Reborn Honda NSX gets race-bred V6, manual transmission
The JAS Tensei – a modern reboot of the Honda NSX from the 1990s – has been detailed, sporting a Judd V6 engine and row-your-own gears.
Honda racing specialists JAS Motorsport have given the greatest details yet of the Tensei, the firm’s mid-engined sports car based on the original NSX.
Revealed in December 2025, the Tensei – translated to ‘reincarnation’ or ‘rebirth’, depending on who you listen to – comes from Italian firm JAS Motorsport, who has worked on Honda’s global touring car programs for decades.
While at the time details about the JAS Tensei were limited, the brand has now added more information about what’s under the skin of its reborn sports car.
Powering the Tensei is a 3.5-litre V6, mid-mounted and reworked by Judd Power, famed for its racing engines of the 1980s and 1990s.
Based on the original NSX-R’s 3.2-litre V6, the new engine produces 313kW and an 8500rpm redline, improvements on the 1990s hero car’s 216kW and 8000rpm figures.
These increased numbers were made possible by Judd fitting a new billet crankshaft, forged lightweight pistons and connecting rods, as well as individual throttle bodies.
Drive continues to be sent to the rear wheels, and unlike the NSX which could be had as an automatic, the JAS Tensei is a six-speed manual only.
Under the skin you’ll also find a new suspension setup, highlighted by adaptive KW dampers, which have enabled the use of a front-lift system to get over speed bumps.
Though no official weight figure has been confirmed, the carbon-fibre body is expected to ensure the Tensei is not much porkier than the original NSX.
Speaking of the body, it’s been designed by Pininfarina, incorporating hallmarks of the NSX – such as pop-up headlights, an integrated rear spoiler, plus A-pillar mounted door handles – but with enough reworked elements to make it look like a new product.
Inside, the cabin has also been extensively redesigned and modernised, incorporating an infotainment screen and digital instrument cluster, though plenty of analogue controls remain.
The JAS Tensei will be made in both left- and right-hand drive, but only 35 examples are scheduled for production, with no prices announced as yet.
