Ayrton Senna’s personal Honda NSX has become the most expensive example of the model ever sold after going under the hammer for more than $1.6 million in London on October 31. The F1 legend has long been associated with the car after playing a role in its development into an automotive icon – and driving it like a demon in a famous video.

The three-time world champion used the freshly sold NSX (pictured below) whenever he was in Portugal, having it stored in Lisbon and delivered to him whenever he was at his property at the luxury Quinta do Lago resort. 

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Bearing chassis number T000233, the Honda sold for $1,668,569 in Aussie dollars, narrowly beating the previous record of approximately $1,667,000 for an NSX Type R. Senna’s baby came with Formula Red paint, black roof and a black leather interior, and he drove it to the 1991 Portuguese Grand Prix.

It’s known as the ‘hosepipe NSX’ among car nuts after the Brazilian was famously photographed washing it in his driveway, and the Honda also featured in the documentary Ayrton Senna: Racing Is In My Blood.  

Senna played a role in the New Sportscar eXperimental’s development when he test drove a prototype at Japan’s Suzuka circuit in February 1989 and branded the chassis “a little fragile”. Honda’s engineers reportedly responded by increasing the chassis stiffness by around 50 per cent.

A clip of Senna driving the NSX at Suzuka has been viewed more than four million times on YouTube. In it, the immaculately dressed star burns rubber before he’s even on the track, then conducts a driving masterclass. His heel-toe work while wearing a distinctive pair of leather loafers is a must-see if you haven’t locked eyes on it.

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Senna’s association with Honda began when the manufacturer supplied engines to Lotus while he was driving for the British outfit in 1987, and continued with immense success when he and Honda shifted to McLaren, kicking off a run of dominance for the team. 

When Senna died at Imola just 10 months after the NSX featured in that documentary, the car was taken into the care of the dealership it came from, then went through a series of owners and was driven at Imola in 2019 to mark the 25th anniversary of his passing.