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Golden Era Honda Collection Heads to Auction
A five-car collection spanning Honda's engineering high-water mark, from the NSX to the Civic Si, comes to auction from Morganville, New Jersey, with bidding opening on Monday, October 12.
By Charlotte Redford · 5 min read
A collection of five Japanese performance cars representing what many enthusiasts regard as the high-water mark of Honda engineering is heading to auction from Morganville, New Jersey. The group, known as The Golden Era Honda Collection, spans the mid-engine NSX flagship through to a high-revving Civic Si, and auctions will begin going live on Monday, October 12.
Four of the five cars hail from the 2000 model year, making the collection something of a snapshot of what an enthusiast could have driven away from a Honda or Acura showroom at the turn of the century. The fifth, a 1995 Acura NSX-T, represents the earlier phase of that era.
Leading the group is a 40k-mile 1995 Acura NSX-T with a five-speed manual. The open-top NSX-T was new for the 1995 model year, adding a removable lightweight aluminium targa roof panel complemented by thicker side sills, A-pillars and bulkheads to maintain rigidity. Drive-by-wire throttle control and electric power steering were introduced across the lineup that year, while motivation continued to come from the previous 270-horsepower 3.0-litre VTEC V6. This Formula Red over tan leather example benefited from a timing belt and water pump service in 2023.
Alongside it sits a 2000 Acura NSX-T with a six-speed manual. The model gained a 1997 mechanical update bringing a 3.2-litre V6, factory rated at 290 horsepower and 224 lb-ft of torque, along with a six-speed manual transmission. Honda further refined the gearbox for 2000, while perforated leather added comfort to the cabin. This black-over-black car has been with its owner since 2012 and has been personalised with a later-model rear fascia and side skirts, a WP big-brake kit, staggered-diameter Advan Racing wheels, KW coilovers and a Pride exhaust. The passenger sun visor carries the signature of Shigeru Uehara, the NSX's project leader and chief engineer behind the S2000.
The collection also includes a 34k-mile 2000 Honda Prelude with a five-speed manual. The fifth-generation Prelude marked the final chapter of Honda's original sport-coupe lineage, continuing the model's role as one of the automaker's technology showcases. This base model is powered by a 2.2-litre H22A4 DOHC VTEC inline-four, which produced 200 horsepower when paired with the five-speed manual. Sold new through Honda of Reading, Pennsylvania, it remained with its first owner for 25 years before being repainted and sold to its current owner in 2025. Black cloth upholstery and a power sunroof round out the equipment.
Completing the group are two cars that bookend Honda's turn-of-the-century performance ambitions. A 32k-mile 2000 Honda S2000, finished in Silverstone Metallic over red leather, is one of four US launch colours. Honda marked its semicentennial with the S2000 prototype unveiled in 1998, and the roadster was hand-assembled alongside the NSX and the original Insight hybrid at the Takanezawa plant in Tochigi, Japan. Its 2.0-litre F20C four-cylinder was factory rated at 240 horsepower, or 120 horsepower per litre without boost, routed through a six-speed manual and a Torsen limited-slip differential. The red push-button ignition and digital gauge cluster were modelled after McLaren-Honda Formula 1 cars of the era. Work under current ownership included a valve adjustment, a replacement timing chain tensioner, and paint protection film with a ceramic coating.
Finally, a 2000 Honda Civic Si brings DOHC VTEC to the US-market Civic coupe via a 1.6-litre B16A2 inline-four, factory rated at 160 horsepower at 7,600 rpm and paired exclusively with a five-speed manual. Sold in the US for only two years, this example was refinished in Electron Blue Pearl and underwent a multi-year refresh starting in 2021 that included an engine-out service covering the timing belt, water pump, rear main seal, oil pan and VTEC solenoid. An Exedy clutch and replacement upper control arms, rear trailing arms and calipers were also installed. It was further modified with a CT Engineering Icebox intake, a DC Sports header, a Revel USA exhaust, KYB/Eibach suspension, stainless-steel brake lines and a Skunk2 short shifter.
Together the five cars trace a clear arc through Honda's performance history, from the aluminium-bodied NSX supercar to the affordable, high-revving Civic Si that brought VTEC technology to a wider audience. For collectors, the appeal lies in the combination of low mileage, documented maintenance and the fact that four of the five represent a single model year at the peak of the company's engineering confidence.
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