Ayrton Senna’s 1991 Honda NSX is set to go under the hammer in London, giving collectors the opportunity to acquire one of the road cars most closely associated with the three-time Formula 1 world champion. RM Sotheby’s will offer the iconic Formula Red NSX on 31 October as part of The London Auction at The Peninsula London, with an estimated value of between £500,000 and £800,000.
The complete chassis number is JHMNA11500T000233. The Honda NSX is finished in Formula Red with a contrasting black roof and black leather interior, a specification made famous by the numerous photographs and footage showing Ayrton Senna with the car.
Ayrton Senna’s 1991 Honda NSX could fetch up to £800,000
Under the engine cover sits a naturally aspirated 3.0-litre C30A V6 producing 270 hp and approximately 210–252 lb-ft of torque, paired with a five-speed manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive.
When the Honda NSX was launched in 1990, a comparable example cost between £52,000 and £55,000. The same car was publicly advertised for £500,000 two years ago, while its current auction estimate reaches as high as £800,000.
How Ayrton Senna came to drive the famous red Honda NSX
As part of the relationship with Honda during Ayrton Senna’s years at McLaren, the Japanese manufacturer made three Honda NSXs available to the Brazilian for personal use: two black cars and this red example.
The car was imported by Honda Automobil de Portugal and registered on 22 March 1991 with the registration SX-25-59. It was kept in Lisbon and delivered to Ayrton Senna whenever he arrived in Portugal, where he owned a property at Quinta do Lago in the Algarve.
Ayrton Senna drove the Honda NSX regularly during the European part of the 1991 season. He used it to travel to the Estoril circuit for the Formula 1 Portuguese Grand Prix on 22 September 1991, where Ayrton Senna finished second behind Riccardo Patrese.
The car also appeared in the 1992 documentary Ayrton Senna: Racing Is In My Blood, including footage in which Ayrton Senna makes the rear tyres smoke.
It is perhaps most famous, however, as the “hosepipe car”. Photographs showing Ayrton Senna wearing jeans and a shirt while washing the red NSX with a garden hose outside his home have become some of the most recognisable images of the Brazilian away from the race track.
Ayrton Senna also helped shape the first Honda NSX
Ayrton Senna’s connection with the Honda NSX began even before he received the red car. In 1989, the Formula 1 champion tested prototype versions at Suzuka as Honda developed its new flagship sports car.
Ayrton Senna described the chassis as “a little fragile”, prompting Honda to respond by increasing the structure’s rigidity by approximately 50% and further refining the double-wishbone suspension.
As a result, Ayrton Senna’s feedback became part of the development story behind the first-generation Honda NSX, extending his influence beyond Formula 1 and into one of Honda’s most celebrated road cars.
Honda NSX remained in Portugal after Ayrton Senna’s death
Following Ayrton Senna’s death at Imola in May 1994, the Honda NSX remained in Portugal. In February 1995, records showed the car registered to Laboa Etablissement in Lisbon, while by 1997 it was in the care of Honda dealership Nipomotor.
The car then passed to a dealership in Faro in 2009 before being acquired by a British collector in 2013. It was subsequently registered in the United Kingdom in 2016.
In 2024, the Honda NSX returned to Japan after being acquired by a buyer in Nagoya. It has now returned to the United Kingdom ahead of its appearance at RM Sotheby’s London auction.
The car is accompanied by its original warranty book, comprehensive documentation covering its Portuguese ownership history and a copy of the Honda fax confirming its provenance and connection with Ayrton Senna.
Leave a Reply