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The Acura NSX was perhaps the greatest driver’s car of the ’90s. The mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car proved to be a staple for the brand’s heritage in the U.S. and abroad, proving that Honda and its sub-brands could accomplish something greater than building a long-lasting economy car. Now, 30 years after the platform first hit American soil, the Japanese automaker is considering extending a bespoke restoration service for NSX owners Stateside.
As noted by Tire Meets Road, Acura’s senior manager of the NSX product line, John Watts, announced the potential for the program’s expansion while attending a virtual session of the annual NSXPO enthusiasts meetup last week. Watts noted that Honda has been offering this service for over a decade in Japan, however, the program has been exclusively for Japan-market cars, and the waitlist to actually have the car evaluated (a service which costs $1,200 alone) is about a year long.
Given the huge demand for a program that doesn’t even encompass all NSXs sold around the globe, Honda is now performing preliminary polling across the NSX ownership base on the viability of an American program under the Acura name, according to the report.
Watts’ comments on the matter can be heard in the video below roughly 19 minutes in.
Like most factory restorations, the process of having the NSX restored has historically been quite expensive—and owners of U.S.-spec cars shouldn’t anticipate that it will be much different. Watts showed off some pricing information that closely aligns with Honda’s Japan-market refresh menu, so prospective buyers into a restoration can gauge their potential bill using the existing à la carte services list.
An engine overhaul, which includes replacing the entire long block, costs around $23,600. A full suspension refresh is surprisingly more costly at $24,033. If your seats are worn or dashboard is cracked, Honda will take care of that too for just $23,065. And if for some reason, your exterior is what needs to be overhauled—whether that be rock chips in the hood, a cracked bumper, or wonky fuel lid—your NSX will return to you freshly coated in factory paint for an eyewatering $38,000.
The real question is whether or not Honda can sell its restoration services to NSX owners when the cost could encroach on the value of even low mileage examples.
Like many collector cars, there has been a discernable rise in price for the Acura NSX over the past year. However, as seen on Bring a Trailer’s result page, the average selling price appears to be nested between $50,000 and $100,000—the spread varying based on the date of sale and the condition (including mileage) that the car was in when it was sold. But if the NSX continues to rise in value (and owners continue to daily drive them), the OEM restoration process could be something greatly welcomed by veteran owners.
Still, a number of owners in the virtual NSXPO chatroom indicated their potential interest in the program, so the hopes for some shiny restored NSXs rolling around seem quite promising. Perhaps this will also give the NSX enough gumption to finally match the value of a lightly driven Toyota Supra.
