Acura NSX History

Launched as a 1991 model (shown publicly in 1989 and on sale in 1990), the first-generation NSX was the world's first production car with an all-aluminum chassis and body. Its 3.0-liter VTEC V6, mid-engine layout, and accessible everyday reliability challenged the European exotic establishment on its own terms. Formula 1 champion Ayrton Senna contributed to chassis development during testing. A targa top was added for 1995, and a 3.2-liter engine upgrade arrived for 1997; all US-market NSXs became targas following the 2002 facelift that also replaced pop-up headlights with fixed bi-xenon units. First-generation production ran through the 2005 model year.

After an eleven-year hiatus, the second-generation NSX arrived as a 2017 model, produced at Honda's dedicated Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio. Its hybrid powertrain combined a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 driving the rear wheels with three electric motors — one rear and one per front wheel — for a total system output of 573 horsepower and genuine torque-vectoring all-wheel drive. The NSX bowed out with the 2022 model year, the final cars being the limited 350-unit Type S (602 hp) that closed out production.