Why You Should Never Buy a “Rare” 1991 NSX Convertible
The NSX Convertible That Should Have Never Been.
Yesterday, we witnessed tragedy. Patrick Morgan found this convert-ified Acura NSX for sale on eBay. We thought he would highlight the hideousness of the car, but he didn’t. For reasons completely unknown, he actually likes it. When confronted, there was no irony in his defense. There was even a comparison to the classic Jaguar D-type racer from the 1950’s.
The backlash in the office was severe. Effigies in his likeness were burned in an attempt to cleanse Honda-tech of his sins. By chopping the roof off of an original NA1 Acura NSX, not only have the superb handling dynamics of the car been compromised, but crucially, the aesthetics as well. I am going to elaborate, but look at the initial evidence:
NA1 NSX meets SN95 Mustang convertible. The quarter panel ducting and heavily raked windshield make for an awkward doppelganger situation.
By chopping the roof off of the NSX, the elegant lines of a 90’s Honda product is lost. In it’s stead is a rather frumpy looking tonneau cover, attempting to store a convertible top that doesn’t seem to fold down very well. Said cover also doesn’t seem to fasten down very well. Obvious gaps between the buttoned back cover look like prime areas for leaking and wind noise, beyond the obvious detraction that even when stowed, the top pokes out behind the seats rather noticeably. I promise there are easy arguments against this car besides the convertible top, but here’s one last tidbit: this conversion is 14 years old. Convertible tops have a finite lifespan. Good luck finding replacement parts and a replacement top for a one-off NSX convertible.
Looking beyond the convertible top, other issues arise. First off, the wheels are horrid. TSW can make nice wheels (the “Nurburgring” model comes to mind), however, these wheels don’t match the NSX aesthetic at all and serve only to bring attention to the massive wheel gap that this car has. I don’t recall other NSX’s sitting this high, even in stock trim.
The interior and exterior of the car are generally in poor shape. The leather seats show quite a lot of fading and scratching for having less than 90,000 miles. Looking beyond the leather, the center stack trim needs to be replaced or re-wrapped. In the ad, the seller states that the car requires just an exterior detail to get back in line. However, if we look through the layer of dust, I spy faded clear coat on the front bumper. Beyond that, the rest of the paintwork looks to require a good amount of polish work to get rid of the heavy scratching and swirling that is visible.
Am I being critical? Absolutely. An NSX convertible should raise eyebrow immediately, and with the current NSX price bubble, $44,450 is a big ask for a heavily modified example that can never be returned to stock. At present, the current highest bid is just under $30,000, with the reserve not being met. We highly doubt that even the strength of the NSX price bubble can push this particular example up to or beyond the asking price.
