The original Honda NSX, the Japanese performance car icon built with F1 pedigree and driver purity, has long held an almost mythical status among enthusiasts. Its successor, the technologically dense second-generation model, was perfectly good, but lacked the raw, analog charm of the original. Clearly, the world of modern hybrid supercars was too much for the old girl.
Thankfully, the ultimate in automotive nostalgia has arrived, orchestrated by a highly distinguished international tag team. Italian design house Pininfarina has joined forces with the motorsport savants at JAS Motorsport, a company known for making race cars, not just polishing them, to resurrect the first-generation NSX in the form of an ultra-exclusive restomod.
Take an already classic NSX chassis from the 1990s and surgically replace virtually everything that might have been flawed. Each unit will wear a bespoke carbon fiber body sculpted by Pininfarina, injecting a dose of Italian style (and inevitable Italian pricing) into the fundamentally Japanese masterpiece. Teaser images reveal a sleek, updated profile, complete with modern elements like razor-thin LED running lights, but it seems the beloved pop-up headlamps may have been retained, because some anachronisms are simply sacred.
Under the Pininfarina skin, the original 3.0-liter V6 engine remains, though JAS Motorsport promises to wring out every last ounce of purity. The motor will be “reworked” for the “highest levels of power, torque, and responsiveness”. Crucially, it will be mated exclusively to a proper, driver-focused six-speed manual transmission, confirming this is a car built to punish its pilot into submission, not coddle them with automated shifting.
All the critical details, the official name, the production timeline, and the price, remain tightly sealed. However, JAS has warned that production will be “ultra-limited”. When the words “Pininfarina,” “restomod,” and “ultra-limited” are used in the same sentence, the resulting figure is rarely found on a five-figure price tag. Restomods are the high-end watch market of the automotive world, so no one should feign surprise when this reborn icon debuts with a six- or seven-figure cost.
