Building A 1991 Acura NSX Dream Car During A Pandemic
With a 500hp Civic, Integra Type R & S2K already in his stable, this dedicated Honda enthusiast realizes a lifelong dream
I've been shooting cars for nearly 20 years, or about the same amount of time that I've known Tam Le, owner of this 1991 Acura NSX. We've become good friends in recent years which makes this feature all the more important, as we captured his lifelong dream of owning an NSX.
There are a lot of firsts here: from this being my first ever pandemic shoot, to getting a ticket for hanging out of a car and taking photos in downtown with no one in sight. There is something a bit unnerving and surreal about being in a major metropolitan city on a summer Friday night that is completely dead and quiet.
Like most 90s JDM cars, the popularity and rarity of the Acura/Honda NSX continues to climb, with most recent auctions ending at over $150,000 USD on some early 90s models. Tam has been a Honda gearhead, builder and technician for nearly half of his life and presently owns a 500hp "EG" Civic hatchback, Phoenix Yellow Type-R with a custom-built turbo set up and an S2000. It doesn't stop there, though, he also daily drives a Ridgeline, an Odyssey and has also owned a magazine-featured, fully-built Prelude.
One of Tam's lifelong dreams was to own and build an NSX, but the timing and circumstances had to be right. Just over a year ago he started an exhaustive search and ended up flying out from Seattle to Texas to inspect and test drive what would eventually become his dream car. The NSX, a little rough around the edges, needed some work - but something a lifetime technician and lover of Hondas could easily tackle.
