A few weeks ago the famed carrozzeria Italdesign teased a Honda NSX-based tribute car. Now, another legendary Italian design firm, Pininfarina, has released images of its take on the iconic Japanese supercar. It’s a limited production road car that seeks to redefine the NSX for the modern age.
To modernize the NSX, the Pininfarina-designed body will be made of carbon fiber. From the images we can see that signature elements of the original NA1 chassis are faithfully replicated — the black canopy, pop-up headlights, and bridge spoiler. However the body has been updated and appears to be wider overall. New features include a large hood duct for downforce, reshaped cooling vents on the sides, and nifty gradient taillights that look like a stylized 80s sunset.
Beneath the new body is a drivetrain and chassis engineered by Italy’s JAS Motorsports. The firm was established in 1995 to build race cars for ITM and DTM, the Italian and German touring car series. They started with Alfa Romeos but moved on to Hondas, and now build Civics and Civic Type Rs for TCR-class competition and NC1 NSXs for GT3.
The NA1 tribute will be JAS’s first road car. Each one will need a donor NSX and can be ordered in left- or right-hand-drive. Power will come from a naturally aspirated V6 and funneled through a six-speed manual. Exact horsepower and torque figures haven’t been disclosed, but given JAS’s experience in building race engines it’s safe to say it’ll likely have more than the 1990 model’s 270 horses.
The NSX tribute promises to stay true to the philosophy Honda laid out for the original: “Its quality is determined by whether or not it inspires enthusiasm in the driver.” Details, including the name, are yet to be finalized. A public unveiling is scheduled for the first half of 2026. Incredibly, we could have two rival NSX tribute cars on the market simultaneously, both styled by famed Italian design houses.
