---
title: "This 1992 Acura NSX Is Getting a Turbo Three-Rotor Hybrid Drivetrain"
description: "When Javier Cantres won a modified 1992 Acura NSX in a raffle, he almost went the K-swap route—until he had a more exciting idea."
date: "2023-08-15"
modified: "2023-08-15"
authors:
  - name: "James Gilboy"
    job_title: "Contributing Writer"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/james-gilboy"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/this-1992-acura-nsx-is-getting-a-turbo-three-rotor-hybrid-drivetrain"
categories:
  - "Culture"
  - "News"
tags:
  - "acura"
  - "honda"
  - "mazda"
  - "NSX"
---

# This 1992 Acura NSX Is Getting a Turbo Three-Rotor Hybrid Drivetrain

![1992 Acura NSX with a tri-rotor Wankel engine in its engine bay](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/14/1992-acura-nsx-rotary-20b-tri-rotor-turbo-hybrid-swap.jpg>)
*\<em\>@awolcustoms\_kw on Instagram\</em\>*

The [original Acura NSX](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/42807/owner-puts-330000-miles-on-acura-nsx-i-love-driving-it-too-much>) is one of those cars most of us don't consider needing modification. But if you get your hands on one someone else already sullied, you may as well go hog wild—perhaps by building what may just be the first [Wankel](<https://www.thedrive.com/cars-101/38493/rotary-engine>) tri-rotor NSX.

So thought master mechanic and custom car builder [Javier Cantres](<https://www.instagram.com/awolcustoms_kw/>), who saved for years to afford an NSX before simply winning one in a raffle. It had already been modified with an unknown widebody, so he bought all the parts to build a 1,000-horsepower [K-series](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/k-swapped-jet-boat-hits-sweet-jumps-on-the-river>) for it—only to change his mind at the last second. Instead, he'd swap in a [Mazda](<https://www.thedrive.com/category/mazda-news>) rotary engine.

"I'm Puerto Rican, so right off the bat, we love [rotary motors](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/36426/the-11-6-liter-big-block-diesel-rotary-was-just-too-good-for-this-world>)," Cantres told us.

![A black 1992 Acura NSX, shown from the side. The car is black with black wheels and a visible yellow front brake caliper. Its body has been widened.](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/14/Snapinsta.app_357439724_1283923452212323_4032568431075986904_n_1080.jpg>)
*Cantres' 1992 Acura NSX that will receive a turbo tri-rotor Wankel engine. *@awolcustoms\_kw on Instagram**

That's when a golden opportunity landed in his lap. Someone was selling an [FD RX-7](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/this-six-rotor-mazda-rx-7-will-make-you-plug-your-ears-and-grin>) project car, and it came with something special: a custom three-rotor short crank. [Tri-rotor 20B engines](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/12566/listen-to-this-3-rotor-mazda-rx-8-rally-car-sing>) are as desirable as they are expensive, and a market has popped up for custom cranks designed to use more attainable parts from the 13B two-rotor. They're still not cheap though, and getting one as a package deal with the unbuilt project car was a steal.

Then came the hard part.

Cantres planned to mount the engine transversely using the manual transmission from an [Acura RSX](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/40540/the-acura-integra-type-r-will-always-be-my-favorite-but-an-acura-rsx-type-s-is-nicer-to-drive>), modified to shift sequentially. But sourcing an adapter plate was delayed a year by a middleman who kept giving him the "run-around," in his words, never delivering on his promise. Eventually, Cantres got in touch with a machinist who better understood what he was looking for, and the part was done in a flash. With that and the custom starter motor bracket sorted too, in-car mockup could finally begin the following weekend.

![Short-crank 13B-based tri-rotor engine](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/14/Snapinsta.app_366104033_1006702327137500_3242620932935017441_n_1080.jpg>)

![Short-crank 13B-based tri-rotor engine, fitted to a 1992 Honda NSX](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/14/Snapinsta.app_366438177_580895517352064_6028758625305068550_n_1080.jpg>)

Cantres says he's making every mod a bolt-in, so the car can be reverted to stock if desired. The tri-rotor setup will apparently improve the weight distribution, even with a turbo and [flex-fuel](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/43516/tuning-your-car-to-run-e85-could-be-easier-than-you-think>) setup added on. He'll cut weight with a full handmade titanium intake and exhaust setup, as well.

Because too much power made [his 1,378-hp, all-wheel-drive, eight-second Honda Accord drag car](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHKT2_1UJK4>) no fun on the road, Cantres' plan for the NSX is to keep it a street car. It'll get air conditioning, a heater, and just for the hell of it, electric motors in its front hubs, like [the second-generation NSX](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/44076/2022-acura-nsx-type-s-first-drive-review-going-out-with-a-bang>).

He still hopes to use it for time attack, though, and expects it all to be ready for 2024's SEMA Show. It's hard to imagine a tri-rotor, hybrid NSX being anything other than the belle of the ball.

*Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: james@thedrive.com*

## Author
James is a former staff writer for The Drive. He has changed the conversation around electrification, debunked misinformation online, and become a prominent hunter of what he calls "automotive cryptids."

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/jamesgilboy>)