Vehicle Description
Chassis No. NA1-1300262
Engine No. C30A-1080111
By the late 1980s, Honda had cemented itself as a dominant force in
Formula One, powering Williams and then McLaren to six consecutive
Constructors' Championships between 1986 and 1991. Having proven
itself against the world's best, including Ferrari, Honda set its
sights on creating a mid-engine road car that could challenge the
likes of the Ferrari 328 and the upcoming 348. Drawing heavily from
its racing expertise, the company revealed its answer at the 1989
Chicago Auto Show: the NSX. It was an acronym for "New Sportscar
eXperimental" and the car was just that-one that would reshape the
expectations for everyday supercars.
The NSX immediately made waves with its high-revving, transversely
mounted 3.0-liter V6, featuring VTEC variable valve timing,
titanium connecting rods, and forged pistons-culminating in an
8,300 rpm redline. It was paired with a lightweight, all-aluminum
semi-monocoque chassis that provided exceptional rigidity. Styling
by Pininfarina with its spacious greenhouse evoked the profile of
an F-16 fighter jet, and Honda enlisted none other than legendary
F1 Champion Ayrton Senna to fine-tune the chassis during
development. Yet, what truly set the NSX apart was not just its
impressive performance, but its unmatched usability. With superb
ergonomics, reliability, and build quality, it offered a level of
precision and refinement previously unheard of in a mid-engine
sports car.
Still, some purists-particularly in Japan-longed for something more
visceral. Inspired by lightweight performance variants of already
high performance sports cars like the Porsche Carrera RS, these
enthusiasts sought a version that prioritized raw performance over
daily comfort. Their wishes were answered in November 1992 with the
debut of the NSX-R (or Type R), a track-focused evolution stripped
of nearly all luxury features. Air conditioning, airbags, stereo,
and insulation were all jettisoned, replaced by red
Alcantara-covered carbon-Kevlar Recaro seats and lightweight Enkei
wheels. Mechanical revisions included a blueprinted and balanced
crankshaft, revised gearing, and upgraded suspension. Though
officially rated at 276 horsepower-thanks to Japan's industry-wide
horsepower cap-it was widely believed to produce closer to 290.
With stiffer springs, a thicker front sway bar, and a locking
limited-slip differential, the NSX-R transformed Honda's refined
supercar into a razor-sharp instrument of speed-one that
represented the apex of Japanese road-legal performance
engineering.
According to its serialized original maintenance book, this NSX-R
was originally purchased at the Honda Verno Japan network of
dealerships. It is finished in rare Berlina Black and optioned with
air conditioning and a Honda BOSE stereo system. Throughout its
time in Japan it remained an impressively stock example with light
modification that include an exhaust system update to a custom
Super Titanium unit from Fujitsubo, an NA2 Type-R six-speed
transmission, and NA2 Type-R 17-inch seven-spoke Championship White
wheels. It retains its special NSX-R interior finishes that include
its beautiful three-spoke Momo black leather steering wheel,
yellow-needle metric gauges with raised 8,500 rpm redline, titanium
shift knob, and red Alcantara Recaro sport seats with its rare
NSX-R branded Alcantara brush.
The maintenance book, inspection documentation, and decals applied
to the car reveal a thorough and consistent service history while
in Japan. Before leaving Japan a Honda Cars Aomori service decal
shows an oil change with filter at 38,441 kilometers on 4 November
2022, just 140 kilometers from its current odometer reading at
cataloging. Now fully outside its infamous 25-year restriction, in
June 2025 this NSX-R left for the United States' west coast. Once
in the U.S., this NSX-R, limitation number R0393 visited NSX
specialists ScienceofSpeed in Chandler, Arizona. The thorough
$8,000 six-year / 90,000 mile service included a fuel pump and
filter, timing belt, water pump, thermostat, engine oil change, new
transmission fluid, brake fluid, and coolant, new hoses and seal
kits. A detailed accounting of the service is on file and available
for review. It is accompanied by its original books, Japanese
inspection sheets, ScienceofSpeed invoices, and spare wheel.
With only 483 examples produced, the NA1 NSX-R is a truly rare
specimen even in its home market of Japan. Excluded from the U.S.
for a quarter-century it is an even rarer site on U.S. shores. With
approximately 24,000 miles at cataloging and finished in rare
Berlina Black, this NSX-R with its matching-numbers engine
represents a rare opportunity to acquire what is arguably the
supercar pinnacle of Honda's 1990s lineup as the most
driver-focused version of the vaunted NSX series.
