Is Honda hatching a baby supercar?

This is the sort of newsy discovery that generally sends automotive websites into meltdown. According to an American media outlet, Honda has just applied for a trademark application to the European Union Intellectual Property Office for the letter combination “ZSX”.

Beer has been spilt in consternation and beards have been stroked in rumination: the best conclusion anyone can draw is that perhaps we’re about to see a cut- price baby NSX.

This is good news for anyone who might find the US$ 150,000 retail sticker ( NZ$ 208,000) on the NSX a bit of a stretch. But just how much less could Honda ( or Acura in the US, where the hybrid supercar is badged under Honda’s luxury arm) sell a ZSX for?

Porsche 718 Cayman money ($ 123,900 in New Zealand) would be a good start, although should right- hand drive NSXs — er, sorry, ZSXs — make it here you can bet they’ll cost substantially more than that. To stretch the Porsche comparison a beat longer, we’re still thinking mid- level 911 money.

So what of the potential power available from a baby NSX? The current supercar features an electric motor- assisted twin turbo 3.5- litre V6. Italian car blog Automoto claims a source within Honda told it a ZSX would likely be powered by a version of the 2.0- litre four- cylinder turbo found in the Northern Hemispheremarket Civic Type R, working with electric motors on the front and rear axles, just like the full- bore NSX. That same source alleges we might see a supposed ZSX as early as next year, at the International Auto Show in Detroit.