Honda NSX-R (NA2) sells for 934 375 euros at auction

The Honda NSX needs no introduction. It was the car that signalled a fresh chapter for supercars, delivering reliability, build quality, day-to-day usability and ergonomics that were, until then, largely missing from the segment. It may not have achieved the sales Honda had hoped for, yet the NSX’s influence ran far deeper than many people realise.

Honda NSX-R and the first “R” badge

There is also another “argument” that often slips under the radar. Mention the Type R badge to a petrolhead and they will almost certainly think first of the legendary Integra Type R or Civic Type R. In fact, it was the NSX that debuted the magic “R”, thanks to the Honda NSX-R.

What changed on the Honda NSX-R versus the “standard” model

Compared with the “standard” car, the Honda NSX-R positioned itself as a more hard-edged take on the mid-engined Japanese sports car. On the scales, it was 100 kg lighter, achieved through the use of carbon fibre and by deleting anything deemed non-essential: power steering, the audio system and air conditioning, for instance.

Behind the seats, mounted in a rear-mid position, “lived” a naturally aspirated 3.2 V6 VTEC engine producing “just” 294 cv. Drive was sent solely to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox.

To make it even more exclusive, the NSX-R was sold only in Japan and production was capped at 500 units for the first generation (NA1) and just 140 for the second (NA2). Those figures go some way towards explaining the “absurd” price achieved by the NSX-R (NA2) pictured here, which was recently auctioned for 934 375 euros.

The most expensive NSX-R in history?

This Honda NSX-R went under the hammer around a week ago with Broad Arrow Auctions during this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy. By all accounts, it is the highest amount ever paid for a second-generation (NA2) NSX-R-more expensive even than Ayrton Senna’s NSX (NA1).

According to the auction listing, this example showed fewer than 16 thousand kilometres on the odometer and was presented in impeccable condition. It wears the iconic Championship White paintwork, the colour that defined this special version and later became synonymous with all Type R models. It also retains the matching original BBS wheels and the NSX-R-specific red interior.

Even so, it is not the most expensive Honda NSX ever sold. The very first example of the second-generation Japanese sports car, along with the first 2022 NSX Type S, were both sold for 1,1 million dollars (1,016 million euros) at charity auctions.