Senna's Legacy

Honda NSX (New Sportscar eXperimental) launched in 1990 as Japan's first serious challenger to Ferrari in the mid-engine sports car category. During development, Honda enlisted the world's top F1 driver at the time, Ayrton Senna, as the final tuning test driver. Senna repeatedly drove the prototype at Suzuka and Nürburgring, prompting Honda engineers to revise the chassis stiffness throughout. The NSX was reportedly the last production car Senna publicly endorsed before his death in 1994.

NSX revolutionized the supercar segment with its all-aluminum body (a world first) — 200+ kg lighter than Ferrari peers but as reliable in daily driving as a Honda Civic. This "supercar can be daily" philosophy directly influenced the Lamborghini Huracán, Audi R8, and countless others.

Specs & Codename

Engine
C30A3.0L NA V6 VTEC
Power
270HP @ 7100rpm
Torque
285N·m @ 5300rpm
Drive
RWDMid-engine
Trans.
5MTManual
Weight
1370kg

In the Forza Horizon Series

The NSX has been a regular since FH1. FH6 includes:

  • 1991 Honda NSX (NA1, first generation) — corner-carving icon, PI around A class 700.
  • 2005 Honda NSX-R (NA2 R-Spec) — track-focused variant.
  • 2017 Acura NSX (NC1 second generation) — modern hybrid twin-turbo V6 with three electric motors.

The first-gen NSX in Forza represents "low PI, high enjoyment" — not for chasing leaderboard scores, but for cornering joy.

Tuning Recommendations

  • Track: Push to S1 class + add turbo + reinforced suspension. The NSX's mid-engine layout creates an extremely low center of gravity, yielding excellent track times.
  • Touge: Keep A or S1 class, soft tires + minor suspension tweaks. The NSX is technical players' favorite touge weapon.
  • Not recommended: Drag racing. The NSX's NA V6 sounds incredible but top speed ceiling is limited.

Player Lore

  • "VTEC kicked in yo!" — The NSX V6 changes character at 5800 RPM as VTEC engages. A sacred meme among Western enthusiasts.
  • "Senna's Car" — A trim level explicitly named after Senna.
  • "Japanese Ferrari" — Western car magazines' nickname back in the day, meaning the NSX brought Ferrari's experience to Honda reliability.
  • Iron Man's car — Tony Stark drives the second-gen NSX in the Marvel films.