I appreciate the comparison videos, but here's something for your consideration.. The stock gt86 platform on those skinny little prius tires (perish the thought) beat the "super innovative" NSX, NSX-R and the S2000 around the top gear test track, as evaluated by the stig. Now, I know it itsn't the be-all end-all of tracks, but it says a lot about the capability of the platform...
That, and it helps remind people there's more to cars than the spec sheet and their preconceived notions about the merits of certain suspension layouts.
[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Top_Gear_test_track_Power_Lap_Times"]List of Top Gear test track Power Lap Times - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]
01:37.4 Honda S2000 (very wet) Series 3, Episode 2
01:33.7 2002 Honda NSX (very wet) Series 1, Episode 6
01:31.6 Honda NSX-R (wet) Series 3, Episode 9
01:31.3 Toyota GT86 (partly wet) Series 19, Episode 3
Time adjustments for track conditions:
HOT Track surface or car performance affected by high temperature or humidity -1 second
Mildly moist (MM) / Damp (D) Track surface slightly damp with some dry patches after light rain or drizzle -2 seconds
Moist (M) Track surface slightly wet due to shower of rain -3 seconds
Wet (W) / Melted snow (MS) Track surface wet due to light rain or melted snow -4 seconds
Very wet (VW) Track surface very wet (with large puddles) due to heavy rain -6 seconds
Even with the time adjustments, the '86 still seems to be winning, at least in this case
(though i suppose its a really close call on the R-model, if you have a spare 80K lying around, though for 80K i imagine whatever 86 you could build would still wallop the -R....)