The 1991 Honda NSX once owned by Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna is heading to auction on October 31, with estimates running between $700,000 and $1.1 million — far beyond what a standard example of the Japanese sports car would typically command. The car, chassis number T000233, is being handled by RM Sotheby’s and has returned to the UK ahead of the sale.
Senna, who helped Honda develop the original NSX while racing for the McLaren-Honda team, was provided with three examples of the car for personal use. This red model was stored in Lisbon and delivered to him every time he visited Portugal. Senna was pictured driving the car to the 1991 Portuguese Grand Prix, where he finished second, but the vehicle’s most famous moment came in the documentary Ayrton Senna: Racing Is In My Blood, in which he was shown washing it with a hosepipe — an image that has become iconic in the history of the NSX.
Following Senna’s death in 1994, the car was registered by a private company in Portugal before being acquired by Honda’s Nipomotor dealership in September 1997. It was later sold to a businessman in the city of Faro, then purchased by Robert McFagan in 2013 and imported to the UK. In 2024, the car was listed on AutoTrader and ultimately bought by an individual based in Nagoya, Japan. It has since been returned to Britain in preparation for the October auction.
Mechanically, the NSX remains as original, powered by a 3.0-liter naturally aspirated V6 producing 271 hp and 209 lb-ft (283 Nm) of torque, with drive sent to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual transmission. The car’s significance extends beyond its famous owner: the NSX proved that Japanese manufacturers could build a sports car capable of rivaling the best from Europe, and Senna’s personal example is expected to remain the most valuable of its kind thanks to its provenance.
The auction represents a rare opportunity for collectors to acquire a piece of motorsport history, with the car’s documented ownership and its appearance in the documentary adding layers of historical value that go well beyond the mechanical specifications. RM Sotheby’s has not disclosed a reserve price, but the estimate suggests strong interest in a vehicle that connects two worlds — the golden era of Formula 1 and the rise of Japanese engineering excellence.