Words: Kyle Cassidy
Published 26 August 2026
A 1991 Honda NSX used by three-time Formula 1 world champion Ayrton Senna is heading to auction with an estimate comfortably above NZ$1 million.
The Formula Red sports car will cross the block at RM Sotheby’s London Auction on October 31, with an estimate of £500,000–£800,000. That equates to approximately NZ$1.14m–$1.83m at current exchange rates. RM Sotheby’s is offering the car at the Peninsula London.
Few road cars are as closely connected to Senna as the original NSX. The Brazilian’s relationship with Honda began when the company supplied engines to Lotus in 1987. He joined McLaren-Honda the following season and secured the first of his three world championships.
Senna also played a role in developing Honda’s new mid-engined sports car. After testing an early prototype, he told engineers that its structure needed to be more rigid. Honda subsequently increased structural stiffness by around 50 per cent and revised the suspension tuning.
His connection with the finished car was equally strong. Honda agreed to provide Senna with access to three NSXs for personal use, including two black examples and the red car now being auctioned.
The famous red NSX
The auction car carries chassis number JHMNA11500T000233 and combines Formula Red paintwork with a black roof and black leather interior.
Honda Automobil de Portugal imported the NSX and registered it on March 22, 1991, with the plate “SX-25-59”. It was stored in Lisbon and made available to Senna whenever he visited Portugal, where he owned a property in the Quinta do Lago resort.
Senna drove the car to the 1991 Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril, where he qualified third and finished second. The NSX later appeared in the 1992 documentary Ayrton Senna: Racing Is In My Blood, with Senna spinning its rear tyres for the camera.
Its best-known appearance came in a series of photographs showing Senna washing the car with a garden hose. Those images helped make the red NSX one of the most recognisable road cars associated with the F1 champion.
History backed by documentation
The NSX remained in Portugal following Senna’s death at Imola in 1994. It passed through several owners before being purchased by Robert McFagan in 2013 and transported to the United Kingdom, where it was registered for road use in 2016.
It returned to Imola in 2019 to mark the 25th anniversary of Senna’s death, with former Minardi Formula 1 team principal Giancarlo Minardi taking the wheel. The car was acquired by its current Japanese owner in 2024 and has now returned to Britain for the auction.
Its provenance is supported by Portuguese registration records, a warranty book and correspondence from Honda confirming its connection to Senna.
With an important driver, an iconic model and plenty of photographic evidence bringing the two together, this isn’t merely an early NSX with a famous name attached. It’s a genuine piece of Formula 1 history – and the auction estimate reflects that.
