Honda NSX (NA1) 2002-2006 Review

When the Honda NSX broke cover in 1990 it sent shock waves through Italy. This supposedly mundane hatchback manufacturer from Japan had pulled out a mid-engined V6 supercar that handled superbly and was better built than anything to emerge from the Scuderia.

Not only was Honda's "New Sportscar eXperimental" or NSX Japan's first supercar but it was a brilliant chassis built around a super rigid, light-weight aluminium monocoque that provided a sound platform for Honda to develop throughout the following 14 years it remained in production.

Whilst engine revisions had increased the capacity from 3.0 to 3.2 litres in 1997, the styling of the NSX had remained largely unchanged. 2002 was the year that Honda once again took a scalpel to their finest creation. The pop-up headlights are gone in favour of fixed HID units (something about pedestrian safety). The front bumper and spoiler have been re-designed thanks to the relocation of the indicators into the main headlamp units. The bonnet, sills and rear lights are all new items, helping the NSX to live out its senior years in style.

Or is it? The NSX might not have had the curves of it's Italian counterparts but ever since Honda let Pininfarina loose on the initial designs, known as HP-X, or Honda Pininfarina Xperimental, it was destined to be a classic. What were once sharp lines have been softened. Thankfully all is not lost as the revisions have improved the aerodynamics of the original, with the Cd dropping from 0.32 to 0.30, lift has been greatly reduced adding to high speed stability and braking. This is somthing you'll be grateful for with the top speed rising to 168mph.

The 3.2 litre V6 VTEC engine produces the same 276bhp and 224lb ft of torque as it always did, yet there's something more going on beneath the skin of the 2002 NSX... It's more of the thing that made the NSX so great in the first place, the elements that cannot be simply quantified by numbers alone.

Turn in is improved thanks to 10.4kg saved through ditching the headlight retracting mechanism and a choice of wider and stickier tyres - Dunlop SP Sports 8070s, Yokohama Advan A046s and in the case of the Targa, Bridgestone Potenza RE040s.

The interior has not been left untouched either with all-new dials, centre console, audio and air conditioning switches. A wider choice of interior colours has also been made available.

Although the fettling of the 2002 Honda NSX hasn't release headline grabbing increases in BHP or torque, the changes are noticable at the first corner. The lighter front end provides a shaper turn in, the aerodynamic changes and change in tyre gives improved mid-corner stability and speed.

Honda's 3.2 V6 VTEC engine, mated to a slick short shift six speed gearbox are as impressive as ever. The second cam cuts in at 6,000 rpm to create Japan's best sounding engine. The NSX might be in the last throws of it's life but it still remains one of the most rewarding drives on the road today.