‘The Avengers’ Acura NSX

But unlike the other Acura’s making cameos throughout the film (the automaker having stolen the product placement mantel from Audi, whose R8 supercar was Tony Stark’s ride in the two Iron Man films), this model doesn’t currently exist. Yet.  (David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times)

It’s a concept of the forthcoming Acura NSX, due out as a coupe around 2015, about the time the just-announced sequel to ‘The Avengers’ will hit theaters. You may also recognize the coupe from the funny, yet controversial Super Bowl commercial featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno.   (David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times)

Initially the plan was to mock up just the rear of the car, since that’s all that was needed for filming. But at the request of none other than the film’s director and screenwriter Joss Whedon, it was decided to use a full car.   (David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times)

The biggest difference is the film car is a convertible while the official NSX Concept is a coupe. The front end of the film car was also deliberately left vague (there are no headlights, functional or otherwise) and the sculpting of the hood and front bumpers is relatively straightforward when compared to the concept shown in Detroit. The LED taillights are functional.  (David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times)

Underneath the sleek body panels of the NSX film car sits an original, fully-functional 1992 Acura NSX with more than 250,000 miles on it. The general, mid-engined proportions of the film NSX were strikingly similar to the original NSX, made from 1990-2005. Thus, only minor mechanical modification were necessary to create a drivable concept for the movie.  (David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times)

TFX simply stripped the original NSX of all its body panels, save for the doors, and built the concept NSX around it. The front panels are made from fiberglass while the rear panels are milled epoxy resin. Cladding was added to the doors so they matched the look of the rest of the car. The ‘Stark 33’ license plate comes from the fact that 33 is Downey’s favorite number.  (David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times)

The windshield was cut off and a shorter, smaller unit from an unspecified car was mounted a few inches forward of the original position. The car’s rear track has been widened to fit the new panels and wider wheels and tires were also used for a clean look.  (David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times)

The original six-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission from the 1992 NSX remain, though the car will likely never need the high gears since any speeds above 20 miles per hour would shake loose the new panels. Also unchanged is the cockpit, save for an updated set of seats.  (David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times)

As such, one can drive this film car and quickly forget its exterior doesn’t match its twenty-year-old interior. There’s nothing to tell you otherwise save for the stares you get. A few laps around the parking lot revealed this NSX to be an easy drive; the engine, brakes and transmission are all plenty capable. The only change to the driving dynamics is the new body cladding lowers the ride height and widens the turning radius significantly.  (David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times)