Honda has never been short on legends, but few cars sit on the same cultural shelf as the NSX. It was the Japanese supercar that told Europe, politely but firmly, that it was not alone at the top anymore. Now, Italdesign has taken that icon and given it a modern, Italian-flavored reinterpretation with the Honda NSX Tribute by Italdesign, revealed at Tokyo Auto Salon 2026 as a one-off project that looks forward while clearly knowing where it came from.
This is not a restomod and not a nostalgia cosplay. Italdesign calls it a “philological homage,” which is a fancy way of saying it respects the original DNA of the NSX while rewriting it with contemporary design and engineering. The project is officially recognized by Honda and is curated end-to-end by Italdesign, from styling and engineering to ultra-limited production. It is meant to celebrate three big milestones: Honda’s first Formula 1 win in 1965, the NSX debut in 1990, and its Le Mans GT2 class win in 1995. All three anniversaries fell in 2025, which is why this tribute showed up in 2026.
Visually, the car hits you with a clear two-layer personality. The upper body is finished in Championship White NH0, a direct nod to the first-gen NSX-R, while the lower half is wrapped in glossy black for a more technical, race-ready look. The front end subtly shapes itself into a stylized “H,” not literally, but enough that you feel the Honda identity without it screaming at you. The original red NSX-R badge makes a return, just to make sure you get the message.
The proportions are closer to the original NSX than most modern supercars. Italdesign brought back the low, sleek stance with a sloping hood and a fully blacked-out greenhouse to visually lighten the silhouette. Instead of pop-up headlights, the car gets modern eyelid-style headlamps set in a glossy black fairing, giving the front a sharp, focused stare. Along the sides, sculpted white surfaces clash nicely with black skirts, wheel arches, and the roof. Floating fins on the C-pillar hide the air intakes for engine cooling, and the whole thing sits on 19-inch wheels up front and 20-inch wheels at the rear, wrapped in Yokohama rubber for proper race vibes.
Aero was not treated like decoration. Spoilers, diffusers, skirts, extractors, and even the roof air intake were designed to actually work, not just look fast. The roof intake references the rare NSX-R GT, which already knew how important airflow management was decades ago. At the back, the classic NSX floating spoiler idea is reimagined as a continuous suspended element that looks light but plays a real role in stability. The rear lights sit individually against a black background, and the diffuser underneath uses functional grooves inspired by Italdesign’s recent concept cars.
Inside, Italdesign kept its hands mostly in its pockets. The goal was to refine, not rewrite. The cabin takes inspiration from the original NSX double-cockpit layout, but with a more modern, wraparound feel. Elements flow from the dashboard into the vents and doors, inspired by Formula 1 single-seaters. There are quiet nods to Ayrton Senna, too, like a small helmet on the dash, the number 12, and subtle Honda scripts. You will only notice them if you know the story, which is exactly the point.
This project is not aimed at mass production. Italdesign plans an ultra-limited series, built only in right-hand drive, targeted at collectors who care about design, Japanese performance culture, and 1990s icons. Each car will be created through a one-to-one process with the client, blending heritage with modern engineering. It is meant to be as much a statement of intent as it is a tribute.
Key details and features include a widebody design inspired by the first-gen NSX, Championship White NH0 upper body with glossy black lower surfaces, stylized “H” front identity with red NSX-R badge, modern eyelid-style headlamps replacing pop-ups, floating rear spoiler inspired by the original NSX, functional aerodynamic elements including roof air intake, front and rear diffusers, skirts and extractors, 19-inch front wheels and 20-inch rear wheels with Yokohama tires, double-cockpit inspired interior with modern wraparound design, subtle Ayrton Senna tributes inside, and an ultra-limited, right-hand-drive-only production plan.
The Honda NSX Tribute by Italdesign is not here to replace the original. It is here to remind people why the NSX mattered in the first place, and to show how that idea could live in today’s design language without losing its soul. It is part history lesson, part design flex, and part love letter to one of Japan’s most important cars.
Images: Italdesign.
