An Acura NSX prototype in testing.

The return of the Acura NSX steadily approaches — and after giving the public a preview with a pair of prototypes on the auto show circuit the last two years, the luxury arm of Honda Motor Co. will reveal a running version of the supercar early next month.

While still more than 18 months away from production, an NSX runner will make its debut during a lap of the Mid-Ohio racetrack prior to the Izod IndyCar Series running on August 4^th. Considering the event is titled the Honda Indy 200 and takes place close to the heart of the maker’s North American operations makes the venue seem only logical.

Based on photos showing the new Acura NSX in testing, it appears that the running prototype retains the basic proportions and design details of the updated supercar concept revealed during the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. That model was slightly longer and wider than the earlier version, with revised exterior details, such as air scoops and dams that were said to be closer to production intent – something the new, running prototype appears to confirm.

The second Acura NSX concept debuting at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show last January.

Indeed, following the second concept’s debut last January, Mike Accavitti, the Acura marketing chief, told TheDetroitBureau.com, “It’s a big step closer to the production model,” with the key changes in the second prototype made specifically to meet production requirements.

(Acura places bet on China – but stays focused on the U.S. Click Here for more.)

That’s no easy task considering that unlike the original NSX first sold in 1991, the new model adopts not only a more modern look but a downright futuristic drivetrain, one pairing a V-6 engine with three separate electric motors.

It will be a modified version of the Sport Hybrid Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive, or SH-AWD, system that will also appear in versions of the new Acura MDX crossover and the maker’s new RLX flagship sedan. In this case, the V-6 and one motor will drive the rear axle while the other two motors will be mounted on the front axle, one operating each wheel in a way that allows for electric torque vectoring. Acura promises that should greatly improve high-speed handling.

(Acura will build new NSX in Ohio. Click Here for the story.)

The run around Mid-Ohio could provide a hint of just what that means, at least, depending upon just how aggressive Acura allows its driver to get with the hand-built prototype.

The choice of mid-Ohio was clearly not a coincidence. The facility, in Lexington, Ohio, is a short supercar jaunt from the Honda R&D Americas center in Raymond which is overseeing development of the new Acura NSX, and the new Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, where the supercar will be assembled.

The precise time of the production NSX launch is unclear, though Accavitti hinted to TheDetroitBureau.com that the reborn supercar would be rolling down the assembly line by the time of the 2015 Detroit Auto Show.