In 2016, after an eleven-year absence, Honda released the highly anticipated second-generation NSX sports car. Packed with cutting-edge technology and all the bells and whistles that come with a six-figure price tag, it was not intended to sell like hotcakes (or hot Civics, if you will). Instead, it was an attempt to remind the automotive world that the brand was capable of re-bottling mid-engine magic. And while the new NSX boasted favorable numbers and sleek styling, it didn’t seem to carry the same sort of impact as the first-generation, Senna-blessed sports car. Hence why the original is so beloved …
Something In That Sauce
Not for lack of effort, by any means, but the modern-day NSX seems to rely more on its digital onboard electronics than the analog car-to-driver connection that the original model was blessed with. Perhaps it’s something that can’t be captured again, or that special sauce is what makes the NA1/2 the ’90s golden child that it is. One thing is for certain: The hype and hoopla surrounding the older NSX has reached outlandish levels, most notably in the used market space, where the example pictured here is making some waves even among stormy seas.
Turtle Power!
For about 15 years, Kevin Eastman enjoyed every bit of his NA1 NSX’s mid-mounted, DOHC VTEC-equipped V-6. Oh, and according to the art piece he added to the car’s original window sticker, he “loved the NSX” overall. Eastman picked the car up in the early ’90s as his career was in full stride, having served as co-creator of the wildly popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic series which later would produce toys, a cartoon series, movies, and even those Hostess ooze-filled Turtle Pies with the slogan that still haunts me to this day, “Fresh from the sewers to you!”
Like many, Eastman liked the idea of an affordable supercar with that undeniable “start up and go” Honda reliability and snatched up this model brand new with the rare Berlina Black with Ivory interior combo.
Eastman went on to keep this NSX until 2016 and managed to do an excellent job of maintaining the car. He also kept the mileage relatively low. The Acura’s next owner only kept the car for a year and barely drove it (we’re talking 3 miles total). After trading hands again in 2017, the NSX gathered up only a handful of additional miles; the owner even had the foresight to bring it to Superior Acura of Dayton, Ohio, to have it serviced and checked out.
Now carrying just 50,512 total miles, the totally radical NSX looks picture perfect. It’s even had the front end covered in 3M protective film to keep things that way. Other than the protective barrier added, the only other non-factory addition is an aftermarket muffler and even that is countered with the factory original version included with the sale.
Oldies but Goodies
You already know that older Japanese cars, especially rare examples like the NSX (fewer than 9,000 were ever brought to the U.S.) are fetching top dollar these days. The phenomenon has even carried over to more common examples from the likes of Datsun, Toyota, and others. Finding one in the sort of condition of this NSX, and furthermore, without a bevy of aftermarket parts applied, is indeed a rarity and one that’ll cost you.
If you’re interested in indulging in ooze-filled Turtle pies while blasting through the backroads in a piece of Japanese automotive history, it’ll only cost you $80,000 through the collector car specialists at LBI Limited. For an NSX this sweet, sewer cartoon connection and all, that’s not bad money …
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