Pininfarina's take on the Honda NSX isn't far away: JAS Tensei interior revealed
For those bored of backdated Porsche 911s, Pininfarina and JAS Motorsport are working on reimagining the iconic Honda NSX of the '90s. Here's our best look yet
With Honda approval, Italdesign reimagined the NSX with its futuristic 'Tribute', shown at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Oddly though, it's not the only Italian design house to have done so in recent years, with none other than Pininfarina doing precisely the same with its project with JAS Motorsport. While Italdesign's take looks forwards, the 'JAS Tensei' looks back, transforming an original '90s NSX into a stunning restomod. We'll see it in its final form in October this year, but the latest announcement offers a first look at its cabin.
Developed as an iteration of the 1990 Honda NSX, it's a ‘modern definition’ of the car that will feature a new carbonfibre body and an ‘original NSX-inspired’ naturally aspirated V6, powering the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. Just as it was over thirty years ago.
> The Honda NSX has made a brief return, courtesy of... Italy
The original NSX is famously modest in terms of power outputs, with the usual (for the era) 270bhp and just 210lb ft, even with a red line of 8000rpm. JAS is teasing ‘the highest levels of power, torque and responsiveness’, for the Tensei which suggests now forced induction and a much higher rev limit. Certainly, it’d be our preference that the NSX is enhanced with a lighter touch than say, the TWR Supercat. Cool though that car is, the NSX in its base form is much closer to ideal than, say, an old V12 XJS.
The changes are subtle but definitely noticeable. The renderings show a wider, more purposeful NSX, with almost disturbingly large wheels (as they always are in such illustrations). It’s got an NSX-R-esque air outlet in the nose and a smattering of LED daytime running lights, while retaining its pop-up main lights. At the rear, we can see a higher NSX-R-ish wing, which is flowed into the bodywork more gracefully than the original, with an LED reinterpretation of the NSX’s iconic width-spanning rear lights. No sign of an NSX-R GT-style top-inlet feeding a set of ITBs, sadly.
As well as sculpting the appearance of the new exterior bodywork and lighting, Pininfarina has overhauled the NSX’s cabin to bring the Tensei up to date, while maintaining tactility and an analogue feel. The result is a refreshingly basic cabin similar in nature to the FL5 Civic Type R's, 'avoiding unnecessary modern gimmicks', according to the brand. It comes with contrasting black and red trim throughout and just like other Type R models of the past, a few pieces of machined metal trim for the gear knob and interior door handle for a premium edge.
JAS has a 25-year history with Honda and 30 years of experience in preparing competition cars, with cars either built or prepared by JAS having won more than 900 events. Having entered the prototype phase late last year the Tensei is now well into its development programme, and we'll see it in full this October when it's unveiled at the Paris motor show.
