It’s no secret that the new Honda/Acura NSX has rather huge shoes to fill and now we can finally watch it go against its predecessor in its purest form, the unashamedly pure 2002 NSX R.

The two cars couldn’t be more different indeed, with the old NSX R being a hardcore sports car built with immense attention to detail and the new NSX being a technological tour-de-force, even employing real torque vectoring on its front axle.

We all know that the most direct way of judging a car is a track, with DriveTribe taking these two Japanese warriors in UK’s Anglesey circuit.

The second-gen NSX R focused primarily on shedding some unnecessary weight off it, with Honda using carbon-fiber for the construction of the hood, deck lid and the hollow rear spoiler. They then went on and removed things like sound insulation, air-conditioning and even the power steering among other things. The end result was a car that weighs almost 100kg (220lbs) less than the original, tipping the scales at 1,270kg (2,800lbs).

The new NSX on the other hand opted for another direction, employing three electric motors, a twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 and a nine-speed dual-clutch transmission in order to offer the punch of a modern supercar, combined with the advanced dynamic character that only the latest technology can offer.

Which of the two leaves Jethro Bovingdon more impressed? Watch the video below and find out.

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