Another Italian design house has joined forces with the Japanese, blending Italian aesthetic brilliance with Honda’s performance pedigree. At the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon, Italdesign unveiled the Honda NSX Tribute, a reimagined ultra-limited project based on the second-generation Honda NSX (2016–2022). This work of art is officially recognised by Honda and is positioned as a “philological homage” rather than a restomod to preserve the original’s performance, usability, and reliability.
Italdesign is no stranger to high-profile tributes, having previously worked on the Nissan GT-R50 with Nismo. More recently, the first-generation NSX has also been the subject of a separate reinterpretation project by Pininfarina, making the NSX Tribute by Italdesign an interestingly suitable follow-up buy — if you can afford both.
Visually, Italdesign’s Honda NSX Tribute draws heavily from motorsport cues. The body can be had in Championship White NH0, in reference to the first-generation NSX-R, contrasted by gloss black lower sections that emphasise a more performance-focused character.
Up front, the design subtly evokes Honda’s “H” identity, rather than recreating it literally. The headlights are housed within a gloss black panel to hint at the first-generation model’s pop-up headlights, and are accompanied by a red NSX-R badge. The proportions remain faithful to the original car, featuring a low nose, sloping bonnet, and a fully blacked-out engine bay cover to visually lower the silhouette.
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Along the sides, sculpted bodywork is paired with black skirts, wheel arches, and roof, while floating fins integrated into the C-pillar conceal engine cooling intakes. The car rides on 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels. Aerodynamic elements — including the spoilers, diffusers, and a roof-mounted air intake inspired by the rare NSX-R GT — have been reworked to enhance performance without compromising visual identity.
At the rear, the iconic original NSX’s floating-ring spoiler has been reinterpreted here as a continuous suspended element, while the diffuser features functional channels inspired by Italdesign’s recent concept cars.
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Inside, the NSX Tribute focuses on refinement over reinvention. The cabin retains the original twin-cockpit layout but updates it with modern materials and improved integration between the dashboard, air vents, and door panels.
Design elements take cues from Formula 1, creating a driver-focused cockpit with a sense of wraparound continuity. Subtle references to Ayrton Senna — like a miniature helmet on the dashboard, the number 12, and Honda script details — honour its historic significance. Italdesign also notes that interior options can be tailored subtly for each customer, allowing collectors to personalise trim and finishes without altering the car’s original design intent.
The Honda NSX Tribute by Italdesign will be produced in strictly limited numbers and exclusively in right-hand drive, with each car commissioned through a one-to-one process aimed at collectors and enthusiasts. Italdesign has yet to disclose whether the car will receive any powertrain upgrades, nor has it confirmed total production numbers and its eventual price.
The project coincides with several key NSX milestones: 60 years since Honda’s first Formula 1 victory, 35 years since the debut of the NSX, and 30 years since Honda’s Le Mans win. Rather than reinventing the NSX, Italdesign’s approach is to modernise an icon while respecting its original DNA — mirroring the philosophy it applied with the GT-R50.
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