Honda does not build many cars like the Honda HSC: a 2-door coupe with 3.5 L i-VTEC V6, built from 2003 in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids.
Where it came from
The Honda HSC (Honda Sports Concept) was a concept sports car that was initially unveiled at the 2003 Tokyo Motor Show. Most of the automotive media immediately speculated that it was designed to be a replacement for the Honda NSX, although this was never confirmed by Honda. It was also branded as an Acura. The HSC featured a lightweight, mid-mounted aluminum 3.5 L (210 cu in) i-VTEC V6 engine with a 6-speed transmission controlled by either an F1-style paddle shifter on the steering wheel or a unique dial shifter on the center console. When shifted into reverse, the navigation system's adjustable flat-panel screen in the center console became a display for a rear-mounted camera.
Abundant leather and aluminum trim pieces rounded out the interior, an all-aluminum frame with carbon fibre body panels kept it light, and swan doors affirmed its sports car status. The development of this car into a production sports car appeared to stall for two years. However, the July 2005 announcement by Honda CEO Takeo Fukui indicated the HSC was only a test concept for a pure sports car. In 2009, a road car version of the Honda HSV-010 GT was seen, with some visual similarities with the HSC. It was also assumed to be a replacement for the NSX, although there is no official confirmation of this. In 2013, Honda unveiled the next generation NSX concept car, which replaced the HSV-010 in the Super GT GT500 class.
Under the skin
Under the skin sits 3.5 L i-VTEC V6. The layout matters: the engine sits behind the driver and ahead of the rear axle, which puts the mass in the middle of the car and is why mid-engined cars change direction the way they do. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Bentley Continental GT, the Mazda RX-8, the Mazda Mazda3. Nearby in the Honda catalogue sit the Honda Envix and the Honda Crider.