No, the news of a potential NSX replacement is not a wild rumour this time round. It comes from Honda’s own president, Takashi Ito. When the global economy slowed down in 2008 and 2009 Honda was quick to call it a day on the development of its future supercar. But now Ito has said that the supercar project has been restarted.
The powertrain for this supercar is as yet unclear. There have been rumours of a 5,5-litre V10. On the other hand, the HSV-010 racing car, which will be used as a basis for the new supercar and which takes part in the Japanese Super GT series, is equipped with a 3,4-litre V8 that delivers around 370 kW. After the initial project was cancelled, rumours surfaced that Honda might yet put the NSX replacement into production, not only with a petrol engine, but also a hybrid powertrain. This is still a possibility.
Even though the project came to halt during the end of 2008, the fact that the HSV-010 has been raced in Japan will without a doubt contribute to the development phase.
Expect to see, and hear, the high revving VTEC engine on the internet in the next months as it will surely be caught undergoing testing… again.