Cars,Life,SG: SG Archives: Honda NSX Type S

I think it would be safe to say that majority of Singaporeans have yet to see the Japanese supercar of the 1990's; The Honda NSX.

SG Archives is a new label that I wanted to do for quite a long time but never had the platform to do so. With that out of the way, allow me to fill in on information I could find.

The Honda NSX (Or Acura NSX in a few markets, namely the US market) was a supercar produced in the start of the 90's and lasted in its iconic shape until 2005.

The iconic shape would in my opinion fall under the first generation including both the pre and facelift models, so the NA1 and NA2.

Most people recognize the pop-up headlight NSX to be the NA1, whilst the NA2 is the model that inherits the iconic shape of the NA1 but ditches the pop-ups in favor of fixed headlights.

This is true, however some pop-up light NSX's are also labeled as NA2's, which would generally be the Type-S trim and American Zanardi Edition of NSX.

Photo courtesy: Carscoops

The Type S, released in 1997 and spanned a production date until 2001, according to the web, is a Japanese-market only stripped down version of the standard NSX, meant to be a middle-point between the regular NSX and the race-oriented NSX-R.

Photo courtesy: PistonHeads

The Type S and trims beyond such as the Type S-Zero received the facelift engine (C32B), giving the featherweight version a displacement and power bump over the original C30A 3.0L V6. Out went the original 5-speed and in came the C32B's 6-speed manual transmission.

Included was a MOMO steering wheel different from those of the run-of-the-mill NSX, BBS lightweight wheels made of aluminium, titanium shift knob, lightweight components such as a spoiler to shed weight, Recaro bucket seats, a meshed engine cover and improvement in suspension components to offer a better driving experience.

The Type-S could be interpreted as the "best of all worlds" or ultimate trim, which as an ultimate spec, would understandably be top dollar for entry. The Type-S became the most expensive model during its production, and offered extra options to improve its livability. Some of these items did balloon the weight back, but these were no-less an option that Type-S buyers had the opportunity to add to their cars to better the practicality of the car.

All of these improvements resulted in a NSX 45 kilograms lighter (1320KG) than the standard coupe NSX, a 0-100km/h sprint in 5.4s and nothing else I could find that cemented this NSX's status as a "best" NSX. There are best motoring videos that showcase the better Type S-Zero's performance against other rivals.

Most sources point the total production units at 209 units, so this makes finding a Type S in the wild extremely unlikely. In the American market, the equivalent Zanardi Edition was limited at 51 units. The Type S-Zero is even rarer, with total production being recorded at a low 20 units.

In Singapore, as of June 2023, only five first generation Honda NSX's remain registered. Only one of these units was a factory manual, with the rest being automatic. However, at least one has been converted to a manual transmission.

The most recent NSX to have "fallen" was a NA2 facelift NSX, having being exported in the 2010's and information on it is scarce, so I wouldn't be able to find information on what exact specification it may have been.

Image Courtesy: Reddit

On 1 July 2023, Lazada Singapore hosted its Lazgarage Carnival, which hosted booths selling car products and others. Featured either openly or discreetly would be one of these extremely rare Type-S NSX's as a display.

Although this is not as special as finding one out of the blue, this was still a chance to find a variant of an already elusive car that very few would be able to find casually.

Photos by FD. Equipment: Sony a6400

Representation of the factory mesh engine cover that the Type S received.

Route KS DK Titanium exhaust

Close-up photo of the Type-S badge for those who need a reference photo for modeling purposes

This particular unit has seen track time, and is not factory stock. I cannot say for sure on the exact specifications, but the unit does sport aftermarket wheels and an exhaust system at least.

Photo Courtesy: Traction Circle Club

The NSX is an icon not just for a country, but for an entire era of motor production, where the Japanese clawed their way to contesting with the Germans and Italians in luxury, sales and most importantly, pace.

To those who hope to own one of these majestic beasts, I wish you nothing but the best in securing one for yourself and enjoying it until the end of time.