Features

Honda NSX 1990 vs Honda NSX 2015

When it comes to sheer performance and technology, no model better demonstrates how far Honda has moved on over the years than the NSX.

by: Auto Express team

1 Oct 2015

1990 NSX

Price new: £52,000
Power: 270bhp

2015 NSX

Price new: £150,000 (est)
Power: 550bhp-plus

When it comes to sheer performance and technology, no model better demonstrates how far Honda has moved on over the years than the NSX.

With a little help from F1 legend Ayrton Senna, the rear-wheel-drive original arrived in 1990 powered by a 270bhp 3.0-litre VTEC V6 engine that delivered 0-62mph in 5.8 seconds and a top speed of 162mph.

We look at the new NSX

The company upped the ante a few years later, introducing a more focused, limited-run Type R, which was 120kg lighter and a true road racer.

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In 2005 the NSX was axed, but as we’ve seen already, an all-new model lands next year.

No one outside Honda has taken the wheel yet, but on paper the explosive performance figures show how far the car has come.

The 3.0-litre VTEC has been ditched in favour of a hybrid set-up, blending a mid-mounted V6 with three electric motors.

Total output is nearly double that of the original, at 550bhp-plus. And with two of the motors mounted on the front axle, the new NSX is four-wheel drive.