Final Acura NSX Built, Marks End of an Era for Supercar

The dawn is here. We’ve seen this before, and chances are, we’ll see it more often than we like. Whether it’s the post-pandemic economic recessions or ever-tightening regulations, performance cars are getting axed left and right, and even electrification can’t save it this time around.

The latest to join the doomed list is the Acura (Honda’s US-only sub-brand) NSX. The second-gen NSX – acronym for New Sport eXperience – made its global debut back in 2015, with production beginning a year later. The final NSX just rolled out of Acura’s Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC) in Ohio earlier today.

The Gotham Gray hued NSX Type-S, badged #350 of 350, marks the end of not only the second-gen NSX, but its whole sporting chapter started way back in the early 1990s.

Co-developed with Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna, the all-aluminium first-gen NSX was launched in the 1990, and saw its production lasting for about 15 years, with 2005 being its final production year. Built with a mission to take on the European thoroughbreds like the Porsche 911 and Ferrari 348, the original NSX has revolutionised the supercar concept entirely by making it more accessible and not feeling ‘out of touch’, unlike its European counterparts. Immediately after its first demise in 2005, talks have been going on about how Acura/Honda replace its legend.

Then came 2015, where Acura unveiled the next-gen NSX to the world. Much to the world’s surprise, the original second-gen NSX boasted a hybrid powertrain consisting of a 3.5-litre twin turbo V6 petrol mill and three electric motors – two at front, one at the back. All in all, this new hybrid NSX outputs an impressive 573 HP, and it’ll reach a V-max of 307 KM/H – barely touching the supercar realm.

The final iteration of the NSX comes in the form of the NSX Type-S, recently unveiled last year. The Type-S were limited-produced to only 350 units, with 300 units to be allocated for the American market, and the rest being exported exclusively for its ‘homeland’ Japanese market. The Type-S saw the NSX’s hybrid powertrain being revised, now boasting a higher 602 HP power output as well as donning a new body kit made of carbon fibre bits.

Dubbed as the ‘best ever NSX’, the second-gen NSX has garnered rave reviews from enthusiasts and professionals alike. Unfortunately, the positive reception it garnered did not reflect well upon its overall sales volume, thus prompting Acura and Honda to pull the plug. The final Type-S variant built serves as the marque’s swansong to its iconic, legendary sports car.