Do more modern racing heroes lend the same provenance to cars as did the sport’s pioneer drivers? We may get an indication in late February when a 1992 Honda NSX formerly owned by three-time World Driving Champion Ayrton Senna goes to auction in England.
The car was purchased new for Senna by his manager Antonio Carlos de Almeida Braga for the Brazilian racer to drive while staying at his home in Portugal. After Senna’s death in 1994, the car was parked in Braga’s garage and remained untouched until it was sold two years later to the current owner.
“Very rarely does a car with such pedigree and provenance come to market, especially with such a powerful and personal link to arguably the greatest F1 driver of all time,” said Nick Whale, managing director of Silverstone Auctions, “and as such, we’re incredibly excited to offer it for auction.”
The car, in Senna’s original choice of black with black leather interior and manual transmission, has 31,800 miles on its odometer. It will cross the block at Silverstone Auction’s Race Retro & Classic Car Sale to be held Feb. 22-23 at the historic British race track. The auction house’s pre-sale estimate for the car is around $135,000.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Senna’s death and the 25th anniversary of the introduction of the NSX, sold in most countries as a Honda but in the United States as an Acura, Honda’s upscale division. Senna was involved in the development of the car as part of Honda’s partnership with the McLaren F1 team for which Senna drove.
The NSX is among this blog’s choices for “Future classics.” The Hagerty Price Guide lists the 1992 NSX in world-best condition as being worth some $42,300.
