Acura NSX concept pictures

Other than the Lexus LF-LC, the car that has caused the greatest excitement here in Detroit is the Acura NSX. If you're not familiar with Acura, it's Honda's premium brand - relating to it in the same way Lexus does to Toyota. But worry not about that, because if this car comes to Europe, and there will be a riot if it doesn't, it will be badged as a Honda.

Those of you with long memories might remember the original NSX – launched in 1989, it defined the modern, usable supercar. The late, great Ayrton Senna had a hand in its development. It used aluminium in its structure years before anyone at Audi thought it might be a good idea and - a novelty for supercars at the time - it could be relied upon to start, first time, every time, come rain or shine, 365 days of the year.

Without the NSX, modern supercars such as the Audi R8 might not exist, so it's amusing to see how much similarity there is between the two from the front. But other than that, this is a handsome, impressive design. If you're thinking it's a little underwhelming, be assured it looks better in the metal than in photos. It looks light and fast and is small, and we think that's a very good set of attributes for a supercar to have - it should mean it's quick and handles well.

And while it's a concept, we're assured that a production, road-going NSX is coming within 3 years and that it won't be too far away from this in terms of looks. Hopefully, at a motor show between now and then we might be able to tell you what the interior and tech spec list is like, too - because right now this is just an exterior study. A shame, but consider our appetite whetted.

Post-Detroit, it seems that Acura is stepping up publicity of this car too. And there's now a Seinfeld advert which will air during the Superbowl, which we've included below:

Would you buy a Honda supercar?