Two NSX Type R’s were auctioned off this weekend in Japan with one of them absolutely shattering the first gen NSX auction record selling for more than $445,000.
An auction of epic proportions just wrapped up in Tokyo, Japan and one of 23 auction lots is getting media attention worldwide for the amount of money dropped. As per lot listing 13, a 2005 NSX R in iconic Championship white and with only 348 miles on the clock sold for 48,400,000 YEN which converts to $445,376.80.
The other NSX, a 1995 Type R, sold for a crazy amount too, with the final bid coming in at 30,800,000 YEN which is equal to $283,421.60.
According to Bloomberg, as of 2016, the previous world record auction for the first gen NSX was a final year 2005 Acura NSX that sold at auction in 2016 for a whopping $144,000.
That was later eclipsed this year in April with a BAT Auction on a 1994 Acura NSX garnering a $151,000 final bid.
This NSX auction, however, is on another level.
A readthrough of the auction listing quite succinctly spells out why this NSX R sold for so much.
First, there’s the limited edition nature of this NSX R. Of all Type R’s built between 2002-2005, 27 NSX R’s were made in the final year out of a total 140. Couple that with rising prices of NA1/NA2 NSX’s in general and this being the second rarest first gen NSX there is next to the NSX R GT (homologation specials) and demand for these uncommon variants shoots through the roof.
Then, there’s the rawness of these Type R’s. Each NSX R goes through a rigorous diet of stripping weight and adding carbon fiber to the tune of 220 pounds less than a regular NSX.
The engine is hand-built. The 3.2L V6 is carefully blueprinted and balanced to a level 10x more accurate than a normal C32B. Honda engines are notorious for high-revving and these balanced V6’s absolutely sing all the way up to a factory limited 8,000 RPM. Honda says 290 HP tops but those in the know, know they make much more.
Finally, with only a couple hundred miles on the odometer, this NSX R is, for all intents and purposes, still brand new.
For both the first and second gen NSX’s combined, the first 2017 NSX still takes the cake, auctioning for $1.2 Million with a chunk of that to charity.
I think this record will be eclipsed sooner rather than later. Rad era cars are just heating up and these uncommon NSX’s will fetch even higher auction prices, as far as I can tell, for a few more years still.
Are you as surprised by these auction results as I am? Let me know your .02 in the comments below.