Auctions: eBay Find of the Day: Ayrton Senna’s 1993 Honda NSX

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Auctions, Europe, Acura, Honda, Celebrities

1993 Acura NSX reportedly formerly owned by Ayrton Senna, is up for auction on eBay.

It’s not often that things owned by the late Ayrton Senna come up for sale, but the seller of this black-on-black 1993 Honda NSX (aka, Acura NSX) eBay find claims it was once owned by the Formula One legend, and that he left a footprint on the factory carpet that can still be seen today. (Footprint, or vacuum lines?…)

NSX no. T000999 was given to Senna as a gift from his mentor and sponsor, Antonio de Almeida Braga, the seller claims, and it was stored at a palace near the Estoril F1 circuit in Portugal. He also was known to drive two other NSXs, a black one and a red one – the latter in which he was seen often.

The seller claims to have owned T000999, which is still in Portugal, for 17 years, and the 31,000-mile odometer indicates it was driven about 1,500 miles per year on average. Thankfully the car has been kept stock, so whoever buys it can enjoy driving it just as Senna did – that is, if the car actually is what it’s claimed to be. If the story checks out, then this is one valuable NSX, which is reflected in the high minimum starting bid of 47,500 pounds ($73,620). There have been no bids at time of writing, but with nine days left in the auction, we’ll be keeping our eyes on this one.

Senna is credited with improving the development of the mid-engine Honda when he told engineers after a test drive that the car needed to be more rigid. After eight months more chassis development, the car was stiffer and the suspension was finely tuned to Senna’s satisfaction. The rest is history, as Honda stunned the world – and a few supercar manufacturers – soon after when it released the excellent NSX in 1990.

eBay Find of the Day: Ayrton Senna’s 1993 Honda NSX originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Aug 2013 11:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Honda celebrates the life of Ayrton Senna the best way it knows how

Filed under: Motorsports, Japan, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Honda

Honda is returning to Formula One in 2015 with McLaren, and when that engine maker and that F1 constructor are mentioned together, two other words are never far behind: Ayrton Senna. There are engine suppliers, constructors and drivers that have bigger numbers, but those three form a triumvirate that came close to defining F1 in the eighties.

Honda Japan has produced a commercial called Sound of Honda that celebrates Senna at a race that turned out to be one of the most momentous of his career for good and bad reasons: the 1989 grand prix at Suzuka where he won, then was stripped of, the driver’s championship.

The commercial has a terrifically simple premise – there’s no CG, no old footage of Senna, no one says a word, it’s just sound. And it’s pretty damn good. Check it out below.

Continue reading Honda celebrates the life of Ayrton Senna the best way it knows how

Honda celebrates the life of Ayrton Senna the best way it knows how originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bruno Senna records a lap of Spa one-handed

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos

bruno senna spa lap shot on a cell phone

Bruno Senna laps Spa one-handed – Click above to watch the video after the jump

Formula One driver Bruno Senna possesses some serious driving skills. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be driving the Lotus Renault R30 on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. But is Senna good enough at his craft to hammer out a lap at Spa using only one hand?

The brash Brazillian wanted to give his YouTube followers a first-hand account of what it’s like to drive the R30 at Spa, so he recorded the lap with his cell phone. Actually, it’s not exactly a lap of the classic circuit, it’s more like a stunt session. If you’re worried about distracted driving, don’t, because Senna says in the video description: “Please note I drove within safe limits and not flat-out,” then proceeds to tell others not to drive and shoot video at the same time.

That sounded nice and safe, at least until we saw the video. While we’re sure Senna wasn’t going all out, he was still moving faster than most humans ever should with both hands on the wheel. “Safe limits” clearly means different things to different people, no? Amazingly, Senna turns out to be as good a videographer as he is a driver, as the finished product is amazingly steady and well-composed.

Hit the jump to watch the amazing video for yourself, especially if you’ve always wanted a first-hand account of what a donut in an F1 car would look like. Nicely done, Mr. Senna, but probably not all that safe.

Continue reading Bruno Senna records a lap of Spa one-handed

Bruno Senna records a lap of Spa one-handed originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 May 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Japanese trailer for Ayrton Senna documentary

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Racing

Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna biopic trailer – Click above to watch video after the jump

Ayrton Senna da Silva was born on March 21, 1960. To our knowledge, he won his first competition when he cut his umbilical cord before his doctor could. In reality, he began his karting career at age 13. He jumped to single-seat race cars in 1981 before finally reaching the holy land of Formula One in 1984. He was just 24. Four years later, he captured the first of three world championship titles, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest drivers of all time.

Watching Senna drive, especially in rainy conditions, was like watching an artist create a masterpiece. As you already know, tragedy struck when Ayrton Senna died in an accident during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola. Senna aficionados will soon get the opportunity to learn more about their idol, thanks to a forthcoming documentary. A Japanese-language trailer has been released for the upcoming biopic. Senna, the first officially-sanctioned feature-length film about the Brazilian driver who, to this day, remains sorely missed. Click past the jump to watch it.

[Source: YouTube via Jalopnik]

Continue reading Video: Japanese trailer for Ayrton Senna documentary

Video: Japanese trailer for Ayrton Senna documentary originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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