Miraculously this Acura NSX that’s spent 16 years underwater is getting a second chance

This Acura NSX spent 16 years underwater and is finally getting a second chance on land.

The 1991 car was allegedly stolen and dumped in a North Carolina river, where it remained until being discovered in 2019.

It then remained in the possession of a towing company until a salvage yard bought it.

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The rebirth of the Acura NSX

After a diehard NSX fan, Jay, saw a post about the car on social media, he knew he had to have it.

Buying it for $8,500, he decided he would restore it.

It’s a good thing his shop, Helix Auto Works, specializes in NSXs because this was no small undertaking.

To say that the car is in a sorry state would be an understatement.

Sixteen years of being underwater would leave any car looking pretty shabby, to be fair.

Just look at this Nissan that ended up underwater – it was wrecked.

According to Carfax data, the car was reported stolen in late 2003.

How did the Acura get there?

The salvage yard owner believes that it was dumped into the Yadkin River, near Linwood, North Carolina, shortly afterwards.

The vehicle is full of dirt and plant matter, but Jay still maintained that restoration was possible.

He told The Drive: “We’re gonna try to either restore it or build a fun shop car we take to the track.”

Jay, who owns three NSXs already, wants to restore it for the sake of his friend, who has been holding out for one of the cars for a while.

In addition to the car being filled with dirt, the car is in poor condition elsewhere.

Whilst the body panels appeared to be intact, the A-Pillars appeared to have been damaged whilst the car was being towed.

However, Jay remained optimistic.

“My hope is to do this really long, just music, and us like power-washing the years away.”

Acura commended Jay’s efforts and – in a statement – said: “It’s a shame to think this car was lost for over 20 years.

“We commend the new owner for taking on the restoration and hope to see this NSX back on the road one day.”