Acura dealers across the United States can now sell you a new transmission case for a car designed in the late 1980s. That’s the reality of the Honda Heritage Parts program, which has just opened its catalog of more than 3,000 reproduction parts for the first-generation NSX to American owners.
The program launched in Japan earlier this year. Now it has crossed the Pacific, and Honda is offering far more than a few rubber seals and badges.
Honda splits the effort into two categories. Genuine Honda Reproduction Parts are built using the same methods and materials as the originals, while Honda Compatible Parts are newly engineered to replace components that can no longer be made the old way.
The NSX parts fall into the first group. These are factory reproductions, not aftermarket guesses.
The list reads like a teardown manual. Take a 1994 NSX with the four-speed automatic.
Owners of that car can order fuel injectors, a throttle body, exhaust manifold components, an oil cooler and an alternator. Cylinder head covers, camshafts and timing belts are on the list too.
The drivetrain gets the same treatment. Both the automatic and manual gearboxes are covered, down to gear shafts, shift forks, bolts and shift levers. If the case itself is cracked, Honda will sell you a new one.
Then come the parts that age quietly until they fail. Radiators, electrical connectors, headlights, taillights and gauges are all available, along with wheels, brakes and shock absorbers.
A chipped windshield used to mean weeks of scouring salvage yards and owner forums. Now you just order one.
The everyday stuff is here as well. Spark plugs, wiper blades, fuel pumps and genuine oil filters sit alongside the heavy hardware, so the program serves the weekend driver as much as the ground-up restorer.
Not every part fits every car, since availability depends on model year, trim and transmission. Owners can buy through Acura dealerships or online through the Honda DreamShop.
Mamadou Diallo, executive vice president at American Honda Motor, pitched the move as keeping cars on the road rather than behind velvet ropes. “By supporting our customers in preserving the legacy of the NSX, we’re celebrating our shared passion for these iconic sports cars and keeping them on the road for today’s enthusiasts and future generations,” he said.
The NSX, built from 1991 to 2005, is the first model to get this treatment. Honda says more will follow but hasn’t said which ones, which leaves S2000 and early Integra Type R owners refreshing the website.
There’s one catch for Americans. In Japan, Honda pairs the catalog with the Honda Restoration Service, which offers full factory restorations of first-generation NSX models using those same reproduced parts.
That service is limited to Japan and to JDM cars. American owners get the parts, while Japanese owners get the parts and the factory hands to fit them.
Few carmakers bother tooling up to make camshafts and transmission cases for a car two decades out of production. Honda is doing it, and the rest of the industry should be paying attention.
The catalog is open. The restoration bay, for now, stays in Japan.
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