Just 483 examples of the laser-focused, right-hand-drive NSX Type R are understood to have been built exclusively for the Japanese domestic market, distinguishable by their unique 10-digit chassis-number sequence. Chassis number NA11300280 is one such example, finished in the only available color of Championship White complemented by matching 16-inch front and 17-inch rear seven-spoke Enkei wheels. Red-backed Honda badges serve as the only hint of the sweeping mechanical improvements that lie beneath; otherwise, the Type R is a true wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Stepping into the driver’s seat, the vibrant red Alcantara upholstery lining the Recaro bucket seats immediately gives the Type R a distinctive, sporting appearance over its standard counterpart. This particular car is also desirably appointed with air conditioning and a stereo which could be optioned at the factory for an additional cost, suggesting the original owner sought a more daily-usable Type R.
Showing just under 7,000 kilometers on the odometer at the time of cataloging, this outstandingly preserved NSX Type R surely represents one of the finest examples of the model extant. The car retains all of its correct and intact factory markings in Japanese, as well as a Japanese Compulsory Insurance (JCI) inspection sticker in the windshield, dated November 2019. Further complements to this Type R’s superb overall presentation are its gleaming original paintwork, impeccable upholstery and interior plastics and pristine engine bay. One of the most exclusive variants to be born out of the 1990s performance-car development war which embroiled all the major Japanese manufacturers, this Honda NSX Type R would make a fine addition to any collection of cutting-edge modern supercars.
SCM Analysis
Detailing
| Vehicle: | 1995 Honda NSX Type R |
| Years Produced: | 1992–95 |
| Number Produced: | 483 |
| Tune Up Cost: | $1,500 |
| Chassis Number Location: | Driver’s side door sill and chassis member on driver’s side of front trunk |
| Engine Number Location: | Chassis member of driver’s side of front trunk |
| Club Info: | NSX Club of America; NSX Club of Japan |
| Website: | http://www.nsxca.org |
| Alternatives: | 1994–98 Toyota Supra Turbo, 1995–99 Ferrari F355, 1989–94 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32) |
This car, Lot 110, sold for $632,000, including buyer’s premium, at Broad Arrow Auctions’ Monterey, CA, sale on August 17, 2023.
Introduced in 1990, the Honda NSX (sold under the Acura brand in the U.S.) represented an astonishing leap forward in sports-car design and construction. Produced in a state-of-the-art, single-model plant by 200 carefully chosen craftsmen, the mid-engine NSX featured an aluminum frame, semi-monocoque body and suspension. The DOHC V6 engine was an engineering masterpiece with an aluminum block and heads, a forged crankshaft, titanium connecting rods and Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) and Variable Volume Induction systems.
With supercar looks and head-snapping performance, the NSX should have been every automotive journalist’s darling. But somehow it wasn’t. Instead of celebrating the abundant splendors of this amazing machine, writers of the day said the car lacked performance, was too heavy and had no soul. I’ve recently spoken with several writers who were hypercritical of the NSX in the early 1990s, and many now admit they simply got it wrong. Today the first-generation NSX market is on fire as collectors are discovering what buff book journalists missed many years ago.
The ABCs of NSXs
The first-generation NSX was available from 1990 to 2005. Model years 1991–96 (NA1 chassis designation) were powered by the 3.0-liter C30A V6 engine, which produced 270 horsepower. The NA2 was introduced for model year 1997 and received the 3.2-liter C32B V6 with 290 hp. The NA2 was updated for model year 2002, with the most noticeable change being the replacement of the NA1’s pop-up headlights in favor of fixed Xenon HID units.
Several models were available during NA1 production. The NSX-T was introduced in 1995, and from that point forward, a targa top was standard on North American NA1 cars. Two Japanese-market S-versions were introduced in 1997. The Type S was built with a stiffened suspension and fitted with Recaro seats, BBS wheels, a titanium shift knob and a Momo steering wheel. The Type S-Zero was a lightened S-version intended primarily for track use. And, of course, one additional model was available during NA1 production — the highly prized NSX Type R.
R as in “rare”
The NSX Type R (also known as the NSX-R) was the most special NA1 model offered and was only available in Japan. Honda’s idea was to offer its countrymen an ultimate racing-inspired sports-car experience. Two runs of first-generation Type Rs were produced: those built during NA1 production (sometimes referenced as NSX-R “first iteration”) and those constructed during NA2 production (NSX-R “second iteration”). Our subject car is an NA1 first-iteration example, one of 483 cars produced between 1992–95. Second-iteration totaled 152 units.
Weight reduction was a major emphasis, and Honda’s team removed the air conditioning, sound deadening, audio system and traction control. Honda also used lightweight Recaro race-style seats, and the standard leather shift knob was replaced by a titanium unit. All Type Rs had forged-aluminum Enkei wheels as a final distinction. In the end, the weight-sparing strategies worked, and the Type R was an incredible 265 pounds lighter than the standard NSX. By special request, as was the case with our subject car, a customer could order a Type R equipped with air conditioning and a stereo.
On the mechanical side, Honda’s engineering team stiffened the front sway bar, suspension bushings, dampers and springs. To improve acceleration, a special ring and pinion was used, which provided a final drive ratio of 4.235:1. While the Type R was powered by the same C30A engine used in all NA1 cars, NSX-R engines were precision balanced and blueprinted.
Understanding the market
NSX enthusiasts are extremely knowledgeable and unusually patient. This combination creates a pool of potential buyers that can best be described as “picky.” All the usual differentiators matter, including mileage, condition, color and originality. And with more than 18,000 first-generation NSX cars built, buyers looking for an example that ticks all their boxes need not hurry or participate in bidding wars.
The NSX Type R situation is similar, with one glaring exception. With so few first-iteration examples built, the market is significantly more competitive. As just one example, a reasonably nice 61,000-km Brooklands Green Pearl Type R received 75 bids on an October 2022 online auction and sold for $310,993, including buyer’s premium. At that time, many commentors wrote that the price seemed surprisingly high. While that result may not have been a world record, it seems to have presaged a simmering Type R market.
I did not have an opportunity to inspect this NSX Type R in person, but SCM colleagues who did confirm that this example was in an exceptionally nice state. Over the past 12 months, NSX Type R prices have been progressively climbing, and when a great example is publicly offered, price guides be damned.
Our subject car was a fantastic low-mileage example, and on this day, bidding soared to a world-record result of $632,000. While this outcome was somewhat shocking, I do believe it is repeatable in the current market if another pristine Type R comes to public auction. And as far as I know, no automotive journalist has ever dared to write poorly of the NSX Type R. Well sold. ♦
(Introductory description courtesy of Broad Arrow Auctions.)
