Is an Acura NSX Spider coming soon?

When the Acura NSX was introduced at the 2012 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, it was arguably the most talked about car to debut this year. Then details about plans to build the NSX in the U.S.A. were released and finally, one of the hottest ads during this year's Super Bowl capped it all off.

Or did it?

Fresh rumors about a planned Acura NSX Spider model have surfaced in a popular Honda and Acura forum. Said to be design sketches from an unnamed French automotive blog, they have been sourced to the European Patent Office from a February 22 filing by Honda. Six total images were filed in wire frame along with some 3D renderings of the fixed-roof version that debuted in Detroit.

Helping to fuel these rumors is the recent sighting of an unnamed Acura on the set of the upcoming Avengers movie. The movie, which stars Robert Downey, Jr. reprising his role as Tony Stark / Iron Man, shows Stark in a custom-built Acura convertible that looks much like the NSX. Acura spokesman Gary Robinson has been quoted as saying that the Avenger's car is a "one-off fictional car that was created just for the film." He may have spoken too soon or may have been referring to the specific styling of the car, given that it does step away from the NSX in several details. If the company were not yet ready to announce a Spider version, his comments would make sense in context.

Given that the Acura used in the movie was built long before this patent filing, it's curious that it would appear in the patent office now. It gives credence to the idea that Acura may be planning to build an NSX Spider based on the model in the Avenger's movie, but with styling details (which the drawings show) closer to the production NSX hard top. If so, it would be a huge slam-bam follow up on Honda's part, keeping the Acura NSX buzz alive as it nears production.

If so, it will be a welcome, awesome addition to the showroom at any Acura dealer.