Upgraded 2022 Honda NSX spied testing: Is this the long-promised Type R?

Photographers have snapped what could be a prototype for an upcoming, flagship version of the 2021 Honda NSX supercar, potentially wearing Type R or Type S badging.

Images posted to Instagram by user @nsxjon show a current NSX wearing new front and rear ends which, despite being wrapped in camouflage, are noticeably more aggressive than those of the car axed from Australian Honda showrooms in 2020.

The prototype’s front end scores reshaped air intakes – which draw a similarity to the NSX Roadster concept created for the Avengers film – while the rear is home to an enlarged lower diffuser.

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It’s not known for what purpose the parts have been applied to the test car – however, it’s possible long-running rumours of a high-performance NSX variant will finally come to fruition, wearing Type R or Type S badging.

Japan’s Best Car reported in late 2020 that an NSX Type R is due in October 2021, with an uprated 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 hybrid system developing 478kW (up 51kW over the standard car).

However, the outlet backtracked on its rumours in early 2021, indicating that a launch has been pushed back to 2022, and that a switch from all- to rear-wheel-drive could be under consideration.

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Alternatively, the lack of a large fixed rear wing (as seen on the Civic Type R hot hatch) has led others to speculate the prototype could preview a facelift for the NSX – its first since the model launched in 2016, following some minor updates for 2019.

Look closely though the rear window and what appears to be a new infotainment display can be seen – likely the 10.2-inch unit fitted to the new US-market Acura TLX – addressing one of the key complaints with the current car, its multimedia interface.

While the US might benefit from an updated Honda (or Acura) NSX in the coming years, Australia will miss out, given the hybrid supercar was axed locally in 2020 after selling just nine examples in four years.

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Below: The current Honda NSX