Honda NSX-R and Autozam AZ-1: Driving the Pinnacles of Japanese Mid-Engine Performance

There was once a time when Japan ruled the mid-engine performance world. A time when a Honda, of all things, could outperform a Ferrari at the limit. A time when a Toyota was the most affordable way to get into mid-engine car ownership. A time when even the country’s local-market Kei-sized sports cars could rev all the way to 9000 rpm.

That time is long gone, of course. The NSX still exists and goes very quickly, but the new car could never evoke the same kind of revolutionary fervor as the original. The MR2? It died in 2006 after languishing in a dried-up market segment for years. And no new car under six figures in the year of our lord, 2022, can rev to 9.

With the electric revolution upon us, it’s hard to expect the glory days of Japanese mid-engine performance to return. So we thought it a good idea to look back at the golden days by driving two of the most memorable cars from the era: the Honda NSX-R and the Autozam AZ-1.

An economic boom in Japan during the Eighties and Nineties sent the country on a buying spree, and car shoppers rushed to spend newfound disposable income on a toy without having to worry about practicality or efficiency. This Bubble Era forced the country’s auto manufacturers to innovate as they tried to keep up with the market’s increasing demand. Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and every small manufacturer from Subaru to Suzuki attacked every niche they could, including mid-engine cars. As a result, they pushed out performance icon after performance icon, many of which would stay locked away exclusively for the ultra-competitive Japanese market. Games like Gran Turismo would give the rest of the world a taste of the greatness it was missing, though it was these same games that would lionize these cars as forbidden fruit, bolstering their legendary status even further.

To some, that red Honda badge is everything. The NSX-R is a game-over car for an entire generation of car nuts. A dream, one that hardcore fans would have over anything else in the world, even if their only experience with it came from a video game. After a brief stint behind the wheel, it’s easy to see why.

The first-gen NSX set a new standard for mid-engine performance, balance, and steering bliss. The NSX-R takes that one step further in a masterclass of road-holding and driver involvement. The lack of power steering is the first thing you notice, absent as part of a weight-savings initiative that cut over 200 pounds for improved performance. Even at a standstill it doesn’t take a huge amount of effort to turn the wheel, and at speed, I don’t think I’ve ever felt a better rack. It’s not as quick as the modern electric power steering systems of today, but the amount of feel traveling into your hands borders on overwhelming.

The Recaro-made carbon-kevlar buckets, another weight-savings measure, provide a surprising amount of comfort thanks to their generous padding and laid-back positioning. They also look epic and secure you firmly to the chassis through high-speed bends. The adorably undersized shift knob controlling the five-speed gearbox feels surprisingly normal once you actually use it; its notchyness ranks it among the best Honda shifters.

If there has to be a star of the show, it’s the engine. The naturally aspirated V-6 that sits behind the cabin displaces the same 3.0 liters as the standard NSX, and comes from Honda with the same power ratings: 270 hp and 210 lb-ft of torque. But there’s no way it’s making anywhere close to 270 horses. There’s a surge of smooth, constant power that erupts at the car’s 8000-rpm redline. If we had to guess, this thing is making 50-60 more hp than advertised. It’s a seriously quick piece of machinery, even for 2022.

The motor also sounds heavenly. There’s nary a bit of sound deadening between you and the engine bay, meaning plenty of intake noise as you travel through the rev range. Spend enough time behind the wheel and you’ll find yourself downshifting whenever you possibly can just to hear the engine spin faster. It’s addictive.

Honda built just 483 copies of the “NA1” NSX-R. According to the plaque on the door sill, the car you see here is number 96. Making it even more special is the Brooklands Green exterior hue. It's exceptionally rare on the normal NSX, so we can only imagine how few NSX-Rs were sold in this shade. It’s not the color you envision when you think of Honda’s halo car, but it’s stunning nonetheless.