Honda Has a Plan to Give Some of Your Favorite Classic Cars Another Chance

The Japanese automaker is launching a comprehensive heritage initiative to preserve its discontinued enthusiast vehicles.

Red sports car rear side with black roof and silver five-spoke wheel on a dark surface.

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By Gray Van Dyke

Published December 15, 2025

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Updated December 16, 2025

Whether it’s Porsche and the 911, JLR and the Defender or Toyota and the Land Cruiser (among many other examples), nowadays, many automakers are providing parts and restoration services for the models that have defined their brand.

That said, it’s far from a new concept. Following the introduction of the first-generation NSX in 1991, Honda introduced its “NSX Refresh Program” just two years later as a means to provide owners with continued service and ensure long-term driving enjoyment.

Red Acura NSX sports car front view on a road with clear blue sky background. — Shortly after the launch of the NSX, Honda introduced its Refresh Program to provide owners with continued support.

While the Big Red brought that initiative to a close this past summer, it just unveiled a new project that promises to be even more far-reaching in its efforts. It’s called Honda Heritage Works, and it’ll give the automaker’s most iconic classics a new lease on life.

A catalog of unobtainable parts

Based on Honda’s announcement, it’s to be a two-pronged effort consisting of a catalog of ‘Honda Heritage Parts’ as well as a ‘Honda Restoration Service’.

Mechanic in white uniform working under a raised red car in a brightly lit auto repair shop. — Honda’s Heritage Works initiative is a two-pronged effort that involves continued parts support and exhaustive restoration services.

In the case of the former, this means that the automaker will be offering both Genuine Honda Heritage Compatible Parts and Genuine Honda Heritage Reproduction Parts.

It’s a comprehensive approach to providing support for models that have long been discontinued, as it taps a network of third-party parts suppliers with modern technologies while simultaneously providing components crafted using original materials and production methods.

Disassembled V12 engine components including cylinder heads, pistons, crankshaft, camshafts, and valve springs arranged on a black background. — Honda will be offering new compatible parts as well as reproduction parts through its Heritage Parts lineup.

Per Honda, both types of parts will be sold globally under the Honda Heritage Parts lineup. Moreover, in addition to keeping a running list of parts available online, Honda will also be distributing its Heritage Parts through the same networks as its modern components.

Given how it’s become increasingly difficult for Honda to maintain a catalog to support its heritage models, this amounts to a game-changer for current and prospective classic owners alike. By working directly with suppliers, Honda is ensuring that the aftermarket will be alive and well for years to come.

Red sports car with hood open suspended above two workers assembling parts in a factory setting. — Honda’s Heritage Works restoration service will be available in both ‘Basic Restoration’ and ‘Total Restoration’ options.

Factory-backed restoration options

As part of its efforts to expand its support for its classics, Honda will also be relaunching its NSX Refresh Program as the ‘Honda Restoration Service’. As the name suggests, the initiative will use Honda Heritage Parts to “restore the vehicle’s original performance, look and feel as faithfully as possible.”

According to Honda, the service menu will be defined by two options: Basic Restoration and Total Restoration.

Rear view of a red sports car with dual exhausts in a water spray testing chamber. — Though Honda will only be offering the restoration services in Japan, its parts will be available globally.

Should you spring for the ‘Basic,’ Honda will address performance-related items such as the engine, the suspension or the transmission. It’s more of a piecemeal approach that caters to frequently requested service items.

By contrast, the ‘Total’ option is, as you’d expect, much more comprehensive in nature. Along with overhauling the exterior body and paint, it involves bringing the interior back to factory freshness, though each project is tailored according to the condition of the donor vehicle.

While it’s unfortunate that the service will be exclusive to Japan for the time being, Honda is, at the very least, committed. As part of the launch of the Heritage Works initiative, the Big Red renamed its Tochigi Prefecture-based Refresh Center to be ‘Honda Heritage Works Takanezawa.’

The NSX picks up where the Refresh Program left off, but Honda has plans to expand its efforts to include other classic sports models, as well.

Honda

The NSX is only the beginning

The Heritage Works initiative is to pick up where the Refresh Program left off by beginning its restoration and parts services with the first-generation NSX. However, Honda has stated that it will expand to “other classic sport-type models” down the road. Think cars like the S2000, the Prelude and the Civic Type R, as well as other Acura-badged examples like the Integra.

In any case, applications for first-generation NSX restoration will be accepted starting January 2026, with work scheduled to begin in April. If you’d like to learn more about the program in the meantime, you can head to the Honda Heritage Works website.

About the Author: Gray is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, motorcycles and anything else with wheels. When he’s not chasing the latest industry news, he’s probably wrenching on one of many projects. For better or worse, he believes classics make perfectly practical daily drivers.

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