Acura started selling more than 3,000 reproduction parts for the first-generation NSX on November 2, the automaker said. The parts fit 1991 to 2005 models. They're sold only through Acura dealers and Honda's DreamShop website. The parts come under a program called Honda Heritage Parts, which started in Japan in April. The NSX is its first car, and Acura said it plans to expand the offering later. Acura didn't list the parts or give prices, AutoGuide noted.
Mamadou Diallo, an executive vice president at American Honda, said the program was created to help owners enjoy classic Acura and Honda performance models. The aim, Diallo said, is "keeping them on the road for today's enthusiasts and future generations."
Acura first announced the plan on March 10. That release described two kinds of parts. Genuine Honda Reproduction Parts use the original materials and production methods. Honda Compatible Parts are redeveloped to replace parts Honda no longer sells. The November release names only the reproduction parts. In March, Honda said the wider Heritage Works program would reproduce powertrain, interior, exterior, electrical, and chassis parts. Motor1 wrote that buyers still need to ask a dealer whether a given piece, such as a wiring harness or a bumper cover, is in the catalog. Road & Track said factory support could boost the used market and the value of the NSX name. Japan's list is much shorter. Honda says it released 27 NSX parts there after the April launch, 15 reproduction and 12 compatible, then added 11 more in October. Acura's release doesn't explain how its count of more than 3,000 compares.
Most of the parts on Honda's Japanese parts page are mechanical. A new cylinder block costs 999,900 yen, and each camshaft about 134,000 yen. Cosmetic pieces are rarer. One is an armrest emblem at 6,545 yen. Another is a bare meter visor, sold without its covering, for owners re-skinning the dashboard.
Shuhei Okamoto, who plans Heritage Parts at Honda, said in an October interview on Honda's Japanese site that the team put parts tied to driving, turning, and stopping first. Owners asked for looks too. One retiring owner wanted the exterior and interior redone so a son or grandchildren could drive the car, Okamoto said. About 70% of NSXs sold in Japan still survive, Okamoto added. Full cosmetic work is still Japan-only. Honda's Restoration Service, formerly the NSX Refresh Plan, takes only Japan-market NSX models, Acura said. Motor1 reported that the basic service starts just north of $70,000. Stripping the car to a bare body and repainting it adds about $41,000, and interior work costs a bit over $23,000 more.
Original looks also depend on the year. Acura's model chronology says 1997 brought a reshaped front spoiler and new wheels. For 2002, fixed HID headlights replaced the pop-up headlights, and the car got new taillights, exhaust tips, a trunk lip spoiler, and Acura badging. Acura's 2002 change list adds painted wheels with ribbed spokes in place of polished ones.
The NSX debuted as the NS-X concept at the Chicago Auto Show on February 9, 1989, and it was the first all-aluminum production car, Acura said. Ayrton Senna, in Japan that month to test Honda's F1 car, evaluated a prototype and said it felt "a little fragile." After more testing at the Nürburgring, the team raised the body's rigidity by 50%. Acura's caliper badge also made its first appearance on the NSX.
Another NSX made news this fall, when Tony Stark's NSX Roadster from "The Avengers" went up for auction. Pop-ups or fixed HIDs? Rate the first NSX on WhipJury.
Sources:
November 2 sales start, more than 3,000 parts, 1991 to 2005 fitment, dealer and DreamShop sales, Japan launch in April, plans to expand, and the Diallo quote: Acura
March 10 announcement, the two part types, the five part groups, and the Restoration Service as the former NSX Refresh Plan for Japan-market cars: Acura
No parts list or prices at launch: AutoGuide
Checking the catalog with a dealer for parts like a wiring harness or bumper cover: Motor1
Restoration Service prices: Motor1
Sales through dealers and DreamShop, and the possible lift for used values and the nameplate: Road & Track
Japanese part prices for the cylinder block, camshafts, armrest emblem, and meter visor (in Japanese): Honda Heritage Works
The 27 parts released in Japan, the 11 added in October, Okamoto's comments, and the share of NSXs still on the road in Japan (in Japanese): Honda
Changes for 1997 and 2002, and the first all-aluminum production car: Acura model chronology
Painted, ribbed-spoke wheels for 2002: Acura
The NS-X concept debut, Senna's evaluation and quote, and the 50% rigidity gain: Acura
The caliper badge first appearing on the NSX: Acura
Photos: Acura press images of the 2002 to 2005 and 1991 to 2001 NSX from the Heritage Parts press release
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Jeffrey Wiley has spent more time than he'd like to admit thinking about what makes a car look right. He writes about automotive design, car culture, and the opinions people have strong feelings about. He lives in north Georgia.
