My name is Byron Hurd, and I’m a V6 apologist. My first car was a 1995 Volkswagen Passat with the 2.8-liter VR6 and a five-speed manual. Like most VWs, it was a basket case of a car, but man, did it sound good. Slide those glasses back down, Poindexter—I know what the “VR” part stands for. We’re not here to explore the true mechanical identity of VW’s six-cylinder. Let’s just acknowledge that it was a particularly effective ambassador for what was otherwise viewed as the sort of engine designed to make middle-aged commuters feel like their four-door sedans hadn’t stripped them of all their former personality. Plus, with a little tweaking, a good V6 can make awesome wookiee noises.
Not all six-cylinders are so maligned. Porsche, BMW, Toyota, and Jeep come to mind. Each has at least one iconic engine with the requisite number of cylinders; a couple of them have forged it into part of their performance identity. And even in the world of Vees, there are plenty that stand out. Alfa has made more than its share of sweet little V6s. Even Ford, alongside Mazda, put out its fair share. Who can forget the Yamaha-sourced SHO V6? I mentioned VW’s hybrid V-/inline VR6 above, and I must admit I’m a bit partial to GM’s LF4. And then, of course, there’s Honda.
Honda considers itself an engine company, so it’s really not surprising that it has produced some good ones. Its four-cylinders may be the company’s bread-and-butter sport compact heroes, but in its flagships, Honda has bet on the biggest engine it builds: the V6. And no ship has carried the company’s standard higher than the mid-engine NSX. Some saw its V6 as the one thing holding it back from true dominance of the supercar field; others saw it as the one thing grounding it in reality. No matter which side of the argument you choose, we should all be able to come together over one thing: This thing sounds straight-up wicked with a custom 6-to-1 header setup.
Is This The Best Sounding NSX EVER!?!?
Don’t let the seven-minute runtime on the above video put you off. It doesn’t waste your time. You’ll be immediately greeted by some wide-open throttle, after which Justin of Bad Cat Engineering dives straight into the good stuff, detailing the process by which this spiral, 6-1 collector setup dubbed “Maximum Meows” came to be. Bad Cat. Meows. Get it?
The resulting wail is certainly not kitten-like, sounding more like a cross between a sport bike and a completely uncorked race car. It won’t be everybody’s cup of tea, but if you’re a fan of high-revving, naturally aspirated engines, you’re going to want to turn up the volume.
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