The Acura NSX, Explained: Hybrid Power, Mid-Engine Precision

Three electric motors, a twin-turbo V6, and all-wheel drive: how the second-generation Acura NSX reinvented a legend instead of restoring it.

The Acura NSX — sold as the Honda NSX in Japan — is a two-seat mid-engine sports car whose two generations answer the same question in opposite ways.^[1] The first proved a supercar could be usable; the second, the NC1, asked what a supercar should be in the hybrid era.

The legend it inherits

The original NSX (1990–2006) was the first production car with an all-aluminum semi-monocoque body, and Formula One champion Ayrton Senna contributed to its final development.^[1] Its cockpit design drew inspiration from the F-16 fighter jet, its naturally aspirated V6 carried Honda’s VTEC variable valve timing, and fewer than 20,000 were built, with a targa top joining the coupe in 1995.^[1] That is a heavy inheritance for any successor.

The hybrid answer

The second generation responded with technology rather than nostalgia. A 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 pairs with three electric motors for 573 hp, driving all four wheels through Honda’s SH-AWD system and a 9-speed dual-clutch automatic.^[1] The layout is rear mid-engine, but torque can be shaped at each axle by the electric motors — precision as a design goal, carried over from the original by different means. The car was built in Marysville, Ohio.^[1]

The Type S finale

The run closed with the NSX Type S, output raised to 602 hp and production capped at 300 US cars, 30 for Japan, and 15 for Canada, before the line ended in November 2022.^[1] As the last of a fixed supply, the Type S is the collector’s bookmark in the model’s story.

Every figure above, and more, sits on the Acura NSX database page. To see what is for sale now, browse live NSX inventory.