The icing on the cake comes in several coats of Grigio Alloy paint. This Ferrari 360 Modena color is silver-blue and varies depending on the lighting. On a cute teddy bear, Hallmark-like note, the color was chosen by Warnick's daughter.
So it looks like a predator, a laid-back beast. But is it a sheep in wolf's clothing? Well, after having the supercharger installed at S.O.S., the engine definitely has more of the proverbial horses but there wasn't exactly a riot in the stable. To increase the stomping of hooves and frantic equine whinnying, Warnick had the car shipped out to Autowave in Huntington Beach, Calif.
When it arrived out west, father and son wrenching duo Shane and Michael LaPiere put the car on their Dynojet and found it was having some issues while putting out around 310 hp. Once the revs reached 6000 rpm, it ran way too lean and had to be shut down. It was time for an extreme makeover. First to go would be the stock ECU and accompanying FMU. Replaced with a programmable stand-alone unit from AEM and a set of RC Engineering 550cc fuel injectors, the injectors would no longer have to run 100 pounds of pressure per injector along with a 100-percent duty cycle. The new setup allows the injectors to run at 45 pounds and at 80-percent duty cycle. The new arrangement decreases strain and improves reliability across the board.
A larger pulley meant for a newer 3.2-liter motor was also added. Remember this is a '91. With the pulley size increased compared to the Comptech charger, the boost is now at 8.5 psi as opposed to the stock 5 psi.
Before spouting off dyno figures, we should establish the fact that the NSX was tuned with streetability in mind, including partial throttle, mileage and a clean pipe. (Which, by the way, is a Taitec straight pipe with Comptech hi-flow cats and JGTC parallel exit exhaust.) While the Acura passes emissions with flying colors, it had trouble reaching the expected 375-whp figure due to an unfortunate combination of 90-degree temperatures and 90-percent humidity.
"The Dynojet (as opposed to a Dynamax) is great for tuning but not so great for the ego," says the elder Lapier.
Excuses aside, 360 whp isn't exactly wimpy. Factor in drivetrain loss and the NSX is easily charging into the supercar company of Ferdinand's finest and Enzo's elite.
With the speeds attainable from this kind of power you'd think Warnick would have had his license revoked. Nope, he's got just what his custom plate reads: NO TICKETS. Even with the array of suspension parts such as the TEIN Type-RE coil-overs and Honda JDM NSX-R reinforcement bars encouraging sideways shenanigans, the nubile NSX remains like a broke teenager heading to a concert, without tickets. Rolling on Volk Racing GT-C rims (18x8-inches in front and 19x10.5-inches rear) you'd think the cops would have pulled him over more than once just to see the Brembo Gran Turismo brake kit bring the widebody to a halt.
It just so happens the police have pulled Ron over a number of times, only to let him go when they see his honorary deputy badge. Awhile back, near Warnick's hometown of Loveland, near Cincinatti, an officer was chasing down a Camaro he clocked at 120 mph when he lost control, crossed the median and ran headlong into a rig, incurring severe head trauma.
To make a long story short, Dr. Warnick saved his the officer's life and was subsequently given the honorary Sheriff's badge. "I have no arrest perogative," says Warnick. "But I do get out of a few tickets."