reports, Honda’s Performance division introduced the NSX Type S for the nameplate’s final run. Equipped with a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 pumping out 520 horsepower and three electric motors to produce additional thrust, the 2022 Acura NSX Type S delivers a combined output of 600 horsepower and 492 lb.-ft. of torque with an expected 0-to-60 time of 2.7 seconds.

With a claimed top speed of 191 mph, it’s definitely going out on a high note. The catch? Honda/Acura is only producing 350 of these models for its final year globally (where it’s known as the Honda NSX), with 300 of those destined for North America.

All of these vehicles have been spoken for—

it sold out within 24 hours

—so even if you could afford the $171,495 price tag, you’d be too late anyway.

A history of performance, an inspiration for McLaren

The Acura NSX was introduced by Honda to compete in the mid-engined supercar segment. Originally equipped with a 270-horsepower, 3.0-liter V-6 VTEC engine, the NSX was lauded as a contemporary competitor to the Ferrari 348.

It was also used as inspiration by Gordon Murray in designing the McLaren F1 supercar, particularly the chassis; Murray recalled how driving the prototype first-generation NSX in the late 1980s set a new design goal for the McLaren F1:

“Of course as you know, the engine has only six cylinders,” wrote Murray. “However, the NSX's very rigid chassis is excellent and would easily be capable of handling more power. Although it's true I had thought it would have been better to put a larger engine, the moment I drove the "little" NSX, all the benchmark cars--Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini—I had been using as references in the development of my car vanished from my mind. Of course the car we would create, the McLaren F1, needed to be faster than the NSX, but the NSX's ride quality and handling would become our new design target.”

While the first generation was well-loved, its second generation came with some updates that divided enthusiasts, such as an automatic dual-clutch transmission with paddle shifters replacing the stick shift.

The NSX has also found itself (or its parts, to be exact) in some interesting and not-quite-on-brand places. The Oscar-Mayer Wienermobile, for example, features differential bearings from a first-generation NSX.

MORE: Electric Car or Hybrid: Take a Quiz to Figure Out Which Is Right for Your Needs

Is this the end of the Acura NSX?

It is—for now. Acura Vice President Jon Ikeda previously told

CNET

: "If you notice, we make an NSX when there's something we want to say. The first-gen was gas. Second-gen was a hybrid. There's gonna be another one."

What this might imply is the NSX could come back in a few years as an all-electric model. With many automakers turning to electrified vehicles, it would make sense for Honda to set its sights on a performance EV to succeed the previous gas and hybrid iterations. But for now, we’ll have to wait and see.

Until then, check out the new (and slightly more sensible)

Honda Accord

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