Wow, thanks for all the responses! I had no idea that the small displacement was responsible for the high-revs (or did I read that wrong?). The lighter weight does play more importance when it comes to racing I guess.

@R56:

Well, that was my thought at first, but I REALLY hope that Honda won't aim so high and try to compete with the LF-A. I mean, sure maybe on the performance side, but I hope the price will remain REASONABLE so that should it filter down to the consumer level some day, people will actually be able to afford it and BUY it, like the previous NSX. Something like the GT-R's price level sounds reasonable.

I am by no means a car expert, so could someone please explain any advantages of having such a low displacement in a V8? 3.4L for a V8 sounds low to me, at least, unless that's a typo. Have there been any cars with this low a displacement with respect to the number of cylinders it's carrying?

Well, this one's gonna be a front-engined car, whereas the previous NSX was mid-engined. Hence the radically different design. Form follows function, right?

C'mon Honda, share the wealth!

Dammit, I was just beginning to move that car to the back of my head...and then this shows up! I know it might be one of "least expensive " expensive super-cars, but I don't think I'll ever be able to afford the GT-R. Still...can't stop and stare whenever I see one of these babies; to me the look of the GT-R is much more exclusive than the 911 or the R8. I saw one on my drive back home, and there was a blonde woman driving it! Drove me mad, but maybe her boyfriend/husband just has good taste in cars...although she's very lucky to have a man let her drive it.

Dammit, I was CLEAN, Autoblog! Now I gotta break out that Japanese GT-R magazine that has so many nice pics but not a word I can read!

And I thought such a stripped out "low-level" car would focus more attention on the growing popularity of hot hatches as affordable personal fun-to-drive vehicles, but after seeing the price tag, my illusions were quickly dispelled.

Well perhaps that's a good thing too. I wouldn't want every other person thrashing one of these on the streets. Save these performance-oriented vehicles for people who know how to drive them.

While it may not be a very useful vehicle in that it does not really conform to what's on the road today, I would really like for some of the design features and interior themes be brought down to the consumer level. The dashboard layout, gauges, and instument display is awesome and gives the interior some life insteady of filling it with blandness and cheapness, and the exterior layout of the lighting looks great (if not making the front look a little like an insomniac). Little things like the shape of the lights on the side mirrors and seating patterns would make their cars incredibly attractive, and it's not like they're so outlandish on the concept that they can't be integrated into current vehicles.

LOL, not to even mention most of their cars (although I think this one looks decent), but GM can't even get the CAMO right. It looks ridiculous, like some grade-schooler just cut out black triangles and pasted them onto the car every-which way.

In addition to the hefty initial cost of installing all of these infrastructure upgrades, there are also pesky rules and lots of red tape to clear. If you live in a community with a Home Owner's Association, it will also cost you a lot of aspirin.

Meh...you're probably right; it's just that I enjoy driving so much (even in horrible, rage-inducing LA traffic) I just don't notice it as much.

Regardless, that sentiment/stigma of 13-mile-at-60-mph range still applies. Unless you're a die-hard Prius fan, seeing that on paper just doesn't feel very appealing.

Still, kudos to Toyota for steady progress towards cleaner energy (albeit a lot of electricity isn't produced cleanly, but at least it will help decrease our dependence on oil!)