The NSX gets a fresh look for 2002, exchanging its pop-up headlights for fixed HID lights and sporting larger wheels. Tail lights have been updated for the new model year, as has the suspension. Acura introduced the NSX to North America in 1989, touting it as a supercar for Everyman and Everywoman. Power came from a 3.0-liter VTEC V6 engine, which produced 270 horsepower at 7100 rpm.

At the time its suggested price of a little over $50,000 was indeed a bargain, given the NSX's level of performance and quality, not to mention the stratospheric prices of similar cars. However, many early buyers were speculators hoping to reap huge profits from a feeding frenzy that never materialized.

The NSX's peak sales year was its first, and recent American sales volumes have been considerably less. For the 1997 model year, the NSX was equipped with a larger 3.2-liter V6 producing 290 horsepower; it was mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. The NSX is both a performance car as well as an image car, combining cutting-edge design techniques and materials. While the changes for 2002 may appear to be primarily for styling, the drag coefficient has been reduced from .32 to .30, increasing the NSX's top speed to 175 mph.

The NSX went on sale to considerable fanfare. Part of that fanfare had to do with price, because this new entrant from Honda's luxury division was the most expensive Japanese-brand car on the U.S. market. Because of its instant popularity, too, dealers began to sell them for more than sticker price.