drive
When is a new Honda worth twice as much as a new Rolls-Royce?
First 2017 Acura NSX Scores Record Auction Price of US$1.2 million (RM5 million) at Barrett-Jackson. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, February 3, 2016.Hondas are many things – well built, reliable, practical – but collectible is usually not one of them.
However, this weekend, a brand new Honda Acura NSX supercar, complete with VIN number 001 to indicate it is the very first off the production line, went under the hammer for a remarkable US$1.2 million (RM5 million).
With a V6 engine, four wheel drive and three individual electric motors, the car promises an awesome blend of performance and high-tech innovation, but when it officially goes on sale to the general public later this year, prices are expected to cost 10% of what was paid at the charity auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.
"It was amazing to witness such generosity of spirit and passion for the new NSX," said Jon Ikeda, vice president and general manager of Acura.
The car, or rather the right to order and personalize the first production NSX when the lines start running, was bought by Rick Hendrick, who runs his own motorsports company. All money raised by the sale is going to the Pediatric Brain Tumour Foundation.
"Mr Hendrick will have the great satisfaction of owning and driving the very first next-generation NSX, and making a difference in the lives of thousands of children."
At the same time over in Florida at the Naples Winter Wine Festival charity auction, the chance to own the world's first production example of the new Rolls-Royce Dawn convertible was also up for grabs.
To highlight its exclusivity, edition one boasts a number of unique touches, including engraved doorsills, a special red roof and full Santos Palisander Canadel Paneling throughout the interior.
Nevertheless, although the auction raised a total of US$11.1 million for the Naples Children & Educational Foundation, and the Rolls-Royce was the star lot, it “only” managed to raise US$750,000, a little over half what the mass-market Japanese supercar achieved.
"Over the past decade, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has worked closely with many owners to raise millions of dollars for local charities.
It is entirely befitting that the first new Dawn is born into such altruistic company," said Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös. – AFP/Relaxnews, February 3, 2016.
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