JAS Motorsport, in collaboration with Pininfarina, has revealed the ‘Tensei,’ a modern-day homage to the gen-1 Honda NSX. Now, JAS is not a newcomer looking to cash in on nostalgia. They have been Honda’s official racing partner for three decades, developing everything from touring cars to GT3 machinery, and have spent 30 years engineering cars that reflect the same principles that shaped Honda’s original supercar, fine-tuned to perfection by none other than three-time Formula 1 world champion, the great Ayrton Senna.
Their first road car was always going to draw from that DNA. Dubbed ‘Tensei’, which translates to rebirth in Japanese, it appears to be closely aligned with the spirit of the teaser shots that we touched on back in late October. Those early images showed a red body with a contrasting black roof, gold wheels, modern LED lighting, and proportions that clearly belonged to an NSX.
The final design seen here follows through on every one of those cues. The nose sits low and wide, with a slim triple LED signature that echoes the position of the old pop-up housings. The side intake is larger and more sculpted, but still in the right place. The integrated spoiler, continuous rear LED light bar directly references the original car’s shape. The diffuser and the cut of the bumper give the car a modern presence without compromising the silhouette that defined the early NSX.
At a private debut event held at Fuji Speedway in November, the team discussed why they chose this platform in the first place. After three decades of racing and 35 years of NSX history, JAS wanted to build something of its own, and the original NSX was the only choice that felt authentic, leading to an ultra-modern supercar reinterpretation based on the DNA of the first-generation Honda NSX and remaining true to the characteristics that made it an icon.”
JAS strips the donor chassis (1990-1994 example), 3D scans every point, reinforces structural sections with composite material, and rebuilds the exterior entirely in composite, retaining much of the greenhouse. Pininfarina will handle the surfacing in Milan.
The engine retains much of the NSX’s 3.0-liter V6 unit, but displacement has now risen to 3.5 through a new crank and rotating assembly. The heads are reworked with larger valves and modified ports. Six individual throttle bodies replace the original intake layout. Output sits at 420 horsepower and roughly 258 pound-feet of torque, backed by a new six-speed gearbox with an LSD and traction control offering six modes.
KW DDC adaptive dampers and Brembo brakes, with an optional carbon setup, round out the hardware. JAS intends to make the car lighter than stock with extensive use of carbon fiber, but final weight numbers will come once material thicknesses are locked in. Pricing starts at €880,000 (~$1.02 million) before the donor car. Production is capped at 35 units to match the NSX’s 35-year milestone. The first physical car arrives around May next year, with customer deliveries beginning in 2027.
Images: Pininfarina, JAS Motorsports
