So a black box can track stuff, like aircraft flight data. Now, I wouldn't think a car manufacturer would do it because it's just kind of expensive. And it's not really a feature that you sell to buyers.
But Porsche knew how a car was being driven and where when Honda bought one to do some industrial reverse engineering and stuff.
Of course, if you are buying a run of the mill car, car manufacturers might add a black box for accident reasons so they won't be liable and stuff if it looks like an accident was caused by driver error buy the driver is trying to blame the car.
When an automaker is developing a new vehicle, it will often seek out examples of the competition to use in creating benchmarks to meet or beat. In the sports car universe, the go-to benchmark is quite often the Porsche 911. So when Acura was prepping its latest NSX, it looked to the 911 GT3 to find ways to make its own top-tier sports car better.
This isn't a one-off practice. Acura purchased its own GT3 through standard dealer channels, and that's something all automakers do when they want to scope out the competition. Usually, however, it goes unnoticed by the automaker whose product is being tested and compared.
But Porsche noticed.
The Acura-owned 911 GT3 went in for some service, specifically to fix an issue with the engine connecting rods. According to Automotive News (subscription required), Porsche looked over some of the black box data and was able to ascertain that this car was being tested by Acura, or more specifically Acura's parent company Honda.
To provide some good-natured gentle ribbing, Porsche had a note written under the engine cover. It said "Good luck Honda from Porsche. See you on the other side."
What did Porsche find most interesting about how Acura tested its 911 GT3? Both how Acura test engineers got up to 205 mph, and at what track the tests took place. We want to know too—and we want to come along for the NSX/GT3 shootout.
Porsche sent a good luck note to Honda by way of 911 GT3
But Porsche knew how a car was being driven and where when Honda bought one to do some industrial reverse engineering and stuff.
Of course, if you are buying a run of the mill car, car manufacturers might add a black box for accident reasons so they won't be liable and stuff if it looks like an accident was caused by driver error buy the driver is trying to blame the car.
When an automaker is developing a new vehicle, it will often seek out examples of the competition to use in creating benchmarks to meet or beat. In the sports car universe, the go-to benchmark is quite often the Porsche 911. So when Acura was prepping its latest NSX, it looked to the 911 GT3 to find ways to make its own top-tier sports car better.
This isn't a one-off practice. Acura purchased its own GT3 through standard dealer channels, and that's something all automakers do when they want to scope out the competition. Usually, however, it goes unnoticed by the automaker whose product is being tested and compared.
But Porsche noticed.
The Acura-owned 911 GT3 went in for some service, specifically to fix an issue with the engine connecting rods. According to Automotive News (subscription required), Porsche looked over some of the black box data and was able to ascertain that this car was being tested by Acura, or more specifically Acura's parent company Honda.
To provide some good-natured gentle ribbing, Porsche had a note written under the engine cover. It said "Good luck Honda from Porsche. See you on the other side."
What did Porsche find most interesting about how Acura tested its 911 GT3? Both how Acura test engineers got up to 205 mph, and at what track the tests took place. We want to know too—and we want to come along for the NSX/GT3 shootout.
Porsche sent a good luck note to Honda by way of 911 GT3
