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That time we followed a Honda NSX through a food court

If you've ever been to a casino in a major city, you'll know that they like two things. First and foremost, it's taking your money. Secondly, it's displaying cars and high-end goods.


Crown Casino in Melbourne is no exception, with Honda and Crown deciding that the all-new 2017 Honda NSX would look perfect sitting within the Atrium, inside Crown's lobby area.

When Honda sent around a press release telling members of the media that they were planning to have the car on display, we thought we'd tag along to see how the process works.

Honda said yes before we realised what time the delicate move had to take place: 5:30AM on a Saturday morning. Great.

We were even more surprised when we were told the doors to the lobby of Crown Towers weren't wide enough for the NSX to fit through, so the super Honda would have to be driven through the food court, past a bunch of overpriced handbag stores and a gaming area to make it into the Atrium.

I was the lucky fool that threw his hand up for the gig (again before noting the start time...) and rolled in shortly before 5:30AM on Saturday.

The interesting thing about this whole undertaking was the means by which it was propelled through building.

As a hybrid supercar, the NSX is powered by a twin-turbocharged six-cylinder engine with an electric drivetrain. It produces 427kW of power and an impressive 646Nm of torque.

This particular car has spent its entire life being shipped between Honda dealerships and displays, so it's not a car that has seen any road time in Australia.

Most of the time, it's moved in and out of display locations running on its petrol engine.  Of course, it can also run on a full-electric mode, and that's just what it was expected to do on this particular morning.

Crown has a number of restrictions in place when it comes to moving vehicles in and out of the building. One of them is an absolutely minimum amount of fuel within the car - and, for the most part, cars can't have running engines when driven in covered spaces.

Just before 6:00AM, the car started moving through the food court in full-electric mode. At most times during the day and night, the food court is absolutely bustling with people.

But, at 6:00AM, it's like a ghost town — except for the red $420,000 (plus on-road costs) Honda NSX being driven through and the cast of thousands that surrounded it.

Tables and chairs can't be moved during the 'bump in', so the NSX has to travel the long way around the food court before making a tight turn for the straight that goes past Crown's high-end retailers and restaurants.

It's at this point we run into problems. Well, one key problem: the car has exhausted its electric driving capacity.

Normally, it would last longer. But, given it hasn't seen time on the road since landing in Australia, the car has never had an opportunity to charge its onboard batteries.

It's time to begin pushing.

From here, the NSX is pushed into its final position within the Atrium where it will live for the next 15 days as a feature for passers-by. If you want to get up close to Honda's hybrid supercar, head to the Crown Atrium until Sunday October 30.

The NSX on display is finished in Valencia Red. The cool looking colour is a pearl Andaro paint, which is finished in a nanoparticle pearlescent. If it sounds expensive, that's because it is. If you have to ask...yeah, it's that type of thing.

Was it worth getting up at 4:30AM to follow a Honda NSX through a food court in one of Australia's most exclusive gaming venues? Hell yes!

Click on the Photos tab to see the full Honda NSX image gallery.

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