Honda NSX

The NSX began as Project XX, a joint agreement started in November 1981 with Austin Rover Group. The project evolved into the HP-X (Honda Pininfarina eXperimental) concept in 1984, before Honda decided to develop the car entirely in-house. Chief engineer Shigeru Uehara led the development, with input from Formula One driver Ayrton Senna who tested prototypes at Suzuka and suggested chassis stiffening improvements. The all-aluminium monocoque body was a world first for a production car, making the NSX lighter than its steel-bodied rivals.

The first NSXs arrived in Australia late in 1990, priced at $159,000 for the five-speed manual or $165,900 for the four-speed automatic. It was a sensation, offering supercar performance with Honda reliability. The NSX proved you could drive a mid-engine exotic daily without the maintenance headaches of Italian rivals. Roughly 300 first-generation NSXs were officially sold in Australia over the model's 15-year run, making them rare but not impossibly so.

The NA1 launched with a 3.0-litre C30A V6 producing 201kW, mated to either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic. The NA2 update in 1997 bumped displacement to 3.2 litres (C32B) with 206kW and added a six-speed manual. The targa-top NSX-T was also offered. Throughout its life, the NSX was hand-built at Honda's Takanezawa R&D Plant alongside the S2000, with each engine assembled by a single technician. Production ended in 2005 after 18,658 units globally.

The second-generation NC1 NSX arrived in Australia in 2017 at $420,000, reimagined as a twin-turbo V6 hybrid with three electric motors and SH-AWD. It produced 427kW and 646Nm, with a 0-100km/h time of 2.9 seconds. Despite the performance, sales were dismal: just 2 units in 2016, 2 in 2017, 2 in 2018, 3 in 2019, and zero in 2020. Honda discontinued it in Australia in October 2020 as part of the brand's restructure. The Type S farewell edition with 447kW was the final chapter.

The NSX is Honda's most iconic car and a genuine modern classic. First-generation examples have appreciated significantly, with clean NA2 models commanding over $200,000 in Australia. The car's influence on the supercar industry was profound, forcing Ferrari and Porsche to improve the reliability and usability of their products. In total, only about 300 first-gen and 9 second-gen NSXs were officially sold in Australia, making them among the rarest Hondas on local roads.