Acura NSX Sunk In River For 15 Years Sells For $8.5K And Is Getting Restored

At the very least, the new owner hopes to turn it into a track car.

The heavily damaged shell of an Acura NSX is filled with dirt after sitting in a river for 20 years.

Christopher Smith

By: Christopher Smith

Mar 10, 2023 at 12:30pm ET

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Update: We have learned the NSX has a CarFax history back to 2004, and have amended the time it's been underwater to 15 years instead of 20.

There's certainly plenty of love for the first-generation Acura NSX, and that shines through in a wild story that's almost too wild to believe. Images recently surfaced on Facebook showing an NSX that looks like it endured the apocalypse, and if we're talking about a water apocalypse, that's true. It spent approximately 15 years in a river, and now it's headed to Maryland where a full restoration is planned.

We had to know more about this, so we did some digging and had a brief chat with the new owner, who wanted to stay anonymous for now. He's with Helix Auto Works in Maryland, and yes, the plan is to restore the car to road-going condition. It was purchased from LSX Salvage on March 9 for $8,500, and as this article goes live on March 10, the new owner is en-route to North Carolina to pick it up.

As for the backstory on this NSX, for reasons unknown it ended up in the Yadkin River in North Carolina at some point in the early 2000s. It was found in 2019 during an unrelated missing persons investigation and pulled from the river. LSX Salvage shared photos of the car on Facebook, and Becca Nicole Johnson on Facebook also took an interest in the car, sharing photos and additional information.

It's missing glass, and per LSX Salvage, it could be too far gone for a resto. Photos clearly show the NSX has seen far better days, with sand and debris packed throughout the car. The passenger-side A-pillar is twisted, the front fascia is a mess, and these are just the issues we can see. Still, the body looks straight aside from the pillar issue, and there's even some paint left on the exterior.

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Chatting with Becca, she confirmed the selling price to Motor1.com and put us in touch with the new owner from Helix Auto Works. As he was on the road to North Carolina, he didn't have much to offer at this time other than to confirm that yes, a restoration plan is in the works. It certainly won't be easy, and he's hoping the fine folks at Acura can help bring this classic NSX back to life. If it can't be returned to road use, there's optimism that it can at least live again as a dedicated track car.

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Restoring a vehicle that spent 15 years underwater won't be easy, but kudos to Helix Auto Works for giving it a go. We are keeping an eye on this project and will jump in with updates when this left-for-dead NSX comes roaring back to life.

Sources: LSX Salvage / Facebook, Helix Auto Works

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