CarGene
Shigeru Uehara

Shigeru Uehara

HondaDevelopment lead / Development team member

Led development of the first NSX and planned the Type R, which became the basic recipe for Honda's later sports cars

Timeline

  1. 1971

    Joined

    Honda R&D Co., Ltd.

  2. 1990
    NSX (1st generation)
    NSX (1st generation)

    1990–2005Development lead

    The size may change, but not the handling

    Uehara, who had been involved in research on an underfloor midship layout since the year before, became the manager in charge of the project that led to the NSX. The NSX's size and engine went back and forth because of internal circumstances and market research, but the car's direction was set on a commitment to handling. The tagline at its unveiling, "world-class power performance combined with handling," is said to reflect Uehara's wishes strongly.

  3. 1993
    Integra 3rd generation
    Integra 3rd generation

    1993–2001Development team member

    The Type R That Spiced Up an Honor Student

    The Integra Type R was created as part of a model change to revitalize the Integra. Uehara was not the development lead but was in something like a producer's position. The Integra of the time had a four-round-headlight design that was too distinctive to be readily accepted by the market, and it had been reworked with a facelift and other changes. When Uehara took a good long drive in an SiR to know the real thing, the engine revved pleasantly, the ride was comfortable and quiet, and it was a well-balanced honor student. But an honor student rarely strikes a chord with people who truly love cars. At the time there were even critiques to the effect that a front-wheel-drive car could not be a sports car, so they decided to build one anyway and made the Type R. The theme was to keep understeer from appearing by suppressing it with a helical LSD and the suspension settings. Uehara laughs that the first Integra Type R was built by a gathering of enthusiasts.

  4. 1999
    S2000
    S2000

    1999–2009Development lead

    From the warm reception of the SSM

    The SSM, a front-engine, rear-drive open sports concept car shown at the Tokyo Motor Show, was well received, and development of the S2000 began. Uehara became its development lead, and the S2000 was launched as Honda's 50th-anniversary model.

Connections

    Shigeru Uehara

    Shigeru Uehara

    • Ted Klaus

      Ted Klaus

      Advisee

      The first thing Klaus did after being appointed development leader of the second-generation NSX was to visit Uehara, who had been development leader of the first generation. The two talked about the NSX at an izakaya in Utsunomiya.

    Profile

    From Nerima, Tokyo. Graduated from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering. Development leader (LPL) of the first-generation NSX. A specialist in research on handling and stability, he adopted a midship rear-drive layout and an all-aluminum body. He was also in charge of the planning and development of the Integra Type R.

    Translated from Japanese sources.

    Honda engineers

    All Honda engineers