This is the supercar Oracle founder Larry Ellison used to give away as gifts
However, what's even more interesting are the things the Silicon Valley titan chooses to give away as gifts.
Ellison has long been a fan of Japanese culture. He owns an $86 million villa in Kyoto, Japan, along with as many as 500 pieces of Japanese art. So it should come as no surprise that the Oracle founder's favorite four-wheeled vehicle is one that many believe to be the quintessential Japanese supercar, the Acura/Honda NSX.
In fact, Ellison would reportedly buy a few of these $80,000 rides every year of the model's 15-year production run to give to friends and top employees as gifts and bonuses, Complex magazine and USA Today report.
So what makes the NSX so worthy of Ellison's adulation? Well, for one thing, it's got a pedigree.In the late 1980s, Honda -Acura's parent company - was all but unbeatable in the racing world. The company's Formula One engines powered drivers to six consecutive Constructors' World Championships and five straight Drivers' World Championships.
To commemorate its success, the company built what it considered to be the perfect supercar. It would be fast, high-tech, lightweight, and precise in handling. It would also bring a level of reliability and user-friendliness unseen in the European supercars of the day.
Acura
To make the car nimble, Honda built most of its supercar from lightweight aluminum.
To craft the NSX's sleek body, the company relied upon the its chief designer, Ken Okuyama, a man who Ferrari would turn to create its million-dollar Enzo Ferrari hypercar a decade later.
With handling of paramount importance to Honda, the company asked its stable of Formula One talent for help. The NSX's chassis was set up by none other than the great Ayrton Senna, who is sadly no longer with us. (He died in a racing accident in 1994.)
Acura
Acura
So why does Larry Ellison love the NSX? Probably because it's Honda's defiant "take that!" for its European and American competitors.
Knowing Ellison's brash and aggressive style of business, that sounds like something he would understand.
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