Ayrton Senna's Honda NSX Sells for £871,250 at Auction

A 1991 Honda NSX Formula Red, chassis T000233, sold for £871,250 at the RM Sotheby's London Auction. The price, equivalent to approximately $1.17 million, dramatically exceeded the auction house's estimate of £500,000 to £800,000, driven by its verified connection to the late triple world champion Ayrton Senna. The red sports car, first registered in Portugal on 22 March 1991 with the license plate SX-25-59, was a personal gift from Honda to the driver.

Senna's Personal Connection

Senna received the car as a gift from Honda and used it during his visits to the United Kingdom. He famously drove it to the 1991 Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril, where he qualified third and finished second. For his stays in Portugal, the car was kept in Lisbon near his property at Quinta do Lago and stored under professional care. After his tragic death in 1994, the NSX remained in Portugal. Official records show Laboa Etablissement in Lisbon as the keeper in February 1995.

The owner of Faro-based MSCAR purchased the vehicle in November 2009. Collector Robert McFagan then acquired it in 2013 and brought it to the UK, where it was registered for road use in May 2016. This chain of ownership set the stage for its return to Britain and its headline sale at the RM Sotheby's London Auction.

Provenance and Restoration

Robert McFagan undertook a restoration of the NSX after his 2013 purchase. He later shipped the car to the United States in 2016. The vehicle has remained active and well-maintained, appearing at significant commemorative events. In 2019, it returned to Imola for the 25th anniversary of Senna's passing, where former F1 team principal Giancarlo Minardi drove it for a lap of the circuit. It also joined a tribute at the 2024 Silverstone Festival, sharing space with 11 Formula 1 cars and other vehicles linked to the Brazilian driver.

The car's documented history is bolstered by a copy of a fax from Honda to Senna confirming the gift. Studio Colombo's Enrico Colombo photographed Senna with the car in the Estoril drivers' car park, and it appears in the 1992 documentary Ayrton Senna: Racing Is In My Blood, which shows him both driving and washing the vehicle with a garden hose at Quinta do Lago. The buyer received the warranty book, Portuguese ownership records, and the key Honda fax.

Market Context

The sale price represents a massive premium over standard market values for the Honda NSX. In the UK, classic NSX models typically trade for between £60,000 and £140,000. The Senna-owned example sold for nearly six times the high end of that range. This disparity shows the immense value that verified provenance, especially a direct link to a legendary figure, commands in the collector market.

Senna himself had direct input into the NSX's development, providing feedback to Honda's engineers. He found the chassis "a little fragile," a comment that reportedly led to a 50% increase in rigidity and revised suspension geometry for the production car. This engineering legacy, admired by figures like McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray, adds to the car's historical significance. Honda had provided Senna with three NSXs for personal use by early 1991, with this red example being the most documented.

Following the auction, the car was purchased by a collector in Nagoya, Japan. Its value is expected to continue appreciating as a functional artifact of motorsport history. The vehicle's condition is supported by programs like the Acura Honda Heritage Parts Program, which offers over 3,000 original and compatible parts for 1991-2005 NSX models, aiding its preservation for future generations.