Well, that’s not exactly right. It looks like a baby Honda NSX, but I have reason to believe that it’s not quite as exciting as that. Well, that’s not quite right either. It’s exciting, but, well, you know what, let me try to explain.
Photo Credit: Honda
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2016/08/the-2017-honda-nsx-a-responsible-supercar/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/HONDA_NSX_CASINO-WHITE_03_1-410×231.jpg” title=”The 2017 Honda NSX: A Responsible Supercar” excerpt=”The new Honda NSX, when it hits our shores in 2017, will be the first hybrid supercar released in Australia. And, yes, it makes sense to emphasise the hybrid part — while it can be an all-out supercar that cracks 0-100km/h in under three seconds and storms on to 300km/h with change to spare, it can also creep around town on electricity alone, eerily quiet. Oh, and you’ll pay $420,000 for the privilege.”]
Spied: Is This the Embryo for Honda’s ‘Baby NSX’? https://t.co/S68UlsxL7r pic.twitter.com/qUzekov0Lq
— The Truth About Cars (@TTAC) March 9, 2017
Pictures popped up this morning around the internet (I saw ’em first at The Truth About Cars) of a Honda-badged mid-engined roadster concept being carted around by some engineers. One of those engineers flipped off the camera. It’s great.
It looks more grown up than the Honda S660, that Japanese Beat-style Kei car. It looks more scaled down than the current NSX. If there was a baby NSX concept, this would certainly not be a surprising look for it.
More than anything else, however, it looks just like this coupe concept thing that Honda’s Silicon Valley Xcelerator lab showed off back in 2015!
Every detail lines up: the face, the exhaust, the notable side intake.
I haven’t been able to find any official name for this thing, nor have I been able to find more than a single official Honda picture for it, but this is not anything that Honda has been hiding. It was just some proof-of-concept design exercise. Now it has a roadster version. That seems to be it.
Look at how Honda puts it in its debut video, but leaves it unannounced and unnamed.
I don’t think this is the ZSX. I don’t think it’s much of anything but a full-size build of what would otherwise be a student design.
Honestly, I’m kind of bummed. These little concepts look rad.