With pursed lips and bated breath Tommy Lee stared unblinkingly at the wraithlike machine in front of him. “Could this be real?” he thought to himself. All of his dreams prior to this moment lay in ruin at his feet, shattered by the realization that what he dreamed of all these years suddenly paled in comparison to what lay before him. Every wish and hope was for naught now. There was only one direction to go, and that was toward owning the sleekest machine imaginable. As he walked out of the building and into the cold night air, a promise was made that would never come undone. It was a pledge that was destined for fruition. He was finally going to own an Acura NSX.
Ten years later, Tommy finally got what he had been craving all of those years. It was a black ’97 NSX that he quickly equipped with Volk GTC rims, a full Wing’s West body kit and a complete RM exhaust. He was on cloud nine. Every day was bliss behind the wheel of his black beauty. But one car was not enough for a man with this kind of appetite; so before long, there was a 2000 Monaco Blue NSX in his garage as well. This one was treated to a ’02 rear bumper and taillight upgrade, Do-Luck side skirts, a Wilwood BBK, Work Equips, Wing’s West front lip, and a Taitec GT Lightweight Exhaust System. With multiple dream cars at his disposal anytime he pleased, Tommy was living the life most of us can only dream of with tongues wagging. So what does a man who has everything do now? Sit back, relax, and have a glass of single malt? No. He gets back into the thick of it and builds a car that is more elegant, sophisticated, and blisteringly fast than anything he has ever encountered before.
By 2011, Tommy decided he was finally ready for a younger model… of his dream car. The ’02 version was calling, and he needed one in white. We all know that the NSX is a rarity. In fact, there were only 376 white NSXs ever made worldwide; eight of them were the ’02–’05 model, and within that time frame, only three of these were made in ’02. So finding a white NSX was suddenly proving to be a pain in the arse. While looking online one day, Tommy stumbled upon something that came close: a silver 2002 NSX with low miles, the black interior he wanted, and an überlow price tag. What Tommy didn’t know was this seller was going to make all his NSX dreams finally come true.
Brian Urlage of Source 1 Automotive couldn’t believe his ears. Here was some guy on the phone, hundreds of miles away, wanting to buy his silver NSX. And this guy had all sorts of expensive requests. He was wanting to know if Brian could outfit the car with a Comptech supercharger, custom forged wheels, Downforce carbon goods, enough Type R parts to bankrupt the national treasury, and a healthy coat of Championship White paint as the pièce de résistance. Zero budget limitations and a client with an open ear to suggestions are sure to make any builder smile. Sure, he could build this car. It’s not like Source 1 Automotive didn’t specialize in NSXs anyways.
A Comptech supercharger takes care of the power portion of Lee's build.
Months later, things were shaping up nicely. Tommy’s favorite parts were on the car, and more were on the way. Type R goods were in abundance, a VHR lift kit was keeping the car from bottoming out, and the CT supercharger was humming along beautifully. But this build ran into a few unforeseen setbacks along the way. Fitment issues were a quandary at times, the custom wheels were nowhere near being done, and a very pricey carbon-fiber NSX-R spoiler that arrived was cracked and chipped. But patience is key during such an expensive venture, and eventually the checklist was finished. So the day after my photo shoot of the vehicle was complete, it was shipped off to its anxious owner some five states away. Shipped to a man who had never touched or even seen the car before. I decided to do some follow-up work and called the car’s owner recently. When I spoke with Tommy, he said the car is perfect in every way and he could not be happier with the finished product. I believed him. You’d be pretty happy too if this car was waiting in your garage every morning.
So what you see in front of you today is a true Corvette killer. It is sleek, silent, and sexy. But without a moment’s hesitation, it can also strike with the lightning-fast predatory power that can only be found in the wild. The weekends warrant a brisk drive for the car’s owner to clear his head, and trust me when I say he really likes to put it through its paces. With the supercharger shrieking, the rear wheels screaming, and a foot on the floor, Tommy drives off into the distance, forever searching for fresh prey. And always hungry for more…