The Acura TL is generally not a car to inspire much in the way of passion. Not that this is a problem, as it’s a reasonably well made car which does a good job of competing in its segment. The point here is that, someone who is in the market for a convertible is unlikely to feel it absolutely HAS to be a TL, in defiance of Acura’s decision not to build such a car. But Newport Convertible Engineering is now giving you the option, limited consumer demand be damned.
The example you see here is its aftermarket convertible TL, complete with perhaps even more questionable hood stripes. The company say the de-roofing process takes six weeks and won’t void your warranty with Acura. They can also make it without the B pillar, although this is a more complicated procedure. There have still been uglier convertibles built by actual manufacturers, but one still has to wonder just who it was exactly that felt this needed to be done.
Newport Convertible Engineering claims it is the first American coachbuilder to take the roof off of an Acura TL, and judging by these pictures, we think this might be because NCE was the only coachbuilder to want to.
The Acura TL has never been lauded for its beauty, but taking the roof off without reinforcing the lower chassis, and thus needing to leave the B-pillar as an unfortunate looking roll-bar, has tuned it from homely to straight up ugly. If NCE can remove that bar without destroying the car’s rigidity, here are some sedans that we think would make great convertible.
The Honda NSX, badged as an Acura in certain regions.
In 1991, five years after the debut of the Legend and Integra, Acura introduced the NSX, a midship V6 powered, rear-wheel-drive sports car. The NSX, an acronym for “New Sports eXperimental”, was billed as the first Japanese car capable of competing with Ferrari and Porsche. This vehicle served as a “image car” for the Acura brand, heralding the introduction of Honda’s VTEC technology. The NSX was the world’s first all-aluminum production car, and was also marketed and viewed by some as the “Everyday Supercar” thanks in part to its ease of use, quality and reliability, traits that were unheard of in the supercar segment at the time. With the release of the NSX, Acura introduced the “A-badge”, a stylized pair of calipers—a tool used for exacting measurements to imply that Acura vehicles are built to precise and demanding standards.
NCE says the conversion takes about six weeks to complete, comes with a five-year warranty from the supplier and doesn’t void the original warranty from Acura. On top of that, the interior fitments like sun visors, trunk space and rear seat belts all remain unaltered. Customers who are absolutely against the B-pillar can have it removed, but NCE says “The vehicle will be designed differently without the center bar.”
To our eyes the TL looks pretty all right without a roof, and with stripes. NCE will shortly be preparing convertible versions of the 2013 Range Rover Supercharged Autobiography, Porsche Cayenne and Cadillac XTS. For Acura owners, there’s a press release below with information on NCE if you have a TL and an urge to go way beyond the sunroof.
Show full PR textAcura TL ConvertiNewport Convertible engineering is first US coach builder which designed, engineered and distributed Limited Acura TL convertible.
NCE will Design & Engineer your Acura TL four door to open-top convrtible, NCE EDITION.
Newport Convertible Engineering is an original design manufacturer (ODM) which designs and manufactures convertible soft tops and hard tops for many attractive convertible vehicles in the world, for instance the open top variants of the Rolls Royce, Mercedes Benz, Ferrari, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Lexus, Mazda, Nissan, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen, Vovlvo, and many others.
NCE maintains a highly trained staff of designers, engineers and craftsmen dedicated to provide the discerning enthusiast with state of the art convertible designs. Today NCE is a full service supplier and assumes overall resposibility for all functional units of the roof system along with designing and producing ODM convertible tops.
NCE’s ODM convertible tops represents the highest standards of automotive design, quality and craftmanship. By creating unique convertibles of unmatch and detail.
NCE’s ODM roofs meet the highest demans; They defy the most adverse weather conditions, produce very little wind noise at top speed, look good open or closed and are easy to operate.
Newport Convertible Engineering with 30 years experience in design, engineering, prototyping and manufacturing of convertible vehicles, has grown to become a world leader in the automotive industry. With our extensive in-house capability, we can support for a wide variety of projects, ranging from Concept to complete convertible vehicle development and build.
Our team of experienced professionals is recognized for meeting aggressive timing objectives, and delivering the highest quality of service required for long-term Customer relationships.
Newport Convertible Engineering is world renowned as the leader in the industry of an original design manufacturer(ODM) of convertible vehicle. Newport Convertible Engineering dominates the industry in cost, timing and quality.
Our engineering team has the depth and diversity of experience needed to deliver large programs as well as smaller based projects.
Newport Convertible Engineering provides unmatched capability and experience in the build of Concept, Prototype, Exhibition Show and low-volume production programs on convertible vehicles.
Over the past 30 years we have acquired a deep understanding and capability in the integration and build of complete convertible vehicle roof systems. We have a rich history of providing design, engineering and build services to many OEM Authorized Dealers in the automotive.
