Back in 1984, the peeps at Honda commissioned Italian design house Pininfarina with the HP-X concept. A mid-engined styling exercise, the Honda Pininfari.
It was unusual, and it still is, for a mass-market car producer to create a vehicle designed for enthusiasts. Still, Honda took the challenge, created the first Japanese supercar, and admitted that it was an experiment, hiding that in plain sight: into the nameplate.