The one-off Acura NSX Roadster that Robert Downey Jr. drove as Tony Stark in "The Avengers" is up for auction on Cars & Bids, with no reserve. Bidding closes October 31 at 2 p.m. Pacific time. The high bid was $105,000 after 17 bids as of October 27.
The buyer won't be able to drive it home. The listing calls the car a movie prop and manufacturer prototype that cannot be titled, registered, or driven on public roads. It sells on a bill of sale, and the final sale depends on a usage agreement. Motor1 called it a display piece only.
The other surprise is what's underneath. The roadster looks like the second-generation NSX, but it was built on a 1991 NSX, the first model year of the original car. Acura said the donor was "a well-used 1991 model with 252,000 miles on the odometer." The listing shows 252,200 miles today.
A team at Acura's design studio in Los Angeles, led by then-Creative Director Dave Marek, designed the car. Trans FX in Oxnard, California, built it, fitting a hand-made resin and fiberglass body to the old car along with a 2-inch suspension drop and aftermarket seats, Acura said. The listing adds 18-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels and Hot Rod Red paint matched to Iron Man's armor. The windshield came from a Chrysler PT Cruiser, according to Carscoops.
The hardware is all 1991. Power comes from the original 3.0-liter VTEC V6, rated at about 270 horsepower and 210 lb-ft, through a five-speed manual to the rear wheels. The cabin is mostly first-generation NSX too, which The Drive found funny next to the newer-looking body. "We knew it would have to be a reliable vehicle for filming, not just a static display," Marek said in an Acura release.
For all that work, the car got about two seconds on screen. It shows up at the end of the film, when the heroes drive off after beating Loki, The Drive reported. Downey also drove it at the movie's Los Angeles premiere. When Acura unveiled the roadster ahead of the release, it also announced its role as the official vehicle of the fictional agency S.H.I.E.L.D., Motor Authority reported at the time.
The body was styled after the second-generation NSX Concept from the 2012 North American International Auto Show. The real car took four more years. Serial production started in late April 2016 at Acura's Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio, according to Acura. That 2017 NSX used a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 and a hybrid all-wheel-drive system. Motor1 noted that the movie car has no trace of the hybrid setup.
Acura kept the roadster out of public view for more than a decade. It came back at The Quail during Monterey Car Week in August 2025, as part of the original NSX's 35th anniversary. Bidding opened October 17 at the Cars & Bids Willow Springs Reimagined event, WFTV reported, and the car will be shown alongside the Acura NEXERA Vision at the Las Vegas Concours when the auction ends.
All of the winning bid goes to a charity the buyer and Acura agree on, the listing says, and American Honda will repay the buyer's fee. Acura is also guaranteeing a separate contribution to the Sundance Institute, which supports independent artists. Another movie car sells soon, too. The Batmobile from "Batman Returns" crosses the block in November.
Roof or no roof, how does the NSX look to you? Cast a vote on WhipJury.
Sources:
Listing details, no reserve, bid, road-use limits, bill of sale, mileage, engine, wheels, paint, charity terms, and closing time: Cars & Bids
Las Vegas Concours, NEXERA Vision, closing time, and Sundance Institute contribution: Acura
Donor car, design team, Trans FX build, Marek quote, and the 2025 Monterey return: Acura
Production NSX start date, plant, and powertrain: Honda
Display-only status, first model year, and missing hybrid system: Motor1
Screen time, final scene, premiere, and interior: The Drive
2012 reveal and S.H.I.E.L.D. role: Motor Authority
Bidding start at Willow Springs Reimagined: WFTV
PT Cruiser windshield: Carscoops
Photos: Avengers NSX Roadster photos from the Cars & Bids listing; production NSX via Wikimedia Commons: Captainpisslord (CC0 1.0)
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Jeffrey Wiley has spent more time than he'd like to admit thinking about what makes a car look right. He writes about automotive design, car culture, and the opinions people have strong feelings about. He lives in north Georgia.
