Italdesign Unveils Unique Honda NSX Tribute at Tokyo Auto Salon 2026

• NSX Tribute marks 60 years since Honda’s F1 win and 35 since NSX’s debut.

• Italdesign reinterprets NSX with contemporary styling, functional aerodynamics, and racing-inspired interior elements.

• Strictly limited right-hand-drive production targets collectors valuing heritage and bespoke automotive design.

Italdesign has unveiled a limited-production Honda NSX Tribute at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2026, highlighting three key milestones in the model’s history and Honda’s racing legacy. The car, officially recognized by Honda, is a right-hand-drive, limited-run project that blends Japanese engineering precision with Italian design expertise.

The unveiling marks anniversaries celebrated in 2025: the 60th year since Honda’s first Formula 1 victory at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix, 35 years since the NSX’s debut at the 1990 Chicago Auto Show, and 30 years since its GT2 class win at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. Italdesign’s project pays homage to the original NSX while reinterpreting its core attributes: performance, reliability, and usability through a modern lens.

Italdesign’s relationship with Japan dates back to 1968 and has been shaped by a shared focus on function, simplicity, and precision. The partnership forms the philosophical foundation of the NSX Tribute project, which Italdesign describes as a continuation of a decades-long relationship between the two countries’ design approaches.

The NSX Tribute features a two-tone exterior: a Championship White NH0 upper body referencing the first-generation NSX-R, paired with a glossy black lower section. At the front, a stylized “H” motif and original red NSX-R emblem recall Honda’s identity, while aerodynamic elements, including spoilers, diffusers, and a roof-mounted intake, reference historical NSX variants such as the NSX-R GT. The car rides on Yokohama wheels, 19 inches at the front and 20 inches at the rear.

No word in the press release on the powertrain; however, as the NSX Tribute seems based on a 2017-2022 MY NSX, we can assume the 3.5 twin-turbocharged V6 engine and triple-electric-motor hybrid setup remains.

Designers reintroduced the low, sloping proportions of the original NSX, modernized with fixed headlamps replacing the nostalgia-inducing first-gen’s pop-up units. Black side skirts, sculpted panels, and floating fins over the C-pillars serve both functional and aesthetic purposes, directing airflow for cooling and adding visual dynamism.

The interior design draws on the original NSX’s double-cockpit layout, is based entirely on the final-generation NSX, and features seamless dashboard-to-door panel continuity and components inspired by Formula 1. Visual references to Ayrton Senna, such as a miniature helmet and the number 12, are discreetly integrated into the cabin design.

Italdesign will produce the NSX Tribute in a strictly limited series, each example built exclusively in right-hand drive. The model will be developed, engineered, and manufactured entirely in-house by Italdesign.

The NSX Tribute project was presented at North Hall 11, Booth 1102 at Makuhari Messe, where the Tokyo Auto Salon 2026 ran from January 9 to 11.