CurtWhen you think of an NSX in 2026, “project car” isn’t really the first thing that comes to mind. Yes, every 90s JDM legend is a project by nature, but when you can’t find a decent example for under $150k AUD, you’re not exactly throwing it around a track on any given Sunday.
That’s not Blake’s problem. Blake drives it like its not a museum piece.
How do I know? Because I’ve heard it. All three litres of VTEC fury singing past me at Honda Nationals last year. I remember it clearly, pulled off the racing line, slapped the Civic into neutral, and just let him go. That’s the kind of car that makes you stop what you’re doing.
The funny thing is, I already knew of Blake, I just didn’t know I knew him. A few years back I was hunting parts for my ED Civic and got pointed toward some guy in Vic making 3D printed trumpets for dual-carb D15 motors. Messaged him on Facebook, fitted them up, and had my little ED dorting around the west side of Vic sounding absolutely filthy.
Fast forward to Nationals 2025. I’m looking at the timesheet and I see “Blake Jones – NSX.” The name nagged at me all day. (I think) This was around the same time as the news broke that EA was shutting Speedhunters down, and something clicked.
Oh, it’s that Blake Jones. The NSX. Speedhunters. Yeah, that’s sick.
So I decided to lock in a shoot with Blake, but I wanted it to mean something. There’s a bit of pressure that comes with photographing another photographer’s car. You want to get it right.
I’ll be honest, I spent a good chunk of my late teens getting caught by my boss staring at Speedhunters when I should’ve been working.
I always admired the photographers contributing to that site. The idea that I’d one day be pointing a camera at one of their feature cars wasn’t something I’d ever really entertained.
My idea was simple: call Honda Australia and see if we could use a branded location. Turns out they were more than happy to have us. So on a grey, overcast Melbourne afternoon we rocked up to Eastern Honda and got to work. Between shots we had a proper yarn with an unexpected guest in the form of tomgineering. We chatted about the car, where it’s been, what’s gone into it, and the usual rabbit hole of Honda chat that tends to happen when two or more people who care too much about these things end up in the same car park. The clouds did us a favour too.
Here’s the build breakdown (its a long one!):
Exterior:
Racing Factory Yamamoto NSX-R style hood
Racing Factory Yamamoto front lip
Replica NSX-R engine cover
Marga Hills GT wing
Engine:
Custom multi-throttle (ITB) intake
48mm throttles (RHD engineering)
DBW actuation (EFI Hardware)
Carbon airbox & custom intake (custom, Reverie, Racing Factory Yamamoto components)
Engineering, calibration and tuning by 909 Motorsport
Toda Racing Spec A Camshafts
Toda Racing oil pump
Bosch Motorsport EV14 Injectors
Bosch Motorsport BR300i Fuel Pump
Bosch Motorsport sensors
Bosch Motorsport ‘R8’ ignition coils
909 Motorsport custom fuel rail setup
Haltech Elite 2500 w/ Boomslang adapter harness
Fujitsubo exhaust manifolds
SARD catalytic converters
Custom rear exhaust section (SP Mufflers)
Koyo radiator
Racing Factory Yamamoto enlarged oil sump
Spoon lightweight alternator bracket
Transmission:
ATS Carbon LSD
Genuine NSX-R shift mechanism
Genuine NSX-R clutch pedal assembly
4.235 final drive (NSX-R)
Science of Speed sport 275 clutch & flywheel
Interior:
Cobra Nogaro buckets, colour-matched paint & stitching
GuargeArt CAN gauge
Spoon/Momo steering wheel
Cartek shift lights
Genuine NSX-R shifter & boot
Lightweight 5.1 channel sound system
Suspension/Chassis:
KW Clubsport coilovers
Spoon Rigid Collars
Genuine NSX-R front chassis braces
Genuine NSX-R front sway bar
Genuine NSX-R engine &; gearbox mounts
Wheels, Tyres & Brakes:
Bosch Motorsport M5 ABS, 909 Motorsport plug-and-play fitment kit
Biot Brembo Modena front caliper & rotor
Biot floating rear rotor upgrade
Genuine NSX-R brake pedal assembly
OZ Chrono custom paint colour F 17×8 + R 18×9.5
Yokohama Advan AD09
