Honda NSX

• The NA1 is the 3.0-litre C30A car, on sale from 14 September 1990. The NA2 is the 3.2-litre C32B car, on sale from 7 February 1997.
• The four-speed automatic stayed an NA1 and was sold beside the NA2; Honda's December 2005 catalogue lists both codes.
• The Type R (27 November 1992) is an NA1 grade. The Type S, S-Zero and NSX-R (24 May 2002) are NA2 grades.
• Honda's counts for special grades disagree: 483 or 500 first Type Rs sold, and 140 produced or about 150 delivered for the 2002 NSX-R.
• Honda's US ratings, such as 270 hp for the 1991 to 1996 manual, are a different market and rating from the Japanese PS figures.
• US import age is counted from each car's own build date (25 years); Canada uses 15 years.

• Two-seat, mid-engine, rear-drive layout
• Honda describes the body as the world's first production all-aluminium monocoque
• V6 engines: 3.0-litre C30A (24-valve DOHC VTEC) in the NA1 and 3.2-litre C32B in the NA2
• Japanese catalogue ratings are net: 280 PS for the manuals and 265 PS for the NA1 automatic

Dates are Honda's Japanese on-sale and announcement dates. Counts are Honda's own figures and are not audited production ledgers.

Generation names are broad families. The factory chassis codes below identify the variants represented in JDMBUYSELL's current Honda NSX guide data.

NA1 (3.0L C30A; 1990–2005; on sale 14 September 1990)

Chassis code: NA1

NA2 (3.2L C32B, 6-speed; 1997–2005; on sale 7 February 1997)

Chassis code: NA2

Confirm the complete code on the vehicle's frame or VIN plate; drivetrain, body, and market variants can use different prefixes within one generation family.

These guides describe Japanese-market NSXs with Honda's net PS ratings. Honda's US table rates the 1991 to 1996 US cars at 270 hp with the manual and 252 hp with the automatic, and the 3.2-litre manual at 290 hp. Those are different ratings for a different market. Honda's US heritage list marks the first NSX-R, the Type S, the S-Zero, the 2002 NSX-R and the NSX-R GT as Japan only. It lists the 1999 Alex Zanardi Edition as US only, with 51 built. For US import: US federal safety rules use 25 years from each car's manufacture date (49 CFR 591.5(i)). EPA's separate age exemption requires the original engine model and configuration or an eligible equivalent-or-newer EPA-certified replacement with emission-control systems. State registration rules vary. Canada uses 15 years from the month and year of completed assembly; provincial registration rules still apply. Verify any engine swap with EPA before importing.

Engine options

Which NSX generation does this guide cover?

The Japanese first generation: the NA1, on sale from 14 September 1990, and the NA2, on sale from 7 February 1997. Honda announced that production would end in December 2005.

What is the difference between the NA1 and the NA2?

The NA1 has the 3.0-litre C30A, rated 280 PS with the five-speed manual and 265 PS with the four-speed automatic. The NA2 has the 3.2-litre C32B and a six-speed manual, rated 280 PS. The automatic stayed an NA1.

How many Type R, Type S and S-Zero cars were built?

Honda gives 483 and 500 as sold figures for the first Type R, 209 Type S built (period undefined), 30 S-Zero built from 1997 to 2001, and 140 produced or about 150 delivered for the 2002 NSX-R. Honda's accounts are not audited ledgers.

Can an NSX be imported to the US?

US federal safety rules use 25 years from each car's manufacture date (49 CFR 591.5(i)). EPA's separate age exemption requires the original engine model and configuration or an eligible equivalent-or-newer EPA-certified replacement with emission-control systems. State registration rules vary. Canada uses 15 years from the month and year of completed assembly; provincial registration rules still apply. Verify any engine swap with EPA before importing.