Honda NSX, Reimagined by Italdesign for a New Era

Evolved Reverence - The global car scene has always thrived on cultural crossovers, and few feel as natural as an Italian design house reinterpreting a Japanese performance icon. That creative tension was on full display at the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon, where Italdesign revealed a dramatic tribute to the Honda NSX. The unveiling arrived amid a broader wave of heritage-inspired projects, signaling how influential classic nameplates continue to shape modern automotive design. 

The Honda NSX Tribute by Italdesign is built on the second-generation NSX that ended production after 2022, envisioned not as a nostalgic revival but as a forward-looking exploration of how the NSX ethos could evolve within today’s design landscape. (Picture from: Carbuzz)

Officially called the Honda NSX Tribute by Italdesign, the car is built on the second-generation NSX that bowed out after the 2022 model year. Rather than chasing nostalgia, Italdesign treated the project as a forward-looking study, imagining how the NSX ethos could evolve in today’s design landscape. The proportions remain familiar, but almost every body panel has been redesigned, resulting in a car that feels respectful without being stuck in the past.

The Honda NSX Tribute by Italdesign retains familiar proportions while redesigning nearly every body panel, creating a form that honors its roots without being anchored to the past. (Picture from: Carbuzz)

This approach places the Italdesign project within a broader movement among Italian design houses. Pininfarina, for example, has long operated a similar special-projects program and recently revealed its own NSX tribute. Known as the JAS Tensei, that car took a different direction, drawing from the original first-generation NSX and developed in collaboration with JAS Motorsport, an Italian racing outfit with deep ties to Honda. Seen side by side, these projects underscore the NSX’s lasting influence across eras and design philosophies. 

The Honda NSX Tribute by Italdesign features a deliberately restrained interior inspired by Honda’s Formula 1 heritage, with a near-continuous surface flowing across the doors and dashboard to evoke a single-seater cockpit feel. (Picture from: Carbuzz)

Back to Italdesign’s vision, the exterior carefully balances innovation with subtle historical cues. Only the greenhouse is carried over from the donor car, yet even that is visually transformed by detaching the side blade from the roof to create a floating effect. A roof-mounted vent adds visual drama while referencing the rare NSX-R GT homologation model from the original NSX era. Lighting design also bridges past and present, with slim “eyelid” elements replacing pop-up headlights and reworked ring-style taillights at the rear. From the front, the fascia forms a stylized “H,” echoing the NSX race cars that competed at Le Mans in the 1990s and commemorating 30 years since the model’s GT2 class victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

The Honda NSX Tribute by Italdesign is expected to retain the second-generation NSX’s advanced hybrid powertrain, as no mechanical changes have been disclosed by Italdesign. (Picture from: Carbuzz)

Inside, the changes are deliberately restrained. Italdesign leaned into Honda’s Formula 1 heritage, shaping the cabin around an almost continuous surface that flows across the doors and dashboard, evoking the sensation of sitting in a single-seater cockpit. The flat-top, flat-bottom steering wheel with a 12 o’clock marker reinforces the racing influence while keeping the interior focused and driver-centric rather than overtly luxurious.

While Italdesign has not disclosed any powertrain modifications, the tribute is expected to retain the advanced hybrid system of the second-generation NSX. That setup combines a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 with three electric motors to form an all-wheel-drive configuration, producing 571 horsepower in standard form and up to 600 hp in the NSX Type S. More than a design exercise, the NSX Tribute also marks the start of Italdesign’s own special projects program, with a limited production run planned and bespoke options offered—underscoring how this iconic Japanese supercar continues to inspire fresh interpretations in a modern context. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | CARBUZZ ]

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