ItalDesign Reimagines the Second-Gen Honda NSX for TAS 2026

ItalDesign has reimagined the second-gen Honda NSX to make it look more like the original, first-gen model.

Following the success of the Honda NSX ‘Tensei’ restomod by JAS Motorsport and Pininfarina, it appears that yet another Italian firm is also working its magic on a special NSX build, this time around it’s ItalDesign with the second-gen NSX.

Unveiled at the ongoing Tokyo Auto Salon (TAS) 2026, the famed Italian design house has reimagined the then-futuristic NSX hybrid to make it look closer to the original, first-gen model, the 1989 Honda NSX.

From the get-go, you’ll immediately notice that this special NSX wears some design bits that pay homage to the original model, and the most notable piece is easily the rear spoiler, which features a ‘floating ring’ brake light to mimic the original model.

The same goes for the front part, where ItalDesign has fitted the NSX with removable eyelid covers for the headlights that directly reference the pop-up headlights on the original model. Keen eyes will also notice that the ‘H’ emblem is now finished in red—the signature colour used on many Honda Type R models.

Another key addition to this special build is the new roof scoop that is directly inspired by the NSX-R GT, which was a homologation special model from 2005 made for the Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC). To really bring home the Type R homage, ItalDesign is also offering this special NSX in a special Bianco white hue, which looks painstakingly similar to the original Championship White colourway.

The retro-inspired design homage dies down rather quickly as we get inside, where the special NSX tribute looks more or less similar to the outgoing second-gen model. Besides all the standard modern amenities primed here, customers can get the interior reupholstered in several exclusive colour options, plus some tiny details that reference Honda's F1 icon, Ayrton Senna, who helped tune the original NSX.

Technical specifications have yet to be unveiled, but we assume that this special NSX tribute carries the same V6 hybrid powertrain setup used on the original second-gen model. This setup features a 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine that hooks up with three electric motors to deliver 573 hp and 645 Nm, which is good enough for a quick 0-100 km/h sprint time of 2.9 seconds.

2022 Acura NSX Type S

There’s also the more potent Type S variant, which adds a slew of upgrades derived from the NSX GT3 Evo racecar that helps it to deliver a higher total system output of 602 hp and 667 Nm, thus reducing its century sprint time to just 2.7 seconds.

As of now, ItalDesign did not mention how many examples of this special NSX build they are planning to build but hinted that it will be produced in an ultra-limited quantity. Predictably, no pricing details were shared either, but we can expect them to easily double or even triple the original price tag.