Everything from the view ahead to the Burble of the exhaust is a pleasure to the senses

With Ramadan come many Iftar buffets. And with many Iftar buffets came more chances of taking the NSX out last month to the various hotels.

If only it wasn’t so hard getting it out of my apartment block…

Because I only have one allotted space, I first need to get it out of the parking slot and replace it with my S2000. Then it’s a case of threading it out of the car park without scraping the carbon fibre lip – something that’s often unsuccessful. The car is so low, any major elevation changes need to be navigated with extreme care. Sometimes, even that’s not enough. It has a few scrapes already, but it’s only the front lip, and that can be fixed. Life goes on.

Once this pseudo-Batmobile is on the road you tend to forget about the ordeal of getting it there in the first place. Everything from the view over the vented front bonnet, to the burble of the exhaust as you change gears is a pleasure to the senses. The interior is even nice to be inside. I say ‘even’ because you’d usually expect some cramps and pains on longer journeys in an 18-year old supercar. I’ve actually found the NSX to be more comfortable than the S2000. Not bad when you’re only a few centimetres off the ground.

Well, most of the time anyway. The unassisted steering can grate sometimes, especially at U-turns, where you don’t have a chance to get the car moving before you can turn. You really do need to use some force with both arms. I think my arm muscles have become more toned as a result…

But again, once past that, it changes tack and you start to feel a visceral connection between your hands and the road beneath you as you build up speed. Every movement from your hands is replicated at the wheels and on the road. Consequently, every indent or imperfection in the road shoots back through the steering wheel and into your arms. At the same time, there’s no body roll at all. It’s actually unnerving how on-rails it feels; you know that it’s going to snap if you’re driving at ten tenths. But that’s not something I see myself reaching, or even going towards yet.

In the meantime I can enjoy the perfect tuned-Japanese-import soundtrack. It’s not the kind of whine you get from some supercars, or the ‘tin can’ din of a lot of other Japanese sports cars. There’s no droning noise, and neither is it boomy. It’s just right, and several thumbs up have appeared over the last month just for the sound of the car. (I’m beginning to sound like Goldilocks finding her perfect porridge…)It also helps that my wife enjoys it as much as I do. Now I’m asking myself why I bothered fitting a double din head unit complete with iPod and Bluetooth.

It isn’t just pointy thumbs though, that appear in my direction. Some just stare to the point where it becomes a bit embarrassing, and others stop me at petrol stations with questions and requests to sit inside. I of course grant them their will and then, with glee, go about spouting out everything I know about the car, from why it’s such a technical marvel to how it performs. When I eventually turned up at the right hotel for Iftar, I was offered a spot at the entrance, next to the valet area, which suited me just fine.

That wasn’t the best part, though. A week later at the Atlantis hotel, at another Iftar, there were again no parking spaces left. I cringed and asked if there was anywhere I could park it myself. ‘Of course Sir,’ replied the friendly valet man, gesturing to the roped off area just behind me. ‘Next to the Lamborghini?’

The NSX really is a complete car.