For many Honda owners the NSX is truly the holy grail of all cars. Unfortunately the NSX isn't exactly cheap, common or practical. Along with the hefty price tag of the car, parts and labor are also quite expensive, more often making the car a pipe dream rather than a reality. But if you look long enough you just might find a less than perfect example in a price range you can actually afford, as was the case for Zach Hazelbaker.
In the late-80's, when the car was originally designed, Honda's take on the exotic car was already ahead of its time. Honda worked with Formula One drivers and Italian car designers to come up with the now infamous combination of an extruded aluminum chassis mated to a mid-ship mounted VTEC V6, which were mind-blowing at the time of release. Although the original MSRP was huge compared to any other car from Honda/Acura's lineup, the bang-for-buck was insane. It was reliable enough to be driven every day, capable of roasting nearly every exotic of the time on the road course and cost a fraction of the price.
With the NSX, Honda was the first company to ever produce an all-aluminum (chassis, suspension and body) production vehicle. The NSX was also the first car sold state side to feature VTEC, an acronym that has become synonymous with Honda, even recognizable among non-enthusiasts. In 1995, the NSX was updated and became the first vehicle to be sold with electronic throttle or drive-by-wire. Yet with all of these innovations most people still have no idea that the car exists and couldn't identify one if it were right under their nose.
However, Zach Hazelbaker isn't most people. He was fully aware of how badass the NSX is and knew he had to own one somehow. After coming across an abused NA1 that was within his budget he decided to pounce. "I got a great deal on it," he tells me. "The previous owner really didn't take very good care of the car, it was a few different shades of red and needed some routine maintenance." While most saw patchy paint Zach only saw the raw potential waiting to be realized.
Once the car was in his possession Zach couldn't wait to start tearing the car down. "I have a compulsion to modify any car I own," Zach explains. Knowing that labor rates can get astronomical quickly, Hazelbaker decided to take modification into his own hands. "If you are good mechanically and can do most of the work yourself, it will save you a lot of money in the end. I feel that people view the NSX as a car that you have to send out to be modded or worked on. But you can pick up your tools and do anything you want to this car yourself - you shouldn't be scared of working on your own car."
As amazing of a car as the NSX is, one area it has always lacked in, especially by today's standards, is power output. The 269 crank horsepower that the C30 provided stock just wasn't going to cut it for Zach. To reach his goal of breaking 400hp he knew exactly what he wanted to do, enlist the help of a turbo charger. While turbochargers aren't new technology there are very few NSX owners that go this route. For this exact reason there isn't much in terms of aftermarket kits for the NA chassis so Zach got custom. Using a T67 turbo along with some TiAL bits and an intercooler the rest of the turbo setup was entirely fabricated one-off. This setup proved good enough for 458hp/350lb-ft at the wheels.
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