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‘New’ Honda NSX Tensei gets naturally aspirated 3.5 V6, and yes, you want to hear it
The original Honda NSX from the 1990s is sacred.
Not because it was the fastest. Not because it was the loudest. But because it was perfectly balanced. An analogue sports car with surgical precision and Japanese reliability. Now that icon is being reborn. The name: Tensei, Japanese for “rebirth”. And the best part? Under the bonnet comes an engine you have never heard of. But one you will want to start immediately.
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What is the JAS Tensei?
The Tensei is not a new generation NSX from Honda. It is a high-end restomod, developed by JAS Motorsport, Honda's regular European racing partner since the late 1990s.
JAS knows exactly how a Honda is put together. They built WTCC and rally cars, developed circuit cars and have decades of experience refining Japanese engineering to top European standards. For the Tensei, they completely strip a first-generation NSX. They then rebuild it with:
A full carbon bodywork
Design by Pininfarina
Race-inspired mechanicals
And a completely revised powertrain
This is not a bodykit project. This is surgical reconstruction.
The engine: no turbo, no hybrid tricks
This is where it gets interesting. The base remains the original V6 from the first NSX. But it is completely rebuilt and enlarged to 3.5 litres, with technical input from British engine specialist Judd.
Important detail: No turbo. No supercharger. No hybrid assistance. Just a naturally aspirated V6. That means direct throttle response. High revs. Mechanical purity.
The original NSX was officially rated at 280 hp (gentleman's agreement era), with the NSX-R sitting around 305 hp. The Tensei will clearly exceed that, though exact figures have not yet been announced. But JAS emphasises something far more important than horsepower:
driving experience and reliability.
Why this project works
The original NSX was developed with input from Ayrton Senna. It stood for balance over brute force. The fact that JAS now opts for a high-revving naturally aspirated V6, instead of a forced-induction turbo solution, shows respect for that DNA.
And with a carbon body by Pininfarina, the car gains not only technical refinement, but also visual maturity. This is not nostalgia. This is evolution.
How exclusive will the Tensei be?
Production numbers are not yet official, but realistically we are talking about:
Fewer than 25 units
A price well above €500,000 (excluding donor car)
Delivery presumably within two years
And that immediately makes it a sensitive matter. An original NSX is rare and rising in value. Not everyone will dare to sacrifice their example for a restomod. But whoever does will likely get the most refined analogue Japanese supercar of the moment.
AutoNext Take: this is how a restomod should be
Restomods often fail because they try to improve too much. Too much power. Too much modernity. Too much ego. The Tensei appears to do the opposite.
It strengthens what was good. It modernises what is needed. And it respects the mechanical soul of the original.
At a time when sports cars are becoming electric, digital and synthetic, a high-revving naturally aspirated V6 feels like a statement. Perhaps even a farewell gift to the analogue generation. And honestly? Projects like this keep the love of cars alive.
