The new Acura NSX shows how far supercars have come in 27 years

A 2005 Acura NSX.Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider

For me, as a child of the 90s, the Acura NSX (or Honda NSX if you reside outside of the US) helped define automotive excellence for the decade of my youth.

When the original NSX debuted in 1990, it turned the supercar world on its head. Never before had anyone been able to deliver the performance of a Ferrari 328 or 348 while offering the ease of use and reliability of a Honda Accord.

It’s a car I’ve always dreamed of having the chance to drive.

Unfortunately, the first generation NSX went out of production in 2005 — long before I began my career as an auto journalist. Heck, I only got my driver’s license in 2002.

Although the decade-long wait for a successor was less than ideal, the second generation NSX is finally here for 2017.

Last year, Acura invited me up to Lime Rock Park in Connecticut to turn some hot laps in their second generation NSX supercar. We liked the 2017 NSX so much that we named it Business Insider’s 2016 Car of the Year.

But what I found sitting in the parking lot at Lime Rock piqued my interest even more — a first-generation NSX.

Fortunately for me, the grey 2005 NSX is part of Acura’s corporate fleet and the company brought it along just in case anyone wanted to take it for a spin.

Jackpot!

Here’s what happened when Acura handed me the key to two generations of their NSX supercar.