Back in the early 1990s when the Japanese auto industry went sports car crazy churning out models like the third generation Mazda RX-7, the Mitsubishi 3000GT, the Nissan 300ZX and Skyline GT-R, and the Toyota Supra, one vehicle stood out from the rest and that was the Honda / Acura NSX.

The NSX taught American and European car manufactures a lesson or two on how to build a high-performance sports car that not only looked good but also was reliable and reasonably priced for what it had to offer.

The fact that it remained in production virtually unchanged for 15 years from 1990 to 2005 is a testament to the innovation of its original design.

With close to 7 million views on YouTube in just three days after it launched, Acura's first ever Super Bowl commercial titled "Transactions" with Jerry Seinfeld trying to be the first in line to take delivery on the upcoming NSX, is one of the most watched ads of this year's game.

Therefore, it only makes sense that Acura will bet heavily on the commercial to create more buzz around its name.

Following the extended version of the original ad, Acura has released a second commercial with Jerry Seinfeld, who once again attempts to convince the man who secured the first NSX to give him his place through bribery, which in this case involves a Munchkin.

The Honda group isn't playing games with its Super Bowl spots this year, that's for sure. After recruiting Matthew Broderick to reprise his role as Ferris Bueller in the 2012 Honda CR-X ad, the Japanese firm's premium brand Acura has hired its own stars for its first ever Super Bowl appearance.

The new Acura spot for the upcoming NSX features comedian Jerry Seinfeld with Tonight Show host Jay Leno making a special appearance towards the end of the commercial, the extended version of which you can see right after the break.

The ad shows Jerry Seinfeld going to extremes to be able to be the first one in line to buy the Acura NSX hybrid sports car (seen here in concept guise) that's scheduled to go on sale in 2015, only to be beaten in the end by Leno.

Now that was pretty fast. The creators of Sony's wildly successful Gran Turismo racing game series have released a new video that brings to life both the brand-new Acura NSX Concept that was revealed just the other day at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show and the original model, which was marketed under the Honda brand name outside North America. Read more »

Acura has just introduced the NSX Concept at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and these are the first official photos.

The Japanese automaker has shown several concept models over the years for a replacement to the iconic Honda / Acura NSX that was built from 1990 until 2005, but for one reason or the other, none of them managed to reach the production phase

This time, however, Acura says the NSX Concept is the real deal with the production model to debut within the next three years. Interestingly, Acura says that it will developed by an engineering team led by Honda R&D Americas, and manufactured in Ohio, at a yet to be named facility.

Like the original model, the NSX features a mid-mounted naturally aspirated V6 engine but with a twist; Acura's engineers added the firm's Sport Hybrid SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) hybrid system that utilizes three electric motors.

The star of Acura's lineup will be a concept version of the next generation NSX super car which in the company's own words, "represents the styling direction for the next generation of Acura's super sports car".

When Honda CEO Takanobu Ito confirmed the NSX replacement, it made sense that the new sports car would be revealed at the Japanese company's home turf. However, Honda displayed the compact EV-STER concept instead, a small RWD roadster that resembles the 1990’s Beat.

There’s no reason for disappointment though as British publication Autocar is reporting that Honda plans to debut a new concept called 'Super Sports' at the Detroit Motor Show in mid-January.

The bottom line is that: the new NSX is coming; it will be a real sports car in the vein of the original (that is, lightweight and easy to drive); it will probably use next-generation hybrid technology; its unveiling is imminent and it could go on sale much sooner than anyone suspected.

[2003 Honda HSC Concept pictured above]

On the sidelines of this year's Frankfurt Motor Show, Ito-San reaffirmed the company's commitment to build an NSX successor.

“I spent part of my early career at Honda developing the NSX, and specifically the aluminium body," Ito told reporters from UK's Autocar. "I really enjoyed the experience and learned much, so my wish is that Honda engineers have the experience of developing a sportscar like the NSX in the future. Within Honda, our engineers are already looking at developing such a car,” he added.