Ayrton Senna’s rare Honda NSX smashes auction estimate with record six-figure sale
A Honda NSX used by three-time Formula 1 champion Ayrton Senna has set an auction record for the model.
The car, which had been estimated to sell for between £500,000 and £800,000 prior to the auction, sold for £871,250 at RM Sotheby’s in London on 31 October. The auction also included a 2002 Ferrari 550 Maranello, a 1964 Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta Lusso by Scaglietti and a 1903 Clement AC4R 12/16 HP Rear-Entrance Tonneau.
As part of an agreement with Senna during his time with the McLaren-Honda Formula 1 team, Honda gave him access to three NSXs for personal use, two of which were black. The third, chassis T000233, was Formula Red with a black roof and black leather interior, and was registered in Portugal as SX-25-59 in 1991. It remained in Lisbon and was brought to the Brazilian driver on his visits to the country, where he had bought a property at Quinta do Lago.
After Senna’s tragic passing at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, the NSX was sold to Robert McKagan and moved to the UK. The Briton later sold the NSX in 2024, when its new owners returned it to Japan, but it has since been moved back to the UK for this latest sale.
The legendary car boasts a six-cylinder three-litre engine producing 271bhp, can accelerate from 0-60mph in 5.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 165mph.
Senna was involved in testing the Honda NSX and famously drove it at the Suzuka Circuit, home of the Japanese Grand Prix.
Sholto Gilbertson, RM Sotheby’s UK director of sales, said: “Senna’s legacy runs far deeper than his three world championships. His style and elegance are everlasting, and when you think of Senna—nonchalantly dressed in jeans, white socks and brown loafers behind the wheel of a road car—you think of an NSX. This is a wonderful opportunity to own a genuine piece of sporting and cultural history.”
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