A 1991 Honda NSX personally used by three-time Formula 1 world champion Ayrton Senna was sold for £871,250 at RM Sotheby’s auction in London. The sum is equivalent to approximately $1.169 million, making the car the most expensive Honda NSX ever sold at auction. The pre-sale estimate for the coupe was between £500,000 and £800,000, while the final price exceeded the upper limit by £71,250. The car thus surpassed the previous NSX record, set by a Type R version that sold for around $1.164 million.
The car sold bears chassis number JHMNA11500T000233, also known as T000233. Honda Automobil de Portugal imported it into the country, and it was first registered on March 22, 1991, with the number SX-25-59. In February 1995, the car was registered in Lisbon by Laboa Etablissement.
The NSX is finished in the factory Formula Red color, with a black roof and black leather interior. Collectors and historians know it as “Hosepipe NSX” because of photographs showing Senna washing it with a hose in front of his home in Portugal. The car also appeared in the documentary film “Ayrton Senna: Racing Is in My Blood”.
According to RM Sotheby’s, Senna drove this exact NSX during the 1991 Portuguese Grand Prix weekend at the Estoril circuit. This links the car not only to his name but also to a specific race from his final season as world champion. The car returned to Japan in 2024 before being offered at the London auction two years later. Its documentation includes its ownership history in Portugal, a service booklet and confirmation from Honda of its connection to Senna.