Photo by Rainmaker47, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo by Rainmaker47, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
The NSX, the most loved car by Ayrton Senna. When Honda unveiled the NSX in 1990, the world didn’t quite know what to make of it.
For the first time it was for a Japanese car stepping into Ferrari and Porsche territory, mid engined, aluminum bodied and developed the same obsessive spirit usually reserved for F1.
It was not just another sport car, it was a declaration that Japan could build something as exotic as anything Europe had to offer.
Yet, they did not stop there, in just two years, in 1992, they launched an even more focused version, the NSX Type R.
For many car lovers, this was the car that cemented the NSX’s reputation.
It stripped away comfort and luxury in the pursuit of pure driving feel.
It became a cult hero, not just because of its rarity, but also because Ayrton Senna himself had a hand in its creation.
Lightness Over Luxury
The original NSX was already advanced with its aluminum chassis and a 3.0 liter V6 engine that could sing to nearly 8,000 RPM.
The the type R went further, Honda engineers tore out sound deadening, luxury trim and even fitted thinner glass.
They changed many things inside, like electric seats replaced by fixed back Recaro carbon-Kelvar buckets, the car lost roughly 120kg compared to standard model, which was around 1,220kg.
The weight was only half the story, the suspension was stiffened, the bushings tightened and the shorter final drive the car snappier acceleration.
The result was a machine that felt sharper, more alive.
Specs and Performance
On paper it did not look a game changer, the Type R:
Engine 3.0 liter DOHC VTEC V6 engine, producing around 276 horsepower.
Top speed sat around 270km/h and 0 to 100 km/h came in a little over five seconds.
So what made the difference was not brute force, it was the way the NSX-R delivered it.
The weight loss and shorter gearing transformed the car’s character, the standard was already agile, but the Type R was razor edged.
It danced through corners with an immediacy that embarrased heavier and more powerful super cars.
Ayrton Senna’s Touch
The reason for the NSX type R? carries such an aura comes down to one man: Ayrton Senna.
Honda was McLaren partner in Formula 1, and Senna was their star.
During development engineers invited him to test the NSX at Suzuka, there is famous footage of Senna lapping Suzuka in 1992, we will share it below in our content, wearing loafers instead of racing boots, sliding the car over kerbs with his usual smooth aggression.
After those sessions, Senna gave blunt feedback, the Chassis was not stiff enough, he told Honda it needed more rigidity and precision.
That single comment pushed the engineers to rethink the NSX’s structure.
By the time NSX-R arrived, it carried Senna’s fingerprints all over its handling.
What Senna loved was not the horsepower, he was used to 700-plus hp F1 car, but the honesty of NSX, the steering, balance of the car, it was a driver’s car in truest sense.
Popularity and Legacy
The NSX Type R was never built in huge numbers. Sold only in Japan between 1992 and 1995, it became a cult object rather than a mass-market sports car. Enthusiasts adored it for the purity of its engineering, and collectors chased it for the Ayrton Senna connection.
Today, it’s considered one of the holy grails of Japanese performance cars. Values have skyrocketed, and many argue that the NA1 Type R remains the most focused and raw NSX ever built. Modern supercars may be faster, but very few capture that same blend of lightness, balance, and heritage.
More Than Just a Car
For Senna, testing the NSX wasn’t just a corporate obligation, it was an extension of his philosophy. He believed in control, in extracting the absolute maximum from machinery, and in respecting the limits of engineering. The NSX-R mirrored those beliefs.
And for Honda, having the greatest driver of his generation help hone their halo car was a masterstroke. It gave the NSX a credibility that even Ferrari couldn’t dismiss. The world saw it not just as a Japanese exotic, but as a car worthy of standing alongside Europe’s finest.
So what more?
The Honda NSX Type R of the 1990s wasn’t about excess. It didn’t need turbos, massive horsepower, or flashy electronics. It was about connection, between driver, car, and road. Ayrton Senna felt that connection at Suzuka in 1992, and his input turned the NSX into something greater than the sum of its parts.
Three decades later, the legend hasn’t faded. If anything, the NSX-R stands taller now as a reminder of an era when lightweight engineering and driver feedback mattered more than anything else.
📺 Official video from Honda featuring Ayrton Senna testing the NSX Type R at Suzuka in 1992. Its embedded from Youtube Channel, we don’t own the video belongs to the creator.
