When it comes to Japanese cars, one of the greatest, if not the greatest, is the first generation Honda NSX. The NSX was first seen back in 1990 and since then it has become an all-time classic, one of the most revered cars Honda has ever made and one of the finest examples of Japanese automobiles. It had an F-16 style cockpit, had development input from F1 legend and McLaren-Honda driver Ayrton Senna and its V6 VTEC engine became the stuff of legends. This is before we get into some special versions of the car, too.

One of the finest editions of the NSX has to be the 1992 NSX-R. The NSX had always been about creating a high performance and world-class car, without compromising on comfort, safety and daily drivability. But many Honda customers did want a no-compromise racing experience version of the NSX. This is where the 1992 NSX-R came into play. Also known as the NSX Type R, the NSX-R went through an aggressive program of weight reduction, to make it as high performance as possible. And quite frankly, the results speak for themselves.

The NSX-R In Detail

1992 Honda NSX-R Rear Quarter View
via Supercars

The 1992 NSX-R would be exclusively for the Japanese market, and only a limited production run of 483 units were ever made. The cars retained some factory features such as the electric windows, and fore and aft electric seat adjusters. But much of the extra components were removed. This included the audio system, spare tire, sound deadening, the air conditioning and the traction control system. Some of these, such as the air conditioning and the Bose stereo system, would become options, purchasable at quite a hefty premium on top of the cost of the car.

1992 Honda NSX-R Interior
via Supercars

This all led to a weight saving of 265 lbs, quite a dramatic difference. Honda also went to town on the suspension of the NSX. Heavily updated and larger sway bars, suspension links, coil springs and campers were fitted to the car and the interior had work done too. Honda went all out and added bright red Recaro seats, specially designed for the new NSX-R and made from carbon-kevlar. A Momo steering wheel and high-contrast red stitching added to the race car feel of the NSX-R.

RELATED: 10 Reasons Why The Original Honda NSX Is The Coolest JDM Ever Made

Modifications To How The Car Drove

1992 Honda NSX-R Front View On Track
via Supercars

The modifications weren’t confined to just removing components and tweaking the interior, either. Honda worked on the final drive ratio, increasing it from 4.06:1 to 4.235:1 to help let the driver take advantage of the balanced crankshaft when the car was in a higher rpm range. Honda also placed stiffer springs on the front suspension and a stiffer front sway bar, shifting the balance of the car further forward compared to the standard NSX. The result of this was more rear grip, at the expense of a bit of front grip, but it also decreased the original oversteer tendency of the car.

1992 Honda NSX-R Rear Quarter View Yellow
via Net Car Show

The engine was pretty much untouched, however Honda did make one change. They had a blueprinted and balanced crankshaft assembly, done to the same precision that Honda racing car engines had done to them. The improved drive ratio saw an improved acceleration time and the NSX-R had a 0-60 time of just 4.9 seconds, although the top speed was slightly reduced to 168 mph. But the main aim of the NSX-R was to give Honda’s customers, at least in Japan, a car that felt more alive on the track and provide a more raw and wild driving experience with the NSX.

A Fondly Remembered Version Of The NSX

1992 Honda NSX-R Side View
via Net Car Show

Production of this truly special NSX began in November 1992, and the company would go on to produce just 483 of these cars, and they would only be available for the Japanese market. The production was spread over the next three years, with it finally ending in September 1995. The fact that it was only made officially available in Japan, and less than 500 of them were built, means the car has almost become the stuff of legend, and finding one for sale in 2022 is one of the hardest tasks NSX fans can put themselves up to.

RELATED: JDM Royalty: The Honda NSX From First To Second Generation

The Epitome Of The NSX

1992 Honda NSX-R Front Quarter View
via Net Car Show

The NSX-R could be described as the epitome of the NSX. It would also inspire the NSX-R GT, limited edition NSX that came along in 2005 to win at the JGTG and Super GT. The NSX-R also made a reappearance in 2002, which made sure Honda had a car that could challenge the likes of the Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale, despite being outpowered by the Ferrari by some 100 hp. But the 1992 NSX-R was perhaps the car that made a lot of doubters sit up and realize just what the NSX was capable of. It will forever go down as one of the greatest cars Honda has ever made.

Sources: Supercars, Net Car Show