It takes some time to warm up to the NSX-R. Sure, it has superb, carbonfibre-shelled Recaros and a classic three-spoke Momo but the first couple of miles are challenging. There’s no power steering so it’s very heavy at low speed, and initially the ride is so stiff you’re relying on the padding of the Recaros. Also, with most of the sound-deadening gone that V6 is (brilliantly) noisy, and in the rain it’s a worry that it’s on what look like hand-cut slicks.
What you come to realise is that Honda has sacrificed the low speed steering and ride so that they are perfect when you’re on it, and they are: the weight of the steering and its feel are utterly sublime and the chassis is exquisitely balanced and finely adjustable on road and track.
Even once up to speed the steering is heavy and more deliberate than the super-pointy feel of modern supercars, but it matches a chassis of such calm. The NSX R is highly responsive but has deep-seated poise and because you’re so connected to the car, any shift in balance is easy to read or even provoke. It’s an odd juxtaposition. The noise is fantastically urgent, you can slice through changes literally as fast as you can coordinate your inputs and everything is happening at an elevated pace, but the car is unflustered, eager for ever more commitment. Throw more energy at the car and it just gets better and better.
Add in that 8000rpm, inertia-free engine, a brilliant gearshift and sensationally feelsome brakes and you’ve got a deeply engrossing driving experience. The V6 isn’t particularly engaging on a light throttle, its note a tappety zizz, but when you get the opportunity to wring it out, it changes from Clark Kent to Superman. The mid-range is healthy but it’s when the VTEC kit kicks in that the fun really starts, the note taking on a pure, hard-edged bellow that has the same effect as a cold finger down the spine. At 7000rpm there’s a little green light in the rev counter to suggest an upshift but it’s almost impossible to resist letting the engine howl on until the red light just before the limiter.
All in, the NSX-R car that makes most lightweight specials seem a bit half-hearted, a bit lacking in commitment. It’s one of the best mid-engined cars of all time.
Driver’s note
‘The detailed steering, the stripped-back feel of the entire car and how that brings such a sense of purpose, plus the remarkable precision of the engine and gearbox, combine to stunning effect. The NSX-R remains one of the most engaging, immersive and exciting cars I’ve ever driven.’ – Jethro Bovingdon, former evo contributor
Price and rivals
It seems the market has caught on to the NSX-R’s brilliance. In 2025’s Broad Arrow Villa d’Este auction, a 2003 example sold for just shy of €1m. That puts it in the realm of hypercars.
But though the NSX-R is a wonderful, uniquely thrilling driver’s car, you don’t need to spend six figures to get your hands on a stripped-back track focused supercar. Close in philosophy is Porsche’s 996-generation 911 GT3 RS, low mileage examples of which can be bought for around £110,000 at the time of writing. From Italy, there’s the Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale, which cost in excess of £300,000, or Lamborghini’s first-gen Gallardo Superleggera for over £100,000.
AloJapan.com