First Honda NSX sold for $US1.2m

THE first example of the Honda NSX hybrid supercar to roll off the production line has been sold at an auction in the United States for a record price of $1.2 million ($A1.69m).

According to the Japanese car-maker, the auction price smashed the record for the highest-selling car with a designated vehicle identification number (VIN) of 001, with proceeds from the auction, conducted by Barrett-Jackson, going to charity.

The winning bidder was Rick Hendrick, owner of NASCAR Sprint Cup competitor Hendrick Motorsports, and founder of Hendrick Automotive Group.

Proceeds from the auction will go to a pair of children's charities based in the US – the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation in North Carolina and Camp Southern Ground in Georgia.

Sold in the US under Honda's premium sister brand Acura, the NSX will be available to order there from February 25.

This year will mark the 30th anniversary of the Acura nameplate in the US, making it the first luxury nameplate for a Japanese car-maker, paving the way for other Japanese premium brands such as Infiniti and Lexus.

The NSX is expected to arrive in Australia towards the end of 2016 wearing Honda badges, and while pricing and specification will not be revealed until closer to launch, it is expected to be priced to compete with European rivals such as the Porsche 911 Turbo and Audi R8.

The first iteration of the NSX arrived at the start of the 1990s and was the world's first mass-produced car to feature an all-aluminium body. At the time it aimed to challenge premium brands such as Ferrari by offering increased reliability and a more attractive price point.

Honda used late Formula One champion Ayrton Senna as a test driver during development of the original NSX, and power was delivered through its rear wheels from a 3.0-litre V6.

It revolutionised the supercar segment from its release until it was discontinued in 2005.

The reborn model will reflect the future of the car industry through the use of a petrol-electric powertrain consisting of a twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre DOHC V6 petrol engine, matched with a hybrid system that includes three electric motors – a rear direct-drive electric motor, housed between the engine and gearbox, and an independent electric motor in each front wheel.

Total output for the NSX comes to 427kW/646Nm.

The NSX took four years of development and testing, and will be built exclusively in the US at Honda's new plant in Ohio.

GoAuto had a brief drive of the NSX around the time of the Tokyo motor show in November last year.

At the drive event, Honda Australia director Stephen Collins said that he would like to release pricing on the NSX early to stimulate orders, however he said Honda was not yet settled on a price.

“It is a supercar. I don’t want to speculate (on the price) at this point.

There are a lot of factors. Obviously the strength of the Aussie dollar is an influencing factor. So we will just have to wait and see.” Only five dealers in Australia will sell the NSX – one each in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.