With Type S performance models set to return to the Acura lineup, the automaker released a new video celebrating the history of Type S and the vehicles that have worn the high-performance badge.
The concept for Type S performance models began with the 1997 NSX Type S in Japan, which led Honda R&D engineers in America to create a prototype coupe called the AC-R.
“The AC-R was basically a show car capable of 166 mph and 1.0g of grip on a skidpad, but its real value was getting everyone inside the company jazzed about creating this kind of model under the Acura brand,” said Erik Berkman, former president, Honda R&D Americas, LLC and the development leader of the AC-R and the original Type S models. “Ultimately, we decided to bake all of that goodness into the Acura CL and the result was the 3.2CL Type S, the first Type S in North America.”
