” throughout the chassis and body kit. I wanted it to be reliable and fast and that’s how the shop tuned it.”Ī short while after, the body pieces started arriving, so the NSX migrated from the dyno to Umbrella HQ, where it received treatment of the highest quality. “It’s not a car you have to tweak every time you drive it. "I really wanted to make sure this would be a long-lasting and reliable build,” he says. When all is said and done, the car is pushing approximately 390 horsepower and 385 lb-ft of torque, a number that Ayyagari was more than happy with for his goals. The 2.3 allows the blower core to provide boost without having to be spun extremely fast, which must have made the tuning forks at Carburetor Connection very happy. When it was all back in the car and running, the CT Engineering supercharger featuring a larger displacement 2.3-liter Lysholm blower core was added. Absolutely everything was replaced seals and hardware in the engine, and new synchros and bearings with a better power-rated clutch from CT Engineering for the transmission – a sign of things to come. The subframe, engine and transmission were dropped and given a deep clean via toothbrushes and special solvents. The unfortunate discovery was relayed to David and he agreed that there should be no chances taken, and so the restoration of the NSX began. I investigated and found that there was no gasket in the valve cover.” “I got the cross member out and looked up and saw oil just dumping out of the front of the engine. “When I reached down to disconnect the front motor mount, there was no bolt in it,” laughs Ayyagari, though he probably wasn’t laughing at the time. The issue reared its ugly head as soon as Ayyagari started digging into the NSX to install the CT Engineering manifold, headers and carbon fiber intake. With both of them in agreement on the T12, boxes for the NSX R GT replica bumper and custom rear spats from an Alpine Electronics Tokyo Auto Salon car were also checked off and parts sent away for.īecause building cars is never easy or straightforward, some kind of difficulty was bound to come up. An order for that kit would mean a second T12 would be introduced to the world and North America would get its first. Turns out they did – in the form of the brand-new T12 widebody kit. “The widebody NSX is what my shop is known for, so we started brainstorming and looking at pictures at a few different body kits from one of my vendors, Sorcery Japan.”Īfter shaking their heads at a couple of kits, Ayyagari gave his friends at Sorcery a ring to see if they had anything off -menu. “David gave me some ideas of what he was looking for,” Ayyagari says. He and Ayyagari got to talking about where this car was headed. David purchased the 2000 Acura NSX about 12 years ago, spurred by his son Jordan’s interest in sportscars and their shared love of anything on wheels. If it’s exotic and destined to be wider, it goes to him at Umbrella Auto Design. This project was different in the fact that it was a local from Seattle looking to take his father and son bonding project to the next level. And this NSX gets an A+ under each heading.Īyyagari is accustomed to taking on work from out of state. It says “Style / Technology / Performance” right under our name. This is a car that leaves no bolt unturned. Then I saw the images of this NSX and I was infatuated. So much so, there was no choice but to put its smug mug on our cover. Words like supercharged, widebody, Sorcery, lift system, Focal and restoration piqued my interest. It’s a truth that can apply to many things in life, yes, but it’s especially pertinent in the automotive sphere. Think about it: if you want good wheels for your car, are you going to go with some new Advans, or the latest rip-off design from 4RGD WH33LZ 4U (bonus points if you could read that the first time through)? Exactly! So, when Ravi Ayyagari, owner of Umbrella Auto Design, gave me a call and said he had something special for me, you bet your ass I was listening. Though it started out as a bonding experience, it's now a family heirloom.
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