Honda finally revealed the ‘baby NSX,’ but it’s not what we expected

By Stephen Edelstein November 10, 2017

Rumors that Honda was developing a little sibling to the NSX supercar (which is sold as an Acura in the United States and a Honda everywhere else) have swirled for the past couple of years. It turns out this “baby NSX” is real, but it won’t arrive in showrooms anytime soon.

That’s because this sleek midengine sports car is the latest in a series of Vision Gran Turismo concepts. Dubbed the Honda Sports Vision Gran Turismo, it was created specifically for Gran Turismo Sport. So while you won’t be able to drive the car in real life, you will be able to drive it in the game.

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Styling seems to be influenced by both the NSX and the tiny, Japanese-market S660 sports car. Overall, the less-elaborate design of Sports Vision Gran Turismo makes the concept look a bit sleeker than the real-life NSX. The design may look familiar to fans who have seen patent drawings that leaked out over the past couple of years. The assumption was that Honda was developing some sort of compact sports car, when it was really this Vision Gran Turismo concept all along.

Honda held a contest between its international designers to create the car, which was won by a team from its California design studio. Once the final design was selected, studios in the U.S. and Japan worked together almost as if they were developing a real production model, including modeling the car’s aerodynamics in computer simulations and a wind tunnel.

Thanks to extensive use of carbon fiber, the car weighs just 899 kilograms (1,981 pounds), according to Honda. That is, it would if it was real. Propelling the concept is a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine, producing 404 horsepower. Perhaps it’s a tuned version of the Civic Type R engine. Power is sent to the ground through an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The Honda Sports Vision Gran Turismo won’t go into production, but at least people will have the opportunity to drive it virtually in Gran Turismo Sport. The Honda joins a long list of concepts created for both Gran Turismo Sport and Gran Turismo 6. The trend was kicked off by Mercedes-Benz way back in 2013, and recent additions include a futuristic McLaren and a modern tribute to a defunct Italian sports car.

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Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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