JAS Motorsport and Pininfarina unveiled the completed JAS Tensei at Cambiano, near Turin, on October 8. Based on the original Honda NSX, the limited-production sports car is an unusually extensive reinterpretation of the Japanese mid-engined classic. Thirty-five cars are planned, and the example presented to the media is numbered 001.
Tensei means rebirth in Japanese, an appropriate description for a project that uses a first-generation NSX as its starting point without simply restoring it. The donor's aluminum structure is scanned and reinforced with bonded carbon-fiber components, while Pininfarina has created a new carbon-fiber body. JAS quotes a dry weight of 1,250 kg. Wider tracks and a wheelbase stretched by 55 mm also change the stance and packaging compared with the 1990 original.
The design retains the NSX's signature pop-up headlights, though their mechanisms have been re-engineered and the lamps now use LED technology. At the rear, Pininfarina has reinterpreted the familiar horizontal light bar. The cabin follows the same idea: a low dashboard and driver-oriented layout are combined with modern displays, updated materials and extensive opportunities for customer specification.
A naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 sits behind the occupants. British engine specialist Judd Power developed it from the first-generation NSX's original architecture, while JAS integrates the powertrain with a six-speed manual gearbox and Torsen limited-slip differential. Suspension revisions include specially engineered components and KW dampers, and Brembo supplies the brakes. The emphasis is on mechanical response and a direct driving experience rather than electrified performance.
Tensei also marks a change of direction for JAS, long associated with building and preparing competition Hondas. These road-going commissions will be assembled at the company's Arluno facility near Milan, with individual finishes and equipment specified for each buyer. No public list price has been released.
Following the Cambiano media presentation, car 001 is scheduled to appear at the Paris Motor Show, which opens on October 12. That will give the wider public its first opportunity to see how much of the original NSX remains visible in JAS and Pininfarina's thoroughly reworked machine.