Honda NSX NA1

The Honda NSX (Acura NSX in North America) was introduced in 1990 as a practical supercar to compete against the higher tier automakers (such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche). With an all aluminum body meant that it could keep its weight low. Originally powered by a mid-mounted VTEC enhanced naturally aspirated 3.0L aluminum V6 powering the rear wheels, it was revised as the NA2 in 1997 which increased the engine displacement to 3.2L which boosted the horsepower to 289 in non-Japanese models. The exterior design was left unchanged until 2002, when Honda replaced the popup headlights. One of the major drawbacks of the NSX was its price, which was expensive relative to other flagship Japanese performance cars (such as the Mazda RX-7, Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4, and Toyota Supra), but was still cheaper than performance cars produced by the higher tier automakers. The Honda NSX proved the world that the Japanese can produce a mid-ship supercar to compete against the world’s leading supercar makers despite the gentleman’s agreement.