Much to my wife's chagrin, I have reserved the other three equal quarters of my heart to three other ladies apart from her. Her consolation however is that these three ladies are the Porsche 911, Honda S2000 and last but not least the Honda NSX. Yes, I am slightly deranged and do need a bit of counselling perhaps, but fear not, I am one of the less car obsessed among the evo staff. Take for example contributor Luca Cima who talks with vigour about a washer or spark plug, Motoring Editor Bassam who recently considered substituting super-unleaded for water in his diet, or Columnist Blair Cole whose uncanny ability to write pages on end on a subject as boring as road-tolls yet keep you genuinely interested borders on the slightly supernatural.

My obsession however, is most certainly a bit further apart from either Jon or Bassam who regard the NSX as being a rather odd looking, outdated car. Well, in all fairness it was one of the longest running production life cycles in history, having first made its debut in 1990. The NSX went on to be produced, marketed and sold worldwide until it was finally decided to let the old girl rest in peace in 2005, when the production line was finally put to rest. What's more surprising is that the car actually went through very few changes throughout its lifespan despite heavy criticism from many sports car aficionados worldwide. Despite its relatively low output of just 270bhp when it was first launched in 1990, the car was light years ahead. It had an ultra rigid, ultra light all aluminium monocoque chassis, mid-mounted engine, titanium connecting rods, and most importantly, was developed with much input and testing by none other than Ayrton Senna. The NSX was one of the few cars which seemed like it was telepathically reading your thoughts, emotions and mood, responding with deft precision and immediate willingness to the lightest touch of the steering wheel, pedals, or ultra short-shift manual.

1995 saw the first major change to the NSX with the addition of a targa-topped NSX-T to the lineup worldwide, except in North America where the NSX-T replaced the fixed roof coupe outright. The removal of the roof slightly compromised the car's rigidity, prompting a revision of the suspension settings and a slight re-tuning of the chassis. In 1997, Honda finally succumbed to the building pressure from fans and journos alike to increase the car's power and released the revised model with an output of 292bhp and an increased engine displacement of 3.2-litres. The new engine was also mated to a new 6-speed manual transmission, which as impossible as it may seem was even better than the first, and larger brake discs to keep the extra power in check.  In addition, the Japanese were treated to a domestic variation of the car dubbed the NSX-S Zero which had a lower weight, stiffer suspension and better steering ratio.

In 2002, following years of dwindling sales, the NSX was treated to a major facelift which saw the replacement of its outdated pop-up headlamps with a fixed pair, larger wheels, a refreshed interior and a slightly redesigned rear wing which it wore proudly until its final days. 2002 also saw the limited edition NSX Type-R which was sold in minute numbers to loyal Honda customers in Japan and North America. Despite having the exact same power figures as the standard version, the Type-R had a lighter chassis, stiffer suspension, unique body package and body coloured alloy wheels to set it apart from the rest of the pack. Needless to say, the Type-R is extremely rare, and difficult to find in the Middle East.

Happily for Japanese car fans, things look like they will only get better from now on. Not only has Nissan just launched its rump-kicking new GT-R, but Honda has hinted that they will be launching a replacement for the NSX by the end of the decade.

However good the new car may be, there will always be a place in my heart as the ultimate 'cult hero', as well as my garage for one of these cars. Only problem is, they are nearly impossible to come by here in the Middle East. So anyone out there who's got an NSX in good condition, you know where to find me!