In the early 1990s, the high-end sports car market was beginning to stagnate. Although these days, every manufacturer seems to have a performance coupe offering for those looking to spend $100,000+, in 1990, your choices were essentially a Porsche 964, Ferrari 348, or a Lotus Esprit Turbo. Each one of those was an enjoyable driver's car in its own right but when Honda introduced the NSX, it turned the entire segment on its head and forced the legacy sports car manufacturers to head back to the drawing board in an effort to keep up. The NSX was the world’s first mass-produced car to be equipped with an all-aluminum body and was powered by a specially tuned variant of Honda’s legendary VTEC-equipped V6. The NSX was an immediate success in the high-end sports car segment as it offered great performance, which for the first time was paired with truly great ergonomics and the world-class reliability that Honda built its name on. Because of this, many NSXs were used as everyday cars and racked up hundreds of thousands of miles, and finding a great original car is no simple task.
About this vehicle
This 1994 Acura NSX is a truly outstanding example from the final year of fixed-roof NSXs. Finished in Brooklands Green, this car shows a mere 7,200 miles at the time of cataloging and is one of 513 NSXs produced in 1994 and one of just 187 in this color combination with a manual transmission. Under the care of just two owners from new, this time capsule example remains in original condition throughout, and any work carried out on the car has been done using OEM parts. Over the life of the NSX, Honda was consistently revising the vehicle, and in addition to this being the first year for the beautiful Brooklands Green Pearl paint, it also marked the beginning of the 7-spoke wheels seen on all NSXs through 2001. Additionally, 1994 was the first year that the NSX’s roof was painted to match the rest of the body- whereas the first 3 years of production all had black roofs.
The tan interior on this car was also a new color for the NSX in 1994 and is a beautifully rich shade that, on this car, is once again in essentially showroom condition. In truth, a large part of the NSX’s success was due to the interior- gone are the strange ergonomics and finicky parts-bin switchgear found in other sports cars of the era, and in its place, Honda's legendary practicality taken to the highest level. It is hard to stress how clean the interior of this car is without seeing it in person- the consignor states that any time the car was used, both driver and passenger would sit on a towel to avoid any marring on the leather. Even the floormats are in pristine condition, which is no small feat given the color, and the car is being offered with its extremely collectible titanium key as well.
Right behind the passengers sits the NSX’s 3.0 liter VTEC-equipped DOHC V6, which produces 270 horsepower and 210 lb-ft of torque. Known for their exceptional longevity, it is not uncommon to see one of these cars with over 200,000 miles on the odometer with little more than routine maintenance having been carried out. When paired with one of the best shifting 5-speed manual gearboxes of all time, the driving experience is second to none and is as much of a joy behind the wheel today as it was when it was built 30 years ago. When the consignor acquired this car in 2023, he sent it to an Acura-trained NSX specialist in the San Francisco Bay Area to bring it back to truly perfect mechanical condition. Work consisted of replacing the valve cover and oil pan gaskets, new clutch master and slave cylinders, all new belts, new water pump, an alignment and a new climate control unit, and various other smaller items along the way. No expense was spared, with only OEM parts used, and the invoice for more than $18,000 is included in the sale.
In recent years, the prices of good NSXs have been on the rise, and there is a very good reason for it- the number of truly excellent examples has plummeted over the last 30 years, and finding a well-kept, unmodified example is remarkably difficult. This 1994 NSX goes beyond being a “good” example and is about as close to a showroom-fresh 30-year-old car as you can find. If you have always wanted to see what all the fuss is about with the first-generation NSX, there is no better car to experience for yourself.