With some sports cars – say, the Porsche 911 or Chevrolet Corvette, for example – choosing which version can be the most difficult part. Not so much for the Acura NSX, which has only been produced in two essential iterations, and with few derivatives or substantial options to speak of. That leaves anyone looking to pick up an example of Honda's supercar with one choice to make, above all else: old or new?
That's the choice bidders will face next month at LA's famous Petersen Automotive Museum, where RM Sotheby's will be holding its next auction.
Among the tempting lots on the docket for the Petersen sale are two examples of the NSX, consigned by the same owner.
In one corner, we have a rather pristine black-on-black '91 NSX – a splendid example of the original, made in its first year of production, still retained by its original owner, and showing just 6,000 miles from new. It packs a 3.0-liter naturally aspirated V6 with VTEC, mounted amidships in a world-first aluminum monocoque chassis, sending 270 hp to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual transmission, with superb handling balance honed by the legendary Ayrton Senna.
In the other, its modern successor: a 2017 NSX, the 223th of 581 examples made (also in its first year of production), in Casino White Pearl with a black interior. That same single owner has only put 2,700 miles on it since taking delivery last year. At its heart is a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6, paired to a trio of electric motors to send 573 hp (more than twice the original's output) to all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic.
The auctioneer estimates the '91 model to fetch around $90-110k, and the new one about $125-150k when the gavel drops on December 8. For your money, which would you choose?
