Honda HP-X Concept
July 31, 2024
See the Precursor to the NSX Supercar in the Wedge-Shaped Concept Cars and Prototypes Class
Honda is turning back the clock 40 years, with the North American debut of the company’s very first concept car, the Honda HP-X, at the 73rd Annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Styled and handcrafted by renowned Italian design house Pininfarina, the radical wedge-shaped HP-X (Honda Pininfarina eXperimental) set the stage for the iconic first-generation NSX supercar. The Honda HP-X will be the first car of a Japanese automaker in over 50 years to be featured on the world’s most prestigious competition field.
Following an extensive restoration carried out at the Pininfarina workshop in Italy, the legendary Honda HP-X concept will be displayed in the Wedge-Shaped Concept Cars and Prototypes Class.
“The Honda HP-X concept was the star of the 1984 Turin Auto Show, with extreme wedge-shape styling that continues to inspire future generations of car designers and engineers,” said Dave Marek, Acura executive creative director and honorary Concours d’Elegance judge. “The forward-thinking Honda HP-X not only shaped the design of products like the NSX, it had an undeniable impact on the industry, highlighting our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in automotive design.”
The HP-X emphasized aerodynamics, efficiency and innovative cooling solutions for its mid-mounted 2.0-liter DOHC 24-valve V6 engine. The are no doors, instead the futuristic concept features a jet-fighter style removable single-piece Perspex canopy.
HP-X served as a testbed for ambitious new ideas, technologies and engineering principles that would eventually be seen in later Honda and Acura models, particularly in the development of the mid-engine two-seat NSX, the company’s first supercar produced from 1991-2005.
Powered by a 3.0-liter DOHC 24-valve V6 engine, the first-generation NSX embodied many of the concepts and innovations first explored in the HP-X, cementing the concept car’s place in automotive history.
Learn more at Hondanews.com
