Acura's New Idea For First-Gen NSX Owners Is Brilliant

Oct. 11, 2020 12:30 PM ET by Jay Traugott Supercars / 8 Comments

It's about time something like this is launched.

The first-generation Acura NSX will forever be an icon. Its second-gen successor hasn't achieved the same levels of greatness, though it's still a brilliant modern-day hybrid supercar. As a brand, Acura takes care of its customers but what about owners of the original NSX. The car which forced both Ferrari and Lamborghini to re-think their supercar business is aging, with many early examples now 30 years old. Shouldn't there be some sort of official restoration and/or maintenance program? Of course, and it appears that's exactly what Acura wants to do.

According to Tire Meets Road, a recent Zoom interview with John Watts, Acura's senior manager of the NSX Team, the Japanese automaker is seriously considering launching a first-gen NSX restoration program for all US-based owners. Such a program already exists in Japan, so there's plenty of experience to draw from.

"We have research going out to 2,000 people (first-gen NSX owners) in the United States asking their level of interest in the overall idea of a refresh plan and then looking at the packages as to the level of interest in specific packages," Watts said. "We're trying to see if there's an appetite for this type of service in the United States, and it seems as though there is."

Just under 9,000 examples of the first-gen NSX, built from 1990 until 2005, are in the US, many of which continue to be driven daily. Owners who are interested in taking part, however, will hopefully have deep pockets. You see, many of these original NSX parts are bespoke and equally hard to find, and the program's prices are expected to reflect that.

Just to give you an idea how much, Japan's NSX restoration program show prices, converted to USD, starting at a $1,200 base fee just for an inspection, and quickly rising to $2,500 for a full exterior cleaning option. Replacing various fuel system parts is another $3,200 while a clutch replacement ranges from $4,000 to $8,500. Think that's expensive? A complete engine overhaul can cost as much as $23,600 and a full exterior disassembly and subsequent makeover is $38,000. Again, these prices are not set in stone, but owners who want such a US-based program should know in advance it won't be cheap.

Just recently an ultra-rare 1999 NSX Zanardi Edition sold for nearly $300,000, an indicator NSX owners and collectors are willing to pay top dollar.