While the NSX always was intended to be a world-class sports car, engineers had made some compromises in order to strike a suitable balance between raw performance and daily driveability. For those NSX customers seeking a no-compromise racing experience, Honda decided in 1992 to produce a version of the NSX specifically modified for superior on-track performance at the expense of customary creature comforts. Thus, the NSX Type R (or NSX-R) was born. Honda chose to use its moniker of Type-R to designate the NSX-R's race-oriented design.
The changes to the JGTC Honda NSX race cars were apparently so fundamental that Honda had to make a certain number of road legal vehicles to comply with the JGTC rules. Only five NSX-R GT models will be made and all of them had already been sold.