Acura is saying goodbye to one of its flagship vehicles, the Acura NSX. The car, which debuted in 2015, had some hype initially, but its demand weakened as the years passed. The last NSX model will be the 2022 Acura NSX Type S, which is lighter and sharper than its 2021 counterpart. While there’s no news of a third-gen NSX, a spied Honda sports car provides hope for the outgoing vehicle. Could this spied Honda sports car be a baby successor to the Acura NSX?

Some background on the Acura NSX

The original Acura NSX was built in Takanezawa, Japan, from 1990 until 2005. Acura decided to move production to America for its second generation, joining the other vehicles in its lineup. The crew behind NSX works from Marysville, Ohio, in Honda’s Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC).

The car is a two-seat mid-engine coupe sports car whose origins can be traced back to the ’80s with the Honda Pininfarina eXperimental concept, otherwise known as HP-X. Honda intended the car to exceed the V8 engine Ferrari range’s performance while remaining affordable and reliable.

The concept evolved into the NS-X or the New Sportscar eXperimental. The Acura NSX was the first mass-produced car with an all-aluminum body. It had an all-aluminum 3.0L V6 engine, a 5-speed manual transition, and, starting in 1994, a sport-shift 4-speed automatic transmission.

Honda discontinued the first generation NSX in 2005 but announced two years later that they had plans to revive the vehicle by announcing its successor. Despite testing prototypes for production, Honda canceled the plans a year later.

The second generation NSX production model was displayed in 2015 for sale in 2016. The car has a hybrid electric powertrain, a 9-speed dual-clutch automatic, and a 3.5L twin-turbocharged V6 engine that produces 573hp.

Honda unveiled the NSX Type S in 2021, producing 602hp and 492 lb-ft torque. The Type S is the last car in the Acura NSX lineup as Honda announced its discontinuation. Honda will only produce 300 units of the car.

Is the spied Honda sports car a baby NSX?

Earlier this year, Honda announced that it would unveil two electric sports cars and offered teaser images for both vehicles. However, a recent discovery from the Japanese automaker doesn’t fit the description of either car on Honda’s sheet.

Car and Driver recently spotted a Honda sports car resembling the Acura NSX. Its front-end styling, location of the cockpit, and the appearance of the large side air intakes all seem similar to yet another unidentified Honda sports car, a roofless roadster that made waves in 2017.

The spied Honda sports car has a glass-canopied coupe, and behind it is an exoskeleton-like A-pillars. The car is a left-hand drive with a compartment that looks like it’s strictly made for two. The car’s ultra-short nose seems occupied by cooling apparatus, which suggests that it has a mid-engine.

The spied sports car could succeed the mid-engine S660 sports car, but now that the Acura NSX is leaving, this could be a great opportunity for a new Honda sports car.

Honda announced a likely NSX successor

A few months ago, Honda revealed that it would launch a specialty and flagship model. The flagship model looks like a low-slung supercar, likely succeeding the NSX. The specialty model sits a bit higher than the flagship model.

Honda also assured consumers that there were plans for the Prologue and an Acura EV SUV for 2024 and announced a joint venture with General Motors that will lead to affordable EVs. Honda plans to release 30 EVs by 2030 with a 2 million production volume yearly.