SuperGT champ puts five NSX versions to the test

Continuing on its 35th anniversary celebration, Honda has released another NSX video featuring five iterations of its flagship supercar. This time, it has recruited two-time SuperGT champ Tomoki Nojiri to provide his driving impressions of the five cars. Nojiri drives the ARTA NSX in the GT500 class and took the championship in 2021 and 2022. He’s also an NSX owner off the track.

Nojiri starts out driving a 1997 NA2 with the larger 3.2-liter engine and 6-speed manual (ignore the caption that says 1990 in the corner). He praises the car’s expansive field of vision and predictable cornering behavior. You can make quick turns at will, he says, and the car will always provide lots of feedback to the driver. He marvels at how good it feels to drive despite its age and admires Honda for building a car like this 35 years ago.

Next, Nojiri jumps into the 2001 Type S, which is almost 100 pounds lighter than the NA2. He says the differences are noticeable, even when driving slowly. Its limits are higher, and the upgraded suspension brings out the grip in the tires.

Next up is the big daddy, the 2002 NSX-R, designed to be the ultimate form of the first-generation. With over 150 pounds of weight trimmed and significant aero upgrades, Nojiri notices the downforce right away, even at just 60 kph (37 mph). He describes it as if there’s an axis running through the middle of the car to keep it planted. It just makes it easier to change the speed and posture while maintaining balance.

Moving on to the second-generation, Nojiri says that the 2016 NC1 inherits some of the driving feel of the first-gen, despite it being a three-motor AWD hybrid with torque vectoring. The maximal visibility, connective steering, and user-friendliness carry over as part of NSX DNA. Even though the track is now a little wet, he is awed by how fast the car can go and how much it wants to be pushed. It takes more concentration to drive it well, he concludes.

Finally, Nojiri slpis behind the wheel of a 2021 NSX Type S, the swan song for the hallowed nameplate. It has more power, more downforce. The aero aids decrease turbulence, so the need for little corrections in cornering is less. He says the power is almost too much for the winding path of Honda’s Takasu proving ground, and that it feels like there’s more to the car than can be fully used here.

In the end, Nojiri remarks that it was a wonderful opportunity to drive the iterations back to back. These days supercars are easy to own and operate, and the NSX pioneered that.