One of the original NSX’s biggest selling points was that Honda recruited three-time Formula 1 champion Ayrton Senna to help develop the sports car. While the legendary Brazilian wasn’t impressed with the NSX at first, it evolved into a mass-produced machine he eventually praised. Senna’s personal 1991 Honda NSX sold for $1.17 million at RM Sotheby’s auction in London last week. The sale made the late champion’s car the most expensive first-generation NSX ever sold at auction, surpassing a $1.06 million mark set for a 2003 NSX-R last year.
Ken Saito / RM Sotheby’s
Honda was contractually obligated to provide Senna with an NSX for his personal use. The Japanese automaker supplied three examples of the sports car, a pair in black and one in Formula Red. The red NSX, the auctioned car, was stored in Portugal and delivered to Senna when he visited the country. It’s the same car that the Brazilian was photographed washing with a garden hose. The 1992 documentary “Ayrton Senna: Racing Is In My Blood” also features Senna spinning the wheels on this NSX. After Senna’s death in 1994, the sports car stayed with the Portuguese dealership that owned it until 1997.
Senna help make the NSX into the sports car we know today
Senna’s most successful period in F1 came with McLaren from 1988 until 1993. The Brazilian won three F1 world championships and 35 races over the six seasons with the British team. Honda supplied engines to McLaren, ending the partnership after the 1992 season. If by fate, McLaren conducted a preseason test at Suzuka Circuit in February 1989, just as Honda’s R&D department was wrapping up its month-long NSX testing program. The engineers let Senna run laps in the sports car. According to Road & Track, Senna wasn’t pleased, stating, “I’m not sure I can really give you appropriate advice on a mass-production car, but I feel it’s a little fragile.”
Ken Saito / RM Sotheby’s
Honda went back to the drawing board and increased the NSX’s chassis stiffness by 50%. The automaker even invited Senna back to test the sports car at the Nürburgring and help tune the suspension. The expert input played a significant role in the NSX’s success, from marketing to the sports car’s critical success. While most of us didn’t have the budget to bid on Senna’s NSX, Honda is doing its part to help other NSX owners keep their cars just as pristine. The Japanese automaker’s heritage program now produces over 3,000 official reproduction parts to keep first-generation NSXs on the road and running smoothly.
