Restomods are usually reserved for air-cooled Porsches and vintage Alfas, but Italdesign has decided to rummage through Honda’s greatest hits instead. The result is the NSX Tribute, a reimagining of the second-generation NSX that stitches together three decades of supercar heritage without tipping into cosplay.
At first glance, the strongest nod goes all the way back to 1989. The rear wears a deck-style spoiler that instantly recalls the original NSX, complete with a “floating ring” brake light that gives the whole assembly a satisfyingly architectural feel. The turn signals and reverse lights are cleverly hidden beneath the spoiler, keeping the tail clean while rewarding anyone who looks twice.
Look upward and you’ll spot another deep cut. The roof-mounted intake channels the ultra-rare 2005 NSX-R GT, the homologation special built for Japan’s Super GT championship. It’s an enthusiast reference that won’t register with casual observers—but that’s exactly the point.
The front end stays closer to the modern NSX playbook. The sharp-edged nose mirrors the final-year Type S, lending the Tribute a more aggressive, contemporary stance. Red Honda badges add a subtle Type R wink, while the headlights wear removable “eyelid” covers that echo the pop-up lamps of the original car. It’s nostalgia, but applied with restraint.
According to designer Cristiano Fracchia, the goal was to add tension and muscle without disturbing the NSX’s famously clean lines—and that balance is where the Tribute succeeds. The surfaces feel more dramatic, yet the silhouette remains unmistakably NSX.
Inside, Italdesign wisely resists the urge to reinvent the wheel. The cabin is largely carried over from the standard second-gen NSX, with bespoke upholstery tailored to buyer preference. In other words, the drama stays outside, where it belongs.
Mechanical details haven’t been confirmed, but the expectation is familiar hardware: Honda’s twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 paired with three electric motors, good for a combined 573 horsepower and 476 lb-ft of torque. In stock form, that setup launches the 1.7-ton coupe to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds—squarely in the territory of modern hybrid exotics like Ferrari’s 296 GTB.
The NSX Tribute doesn’t try to rewrite history or outgun today’s hypercars. Instead, it reminds us why the NSX mattered in the first place—and why it still does. In an era when nostalgia often feels forced, Italdesign’s take proves that a greatest-hits album can still sound fresh when the original tracks were this good.
The Land Cruiser badge still means something inside Toyota, even now that the U.S. has moved on to the new 250 Series. But Toyota isn’t ready to let the old iron fade quietly into the classifieds. Instead, it’s giving the previous-generation 150 Series—sold stateside for years as the Lexus GX—a factory-backed glow-up that feels part restoration, part restomod, and part philosophical exercise.
Dubbed Newscape, the update targets the long-running Land Cruiser Prado built between 2009 and 2023. Though production has ended, Toyota is offering a comprehensive facelift that touches both the exterior and interior, effectively giving the old SUV a second act. In some configurations, it even looks tougher than it ever did when new.
The idea debuted as a concept at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show, but enthusiasm apparently convinced Toyota to put it into production. The Prado Newscape is set to make a return appearance at the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon—this time with a price tag and an order sheet.
The project was developed by Toyota’s Conic Pro division in collaboration with an unlikely group of partners: The North Face, biotech firm Spiber, and Toyota’s own Corde by brand, which specializes in customizing used vehicles. The broader goal is sustainability—extending the life of older vehicles through factory-approved updates rather than pushing customers straight into new ones.
Buyers get two visual flavors. The Graphite Gray version leans into the overlanding aesthetic, with matte-black bumpers, bolt-on fender extensions, and Mango Orange accents highlighting the fog lights and rear tow hook. The Meld Grey alternative dials things back with body-colored bumpers, black trim, and Saffron Yellow detailing. Both versions come standard with a roof rack, rear ladder, mud flaps, and a fuel door stamped with The North Face logo—because collaborations demand visibility.
Seventeen-inch matte-black alloys and 265/65R17 all-terrain tires are standard across the board, giving the Prado a properly rugged stance. It’s not a mechanical overhaul, but it doesn’t pretend to be one.
Inside, the updates are subtler but more interesting. The seats are reupholstered in Brewed Protein fiber, an eco-focused material developed by Spiber, and wear The North Face branding. New Toyota floor mats round out the cabin changes, reinforcing the idea that this is a refresh, not a reinvention.
The Newscape kit goes on sale in Japan on March 7, 2026, but compatibility is limited. It’s only offered for TX-grade Prado 150 models built between September 2017 and April 2024, and only if they left the factory with black fabric seats. Gasoline and diesel engines are both supported.
Pricing starts at ¥3.96 million (about $25,300) for Graphite Gray and ¥3.85 million ($24,600) for Meld Grey, plus another ¥150,000 ($960) in miscellaneous costs. Add the roughly ¥4 million ($25,600) required to buy a used Prado in the first place, and you’re staring at a total near ¥8 million ($51,200).
That’s a tough sell when a brand-new Land Cruiser 250 starts at ¥5.2 million ($33,300) in Japan—and even the larger, more advanced Land Cruiser 300 undercuts the Newscape build on price.
