Honda NSX Type-R (2004)

It is not hyperbole to state that Honda changed the world of sports cars when the NSX was unveiled in 1989. A purposeful, low-profile silhouette, featuring a glasshouse inspired by the F-16 fighter jet cockpit, it could trace its roots back as far as the 1984 Honda-Pininfarina HP-X concept, and from even a brief glance, it was evident that Honda had its sights firmly set on taking on the Italians.

The original NSX was constructed in its own purpose-built factory in Japan, which was specially equipped for aluminium construction, and allowed the NSX to be the first ‘all aluminium’ production car. This made sure it was lighter, stiffer, and more corrosion resistant than any other sports car at the time. The 3 Litre V6 was mounted transversely and featured Honda’s iconic Valve Timing Electronic Control – VTEC. The high revving engine was never reported to produce more than 290 bhp, but this is considered to be a highly conservative figure related to the 1980s Japanese manufacturer’s gentlemen agreement to not exceed 275bhp.

The NSX was blessed with a fantastic chassis, engine, and gearbox, but perhaps what was most distinctive was its different approach and philosophy at the time. The attention to detail was obsessive, and Honda set out to create the most dependable and refined sports car from the very beginning. This became a particular thorn in Ferrari’s side, and the NSX is often credited as a contributing factor to reform of Ferrari in the 1990s, with the discontinuation of the outdated and subpar 348, and the release of its much-improved successor, the F355.

Driver’s feedback was provided by the legendary Ayrton Senna, who was a key part of maximising the effectiveness of the aluminium monocoque layout and insisted on increasing the chassis’ stiffness. Senna as an NSX test driver is immortalised on video, and his iconic Moccasins and white socks dancing away in the pedal box as the car hurls around Suzuka made a highly evocative piece of media for any enthusiast. An increase in chassis stiffness was a retrospectively visionary request, which makes the NSX feel so ahead of its time today. At the time, this comment was also corroborated with state-of-the-art Computational Element Analysis and Data Acquisition, where for the first time in the automotive industry, telemetry was logged (from test laps at the Nürburgring) and then entered into a simulator to pinpoint areas of deflection and stress.

The 3.0 NA1 underwent several special editions, but it evolved most significantly when the R variant debuted in 1992. With a 120kg weight saving, which was achieved incrementally through almost every component, to the point where even the shift knob was sculpted out of titanium, the more focussed and more powerful NSX-R elevated the NSX lineage even closer to the perfect driver’s car.

After a facelift and an increase in displacement to 3.2 litres, the NSX enjoyed a new lease of life as a pure and refined enthusiast driver’s car. It reached its pinnacle in 2002 when the NA2 NSX-R was revealed, which was distilled and focussed down to the smallest of details. The carpet was a thinner weave, the shifter boot was constructed out of an alloy mesh, the engine was blueprinted and constructed to the tightest of motorsports tolerances. Every single detail and component were meticulously refined and reiterated until each one of them contributed to making automotive perfection.

Now one of the most revered and valuable cars to have ever come out of Japan, the timeless NA2 NSX-R is part of the shortlist of ultimate driver’s cars and is only becoming more desired in the modern era.