Classified ad of the week: Honda NSX

Remember reading about the updated Honda NSX concept at this year's Frankfurt motor show? It got us thinking, just how little would we need to spend to buy a tempting, original model to keep us going till the new model lands?

Well, we went on the internet and found this. Which is not very much money at all. £28,500 to be precise. The same as a Seat Exeo. Or a Skoda Superb Estate. Or an Audi A3. Correct us if we're wrong, but Ayrton Senna didn't help tune the chassis on any of that lot.

Yep, the original mid-engined NSX was developed by Aytron Senna (he was responsible for its super-stiff chassis - a suggestion he offered after driving it at the Suzuka GP circuit). And fellow F1 driver, Satoru Nakajima - both were heavily involved in a brutal testing schedule, which Honda thought was needed to bring it up to the Ferrari 348 - the company's benchmark (sound familiar?).

Combined with early design input from Pininfarina, and rock-solid engineering you'd expect from Honda, the NSX was a huge success -18685 were sold in total (compared with 8844 355s...). It earned itself a reputation as a supercar that could bite chunks out of the Italian stuff, and get you to Timbuktu if you so desired.

As well as an all-aluminium monocoque body - the first production car to have one - it was also an early adopter of Honda's VTEC variable valve timing system, which was hidden in its all-aluminium 3.0-litre V6. As were a set of titanium connecting rods - another first for a production car. It made 270bhp, which isn't a staggering amount, but it only weighed 1350kg. And it'd start in the morning, every morning. Probably explains why some cars have as many as 200,000 miles on the clock.

So, what about this one? It's got a Honda service history from new, 62,000 miles on the clock, the ‘F- matic' paddle-shift ‘box, and a number plate you'd probably want to sell.

Click here to see the ad

Then tell us - this, or a second-hand 348?