Few road cars are as deeply connected to Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna as the first-generation Honda NSX. Now, one of the most significant examples is heading to auction, offering collectors a rare opportunity to own a sports car that was personally driven by the three-time Formula 1 world champion.
The red Honda NSX with a black roof, chassis number T000233, is scheduled to cross the auction block on October 31. With documented ties to Senna, appearances in films and documentaries, and a remarkable history spanning Portugal, the UK, Japan and Italy, the car could become one of the most valuable Honda NSX models ever sold at public auction.
RM Sotheby’s estimates the value of Senna’s Honda NSX at between £500,000 and £800,000, equivalent to approximately €584,000 to €934,000.
The Honda NSX Ayrton Senna Helped Develop
Senna’s relationship with Honda began in 1987, when the Japanese manufacturer supplied engines to Team Lotus. In 1988, Senna moved to McLaren-Honda and immediately won his first Formula 1 world championship.
At roughly the same time, Honda was working on a project that would dramatically change the perception of Japanese performance cars: an all-new mid-engine sports car designed to challenge established European supercars such as the Ferrari 328 and Porsche 911.
That car would become the Honda NSX.
Senna was much more than a celebrity associated with the project. Honda gave him access to development prototypes, allowing the Brazilian driver to test the car and provide detailed feedback.
During testing, Senna reportedly criticized the rigidity of the NSX prototype’s body structure. His comments prompted Honda engineers to substantially increase structural rigidity, with the final development reportedly gaining around 50 percent more rigidity than the earlier prototype. Suspension tuning was also revised.
The result was a sports car that became famous not only for its performance, but also for its balance, precision and everyday usability.
Senna’s Famous NSX Test at Suzuka
One of the most famous pieces of footage associated with the Honda NSX shows Senna driving the car aggressively around Suzuka Circuit.
Rather than treating the NSX as a publicity prop, Senna explored the limits of the car, demonstrating the handling characteristics that would eventually become one of the model’s defining qualities.
The footage has since become an important part of the NSX’s mythology. Senna can be seen driving the car hard while wearing casual clothing and loafers—a fitting reminder that the NSX was conceived as a supercar that could be driven on the road rather than simply displayed in a garage.
For Honda, having a driver of Senna’s caliber involved in development was invaluable. For enthusiasts, his involvement has become an integral part of the first-generation NSX’s legacy.
The NSX Senna Drove in Portugal
The NSX heading to auction is particularly significant because it was not merely one of the prototypes Senna tested during development.
Chassis number T000233 was imported by Honda into Portugal, where Senna owned a home at the Quinta do Lago resort.
The car was registered on March 22, 1991, carrying Portuguese license plate SX-25-59. Whenever Senna was in Portugal, Honda made the NSX available to him.
Unlike many celebrity-owned cars that spend much of their lives hidden away, this Honda NSX was reportedly used regularly by Senna.
He even drove it to the Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril. At that race, Senna qualified third and ultimately finished second, adding another remarkable connection between the car and his Formula 1 career.
Senna Used the NSX Like a Supercar Should Be Used
The car also appeared in the documentary “Ayrton Senna: Racing Is In My Blood,” where Senna can be seen putting the NSX through its paces.
The footage captures the rear tires spinning as smoke pours from behind the car, offering a glimpse of Senna’s character away from the Formula 1 paddock.
But perhaps the most famous images of the car have nothing to do with a racetrack.
A series of photographs shows Senna washing the red NSX with a garden hose while wearing jeans and a casual shirt. The seemingly ordinary scene became one of the most recognizable images of Senna away from Formula 1.
Those photographs helped establish the particular red NSX as an automotive icon in its own right.
What Happened to Senna’s Honda NSX After 1994?
Following Senna’s death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, the NSX remained in Portugal for a period of time.
Registration records and Honda certification documentation provide evidence supporting the car’s history and connection to Senna.
The NSX eventually changed hands several times. In 2013, it moved to the United Kingdom before returning to Japan in 2024.
Its history did not end there.
In 2019, the car returned to Imola to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Senna’s death. Former Minardi team principal Giancarlo Minardi drove the NSX as part of the tribute.
For its latest chapter, the current owner brought the car back to the UK ahead of its upcoming auction.
Why This Honda NSX Is So Valuable
The first-generation Honda NSX is already one of the most collectible Japanese performance cars of its era. But this particular example combines several factors that make it exceptionally desirable.
First, there is the direct connection to Ayrton Senna, one of the most celebrated drivers in Formula 1 history.
Second, the car has a documented history supported by registration records and Honda certification.
Third, it has appeared in film and documentary footage, including material showing Senna himself driving the car.
Finally, it is connected to one of the most important engineering stories in Honda’s history. Senna’s feedback during the development of the NSX helped influence the production car’s structural rigidity and chassis characteristics.
That combination of provenance, celebrity ownership, motorsport history and engineering significance is extremely difficult to replicate.
A Nearly $1 Million Honda
RM Sotheby’s estimate of £500,000 to £800,000 places the Senna NSX in a completely different category from an ordinary first-generation NSX.
At the top of the estimate, the car could approach £800,000, or roughly €934,000.
That figure illustrates just how much provenance can transform a collectible automobile.
A standard NSX is already regarded as one of the defining Japanese sports cars of the 1990s. An NSX that was personally used by Ayrton Senna, appeared in famous photographs and documentaries, and can be traced through official documentation represents something much more significant.
It is effectively a piece of Formula 1 history on four wheels.
The Ayrton Senna Honda NSX Could Become a Collector-CAR Icon
The original Honda NSX was created to challenge the world’s best sports cars while delivering the reliability and usability associated with Honda. More than three decades later, the model has become a modern classic.
This particular NSX takes that story to another level.
It is not simply a rare Japanese supercar. It is the car associated with one of Formula 1’s greatest drivers, a driver who played a meaningful role in shaping the NSX during its development and later used an example on the roads of Portugal.
When chassis T000233 goes under the hammer on October 31, collectors will be bidding not only on a Honda NSX, but on a documented piece of Ayrton Senna’s life outside Formula 1.
If the car reaches the upper end of RM Sotheby’s estimate, it could become one of the most expensive Honda NSX examples ever sold—and potentially one of the most historically significant Japanese cars to reach the collector-car market.
Source: RM Sotheby’s