Acura Built A Special Edition NSX Purists Still Barely Talk About
We don’t really need to sit here and tell you how incredible the Acura NSX was. Introduced by Honda for the 1991 model as a competitor to European sports car royalty, this mid-engined, V6-powered machine proved that Japan could compete with the very best of them.
Even when stacked up alongside the Ferrari 348 or 993 Porsche 911, the NSX won over those who drove it with its sensational handling, free-revving naturally-aspirated engine, and beautifully judged chassis. Had Honda simply never developed the car further, it wouldn’t have mattered.
Yet it did, with numerous specials produced over its lifetime, although the best ones would never find their way to the States. Japan kept the very best for itself with the NSX-R and the NSX-R GT, although another special-edition NSX intended to be a JDM exclusive would eventually find its way to the US in an unlikely fashion.
It Was Based On Forbidden JDM Fruit
If you’ve ever played the original Gran Turismo, this is one you’ll likely know well. Introduced in 1997, the Honda NSX Type S was designed to emphasize the experience of the sports car by reducing weight and adding a bunch of upgrades that would appeal directly to driving enthusiasts.
These cars came with a mesh engine cover taken from the earlier Honda NSX-R, as well as a titanium shift knob, Momo steering wheel, and Recaro carbon-Kevlar bucket seats upholstered in Alcantara and leather. While the 3.2-liter V6 was untouched, the Type S did get stiffer suspension for a more engaging drive. All-in, these models weighed 99lbs less than the regular NSX.
You’d spot these models from a regular Honda NSX thanks to their body-colored roof—the regular car always came from the factory with a black roof—as well as aluminum BBS wheels. The Type S was a Japanese-market exclusive car, with just 209 built in a production run from 1997 through to 2001.
Remarkably, that wasn’t even the rarest version of the Type S. Honda went one further with the Type S Zero, limited to 30 units, which really honed in on the track-car experience. It took its suspension setup from the NSX-R and dropped luxury features like cruise control, the stereo, and even its electric door locks, along with traction control, power steering, and fog lights.
Sound-deadening materials were completely stripped out, and Honda went as far as changing the leather shifter boot to mesh to cut a little extra weight. The result was a further 110lb saving for Zero models.
Here’s What The First-Gen Honda NSX Is Worth Today
Despite being the first Japanese daily supercar, the original NSX is not as expensive as you may think.
That Served As The Base For A US Special Edition
|
Engine |
3.2-liter V6 |
|---|---|
|
Horsepower |
290 hp |
|
Torque |
224 lb-ft |
|
0-60 |
4.8 seconds |
|
Top speed |
167 mph |
|
Numbers built |
50 |
While neither the Honda NSX Type S nor the Zero ended up coming directly to the North American market, they would form the basis of a special Acura NSX designed just for that market. In 1999, Honda decided to honor racing driver Alex Zanardi with a unique version of the Acura NSX, the aptly-named Acura NSX Zanardi Edition. What made it so special, though?
For a start, it had a more aggressive suspension setup designed for the track, while also dropping electric power steering to reduce weight and improve steering feel. Inside, you’d find a titanium shifter knob; and for the exterior, a body-colored roof matching the Formula Red paint finish and a set of aluminum BBS wheels. All starting to sound quite familiar now, right?
There were some differences between the Zanardi Edition and the JDM-market Type S, though. The Zanardi Edition retained more comfortable seats instead of buckets, while plaques placed throughout the interior denoted the model. It did use the same 3.2-liter V6 with its 290 horsepower output, though it did undercut the weight of the coupe by 54 lbs. Not as dramatic as the JDM models, then, but still a notable decrease that could be felt from the driver’s seat.
50 examples of the Acura NSX Zanardi Edition were produced, making it rarer still than the unicorn-status Honda NSX Type S. Slightly more common than the Zero, though.
Why Zanardi Meant So Much To Honda
The late, great Alex Zanardi is a driver who may not have captured the modern mainstream consciousness in the same way so many of global motorsport’s greats have, but there is no doubt he was worthy of having his name attached to such a legendary sports car.
Having made the switch from Formula One to North America’s CART series in 1995, the Italian driver would go on to win the 1997 and 1998 championships consecutively in a Ganassi Reynard-Honda, leading to him being honored with the special-edition model for 1999.
Chassis #01 was also gifted to Alex Zanardi himself, as the best kind of thanks one could imagine. It’s reported that Zanardi, living in Monaco at the time and likely having the only North American-market Acura NSX in Europe, didn’t use the car often during his first few years of ownership, instead preferring to use a bicycle to navigate the notoriously tight European principality.
However, following his tragic 2001 CART crash at Eurospeedway Lausitz that resulted in the amputation of both of Zanardi’s legs, it’s believed the car was converted to use hand controls and saw more use in the years that followed. Its whereabouts today is unknown, with Zanardi sadly passing away in May 2026, aged 59.
How Much Is An Acura NSX Zanardi Edition Worth Today?
Given the rarity of the Acura NSX Zanardi Edition, they don’t come up for sale publicly very often. When they do, it is usually for significant sums of money. At the time of writing, just one listing has appeared in recent years with a list price of $324,995. Compare that to a regular 1999 Acura NSX coupe, which, according to Hagerty, would be valued around $96,700 for a good condition example.
Then again, that’s still nothing compared to the asking price of the most sought-after NSX variant, the Honda NSX-R. At the time of writing, there’s a facelifted model painted in Formula Red for sale in the UK with an asking price equivalent to $970,000. The time of the $1 million NSX is almost upon us, so perhaps the Zanardi Edition is something of a bargain after all.
How Much The 2017 Acura NSX Is Worth Today
Japan’s most powerful mid-engined supercar, the second-generation NSX remains one of the most underrated cars today.
America Got Its Own NSX Type S, Eventually
Although the Honda NSX Type S is a model that would never get a direct Acura version for its first generation, the name would eventually find its way to US shores with the second-generation Acura NSX Type S.
This celebratory run-out version of the hybrid sports car was a serious development over the base car, with an additional 27 hp and 16 lb-ft of torque thanks to turbochargers taken from the NSX GT3 race car.
Just 300 of these models were built for the US market, and they command around $270,000 on the used market. In some cases, that’s more than comfortably twice the price of the base NSX.
Sources: NSX Club, Honda, NY Times
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