drivetofive

Odometer (Legend Sedan):  150,724

Odometer (Legend Coupe):  548,850

Odometer (ILX):  184,321

Today, I’m taking you to Florida.  I sadly missed the opportunity to drive 2,140 miles each way from Phoenix to Orlando this past weekend, but it was for the best.  With my new job giving me very limited paid time off, I had no choice but to catch a flight on American and fly the friendly skies to this year’s annual gathering of crazy Acura NSX enthusiasts.  It was still very much worth it!

It’s hard to believe that the last NSXPO in Palm Springs is already a year behind us in the rearview mirror.  The Orlando planning crew raised that ever-lofty bar even more so:  This year’s event has introduced some of the biggest venues and the most organizationally “put together” agenda I’ve ever seen.  On Thursday, a group of 200-someodd NSXs cruised together to the Kennedy Space Center for a special tour.  And on Friday, that same group took to the world-renowned Sebring Racetrack for a performance driving event.

My Friday evening flight took about 4 hours, but seemed like 7, thanks to the time zones on my west-to-east travels.  Longtime friend and fellow Legend lover Alan Jackson was kind enough to leave me a “rental” vehicle at the Orlando airport:  the 1994 Acura Legend coupe in Milano Red that he’d purchased from my mother back in 2010.  The odometer at crank of the key was just under 170,400 miles and it fired to life like new.

Fellow car-nut Brian who’s local to Orlando was kind enough to show me around that evening.  While certainly not a “fun” destination like Disney World nearby, one very important Orlando place in recent news is the Pulse nightclub where dozens of people were killed in June.  It happened to be literally around the corner from Brian’s home so I got a photo there while paying my respects.

One of the traditional NSXPO events is the “Concours d’Elegance,” which is basically a car show.  The entire northeast section of the Springhill Suites hotel parking lot in Winter Garden was overtaken by NSXs when I arrived on Saturday morning.  Right off the bat, I received a text message from my friend Jermaine from New Jersey.  “When did you get here?”  He’d seen me wandering around outside from an upper floor of the hotel.  Jermaine is one of many former Legend owners who have taken their Acura ownership to the next level by getting involved in the NSX game.  Check out his Rio Yellow 2000 NSX here:

There was a BBQ between 11:00 and 1:00 in the parking lot.  I attended a panel discussion in one of the conference rooms and learned some very insightful information.  Among the participants was Chris Willson, owner of Science of Speed, an NSX performance shop located in Chandler, Arizona.  Chris and his team have taken the initiative to create the “Heritage Program” which focuses on sourcing or reproducing critical parts which have been discontinued.  For example, the NSX “twin disc” clutch has been discontinued from American Honda so owners who are seeking to buy a “factory” replacement part are left having to seek other aftermarket alternatives.

Just a few miles up the road, the Orange County National Golf Club hosted our large group in a banquet room for a formal dinner and program that evening.  Keynote speakers included Ted Klaus, Project Leader for the NSX, as well as seasoned race veteran Peter Cunningham who has recently taken a new role in leadership for the RealTime team, as well as others from Honda R&D.  Peter will be at the helm for the 2017 season race campaign of the NSX “GT3” racecar.  I happened to be seated at dinner across from a guy named John who’d just finished a 13,000-mile cross-country road trip in his own Berlina Black 1991 NSX.  I was in good company!

Oooh, fancy awards.  Everything about NSXPO was high class.

No trip to Florida would be complete without a stop at the state’s most exclusive and exciting theme park:  “Legend Land.”  Otherwise known as Alan Jackson’s house in Floral City, Legend Land has become a mecca of sorts for the Legend enthusiasts.  Alan and his wife Nancy welcomed me to their beautiful estate where we enjoyed a lakeside lunch of Italian sausage and homemade potato salad.

I also got to witness firsthand the replacement of a left rear wheel speed sensor on a 1994 Legend coupe belonging to local enthusiast Thomas.  My friend Alex took me back to the airport in his 6-speed BMW 5-series.  It had quite the roar thanks to its V8 and custom exhaust system.

Though short, my visit to Orlando was definitely sweet and I was glad to reconnect with old friends as well as make a few new ones.  Thanks for coming along for the adventure!  Enjoy a few pics & a short video.

Hanging with my buddy Brian

Interesting ‘wizard’ gift shop on Irlo Bronson Road in Kissimmee, FL

Hey, that doesn’t look like an Acura ZDX to me!  Nice try.

Few shots from the parking lot at the host hotel in Winter Garden

Love this “Monaco Blue” color.  It’s rare!

My friend John Komar (right) and his brother both brought their NSXs out.

Brooklands Green:  1994-95-only color.

Check out this odometer!

Original engine.  That was on this 1991 NSX:

I got a kick out of his comment on the judging form in response to “why he should win” the Best of Show.

Racing legend Peter Cunningham selling T-shirts

Imola Orange Pearl.  Pictures don’t do this color justice!  Notice, even the leather interior was orange!

Doing a drive through Walt Disney World

Tee time, anyone?

A few 2017 NSXs were on hand, including this Valencia Red beauty.

Poolside at the host hotel.

Orange County National Golf Club, cocktail reception.

Sunday morning drive to Floral City to return my rental car.

Arrival at Legend Land, pictured here with Alan and Alex.

Working on Thomas’ Legend coupe.

Quick shot with Abby (the pup), Nancy (Alan’s wife) and a gator statue.

This entry was posted on November 8, 2016 at 4:56 pm and is filed under Car Show, NSXPO. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.