Which raises an awkward question. If sustainability is the mission, does it make sense to spend more money refurbishing an older SUV than buying a new one outright? Toyota seems to think the answer is yes—at least for buyers who value preservation over progress, or who simply want to keep a familiar, well-proven Land Cruiser alive a little longer.
In that light, the Prado Newscape isn’t about logic. It’s about loyalty—and Toyota is betting that still counts for something.
Nearly 40 years after the original Lotus Esprit S1 vanished from showrooms—and long after Bond drove one into the ocean—the wedge is back. Sort of. A start-up called Encor, staffed by former Lotus engineers and designers, has built what is essentially a modern reboot of the original Esprit. And they’ve done it with the kind of obsessive engineering zeal that would make Colin Chapman grin.
Only 50 examples will be made, each priced from around £430,000, before you even source the donor car. Excessive? Yes. Logical? Not even remotely. But if you’ve ever been seduced by the razor-edged silhouette of an Esprit, this might be the purest expression of that fantasy yet.
A Classic Shape, Rebuilt From the Molecules Up
Despite the retro silhouette, this isn’t a restoration. It’s a complete reinvention, using the Series 4 V8 as a starting point because of its stronger backbone chassis. Encor strips off the original glassfibre shell and bolts on a bespoke carbon-fibre body, dimensionally identical to the 1976 S1 but far stiffer and roughly half the weight.
Chief designer Dan Durrant—yes, the same talent behind the Lotus Emira—says the mission was clear: respect the Giugiaro-penned original without being enslaved by it. That explains the subtle smoothing of lines, the LED-equipped pop-ups with a shallower rise angle, and the retrofuturistic DRLs—including eight tiny rear light signatures nodding to the V8 cylinders.
Gone is the black stripe that once separated the upper and lower shells of the original car. That detail wasn’t actually design flair—it hid a bonding flange. With modern materials, Encor simply didn’t need it. Cleaner surfacing follows naturally.
The V8 the S1 Never Got
The original Esprit S1 made do with a four-cylinder engine that, according to Encor, simply wouldn’t deliver the emotional punch modern drivers expect. So they turned to the Type 918 3.5-litre twin-turbo V8 from the S4.
Then they re-engineered that.
New pistons, injectors, turbos, and calibration bump output to 400 hp at 6200 rpm and 350 lb-ft at 5000 rpm. With a curb weight of just 1200 kg, the power-to-weight ratio lands at 333 hp per ton—on par with a 2018 Aston Martin Vantage.
The result? 0–62 mph in 4.0 seconds and a 175-mph top speed. That’s nearly twice as quick off the line as the 1970s original.
The V8 breathes through a modern electronic throttle and new ECU that improves precision and drivability without diluting the old-school feel.
A Transmission Resurrected
The period five-speed manual was a notorious weak point. Packaging constraints prevented swapping in anything bigger, so Encor did the next best thing—re-engineered the gearbox internals while keeping the original casing. Only a handful of components carry over. The unit also gains a limited-slip differential for strength and traction.
According to the team, solving the gearbox bottleneck allowed them to safely elevate engine output without fear of mechanical shrapnel.
Analogue Soul, Modern Bones
Encor wanted authenticity, not McLaren stiffness. So while the car boasts completely new suspension, anti-roll bars, and electronics, the ride philosophy remains faithful to the Esprit’s famously compliant, communicative nature.
They even kept the original hydraulic power steering—often praised as one of the best systems ever fitted to a road car.
One major concession to the 21st century is the electronic parking brake, chosen not for convenience but for packaging benefits that allowed larger rear brakes, improved bulkhead reinforcement, and reduced weight.
Beneath the skin is a modern safety structure, including an integrated carbon-fibre cage—something the original desperately lacked.
Inside the Retro Time Capsule
The cabin mixes nostalgia with the tech buyers expect in a £430k machine. A slim 10.1-inch central screen, digital driver’s display, and modern controls coexist with period-inspired cues: the wood-topped shifter, vintage-style mirror, and original indicator stalks. Nothing feels gimmicky; it’s more like a respectful remix.
And while Lotus has no official involvement, Encor’s team hopes the mother ship views the project as a spiritual companion rather than an unauthorized remix.
Purity Over Progress
Perhaps the most surprising admission: yes, they considered electrification. And no, it didn’t last long. The team determined that an EV would undermine the car’s purpose: a lightweight, mechanical, analogue driving experience that channels the spirit of the 1970s without the fragility.
“There’s no point turning it into a modern hyper-stiff thing,” says Encor’s engineers. “This car is about purity.”
An Icon Reborn for Those Who Remember
With only 50 cars to be built—plus the requirement to supply a rare Series 4 donor—this isn’t a mass-market revival. It’s a love letter. A reinterpretation of one of Britain’s most recognizable sports cars by the people who once built them.
It’s also a reminder that some shapes are too good to die, some driving experiences too precious to bury under screens and sound deadening. Encor hasn’t just revived the Esprit—they’ve given it the performance, structure, and engineering it always deserved.
A reimagined classic? Absolutely. But more importantly, a wedge-shaped time machine built for drivers who still believe a great sports car should talk back.
