Honda NSX Tribute by Italdesign unveiled at Tokyo Auto Salon 2026

At the Tokyo Auto Salon 2026, Italdesign unveils an exclusive project that bridges heritage and future: the Honda NSX Tribute by Italdesign, a forward-looking homage to one of Japan’s most influential sports cars. Presented at Makuhari Messe, the car celebrates decades of cultural and technical dialogue between Italy and Japan, reaffirming Italdesign’s historic bond with the Land of the Rising Sun.

The project is officially recognized by Honda and fully curated by Italdesign, from styling to engineering and production. Rather than a nostalgic exercise, the NSX Tribute distills the core values that made the original NSX revolutionary—usability, reliability, and racing DNA—and translates them into a contemporary, tailor-made few-off.

Not a restomod, but a “philological tribute”

Unlike the JAS Tensei NSX by Pininfarina, which reimagines the NSX through a restomod approach, Italdesign’s creation deliberately avoids that path. As highlighted by the designers, this is not a restomod: it does not simply modernize an existing classic, but reinterprets its spirit using contemporary design language, advanced aerodynamics, and artisanal craftsmanship, while remaining faithful to the original philosophy.

Italdesign describes the project as a “philological homage,” intended to reinterpret the core values of the original NSX—performance, reliability, and usability—through contemporary design language. “The Honda NSX was a bold model, a true game changer in the supercar segment,” explains Joaquin Garcia, Head of Design at Italdesign. He emphasizes that the Tribute “is not a restomod, nor a purely nostalgic exercise,” but an effort to merge memory and innovation while preserving the model’s original racing DNA.

Senior Exterior Designer Cristiano Fracchia adds that the work focused on proportions and surface tension rather than replication. “We reintroduced the low, sleek proportions of the original model,” he notes, combining them with modern aerodynamic solutions developed to enhance performance without distorting the NSX’s identity

The exterior combines emotional references—such as Championship White inspired by the NSX-R—with technical, racing-oriented elements in glossy black. Aerodynamics are carefully studied, from the reinterpreted rear spoiler to the roof air intake inspired by the NSX-R GT, reinforcing the car’s performance-driven intent. Inside, the cockpit evolves the dual-cockpit concept of the first NSX, enriched with subtle tributes for true connoisseurs, including references to Ayrton Senna.

A tradition of Italian-Japanese collaborations

The NSX Tribute also fits into a broader narrative of collaborations between Japanese manufacturers and Italdesign. In recent years, a similar high-profile partnership resulted in the Nissan GT‑R50, developed with Nissan to celebrate the GT-R’s 50th anniversary. That project demonstrated how Italian design culture can reinterpret Japanese performance icons without diluting their identity—a philosophy clearly echoed in the NSX Tribute.

Exclusivity and intent

Produced in an ultra-limited series and exclusively in right-hand drive, the Honda NSX Tribute by Italdesign is aimed at collectors and enthusiasts who appreciate a rigorous balance between tradition and innovation. It is, above all, a statement: a celebration of the NSX’s legacy and a demonstration of how Italian design and Japanese engineering can once again converge to create something both respectful and radically contemporary.

With this project, Italdesign does not look backward in nostalgia, but forward—using history as a foundation for new ideas, just as it did decades ago when this unique cultural dialogue first began.

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