7 Of The Best Hondas Sold On Collecting Cars

Initially conceived as a motorcycle manufacturer, Honda began its car manufacturing journey with the T360 kei truck for the Japanese market, closely followed by a compact two-door roadster in the form of the S500. From these humble beginnings, the marque would go on to become a household name in the automotive industry.

It is perhaps best known for its famed reliability, but has also achieved impressive feats in the field of competitive motorsport, both on two wheels and four. Thanks in part to this combination of excellent engineering alongside racing provenance, not to mention relative affordability and ease of modification; it is a brand that has achieved a cult following among many enthusiasts.

For this roam through the archives we decided to take a closer look at some of the very best Honda models to have been sold on Collecting Cars, from rare classics to performance icons.

Believed to have been one of just 111 S600 Roadsters produced in 1966, this compact high-revving lightweight sports car was brought to market by the Collecting Cars team in Australia in November 2023.

Inspired by British GT car design, the S600 was powered by an advanced 606cc water-cooled twin-cam engine, fed by quad carburettors and capable of revving to 9,500rpm. This particular car was presented in generally excellent cosmetic and mechanical condition following a full respray, an interior retrim, and a rebuild of the engine, transmission and differential over the course of the seller’s 12-year ownership. Competitive bidding saw the car sell with a hammer price of A$36,500.

Jumping forward several decades to another free-revving compact model, this Honda CRX VTEC was offered for sale in Sweden in May 2023, where it had been with the second owner for around one year.

Notably, this particular CRX VTEC was reported to be the first example delivered to Sweden, which had never been registered, having only been driven at Ring Knutstorp for advertising purposes before being placed in a museum. As a result, this example boasted just 2,535 Kms from new.

It was powered by the first-generation 1.6-litre naturally aspirated inline-four ‘B16A’ VTEC engine, which revved to 8,000rpm. Offered fresh from a recent service, it represented an unmissable opportunity for a collector to acquire a ‘time warp’ example of the sought-after modern classic, and it was sold with a winning bid of €32,500.

In January 2021, an extremely rare opportunity presented itself when this Honda NSX Type R was offered for sale in Hong Kong. It was one of just 483 examples built exclusively for the Japanese market, and was offered for sale by its second owner from new.

This revered variant of the marque’s acclaimed sports car represented the genesis point of the storied ‘Type R’ nameplate, and was created by taking a standard coupe and executing a significant weight reduction programme. The sound deadening material was removed, along with the traction control, motorised leather seats, and the original wheels. In their place, lightweight carbon-Kevlar bucket seats were fitted, trimmed in red suede cloth, along with Enkei forged alloy wheels to reduce unsprung mass, and even the gear knob was hewn from titanium.

Alongside this 120kg weight-saving, the NSX Type R also received a number of mechanical upgrades, with a blueprinted motorsport-grade 3.0-litre V6, revised final drive, and stiffer suspension. This example was in impressive condition, and showed just 46,934 Kms from new. It attracted substantial viewing numbers of over 25,000, as well as 86 bids, before selling at £160,000.

From a lesser-seen landmark sports car to an acclaimed performance coupe often regarded as the greatest front-wheel drive-car ever built; this Integra Type R DC2 was an especially well-presented example, believed to have been one of the first 500 models delivered to the UK.

The Integra Type R DC2 featured thinner windscreen glass, lighter alloy wheels, removed sound deadening, a titanium gear knob, a strengthened chassis with extra spot-welds and thicker metal around the rear shock absorber mountings and lower subframe. Under the bonnet was a hand-built ‘B18C’ 1.8-litre naturally aspirated inline-four with VTEC, hand-polished and ported intakes, high-compression pistons, and a revised exhaust system.

Dry-stored from 2007 until its recommissioning in 2020, this car was finished in Championship White and featured the original red Alcantara-trimmed Recaro bucket seats. It was presented at the time of sale in generally excellent condition, with a new cam belt and water pump fitted in recent years, and just 33,350 miles from new. Understandably it attracted significant interest from collectors and keen drivers alike, and achieved a sale price of £22,001.

If rear-wheel drive was more your thing, then this desirable Honda S2000 GT represented a superb choice. Brought to market in November 2022, this very low-mileage ‘Edition 100’ model was from the final year of production, had just a single owner from new, and had covered a mere 2,769 miles.

The run-out ‘Edition 100’ was produced exclusively for the UK market to celebrate 10 years of the acclaimed model, and featured Grand Prix White paintwork, red leather upholstery, graphite-painted wheels with black wheel bolts, and a unique plaque on the driver’s sill plate. Under the bonnet sat a high-revving 2.0-litre naturally aspirated inline-four VTEC engine, which delivered around 237bhp to the rear wheels via an engaging six-speed manual transmission.

Presented at the time of sale in pristine condition, this S2000 GT had clearly been well maintained, and was fresh from a recent service, as well as an advisory-free MOT test. Sold with its matching hard-top roof, it was simply ready to be enjoyed by its next enthusiast owner, and found a winning bid of £37,750.

Moving from four wheels to two, this ‘as-new’ example of the exceptional and very rare “MotoGP bike for the road” was offered for sale in December 2021. Created with a focus on light weight and agility, the RC213V-S was a road-legal racing bike, built around a hand-fabricated aluminium frame with carbon-fibre body panels and titanium fasteners, resulting in a dry weight of just 170kg.

A true collector-quality example, this particular RC213V-S was number 029 of a reported 125 examples built, which had been registered and kept on a trickle charger, though remained entirely ‘unboxed’ in its shipping crate, with just 1 mile on the odometer.

This exceptional RC213V-S was genuinely immaculate, and had of course never been ridden or used. As such, it proved an unmissable opportunity to acquire a factory-fresh superbike, and secured bids from around the world. It went on to achieve a hammer price of £177,500, which currently remains the world record price for the model.

To close out our list is a near-new Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition, which was brought to market in June 2022 by the Collecting Cars team in Australia. This variant featured a number of exterior upgrades, improved suspension, an upgraded braking system with Brembo callipers, the Active Sound Control (ASC) system, and individual settings for the Sport, +R and Comfort driving modes.

Number 7 of only 20 examples delivered to Australia, this Civic Type R Limited Edition was finished in the striking shade of Sunlight Yellow with contrasting gloss-black elements, and boasted a turbocharged 2.0-litre inline-four, delivering 316bhp to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox.

Described as being in generally superb ‘showroom’ condition, in line with the mere 494 Kms on the odometer, it also remained covered by the balance of the seven-year warranty until May 2028. Following spirited bidding, the hammer fell at A$110,000.

Honda’s lauded back catalogue of performance cars and bikes are typically exciting yet highly usable machines. If you're looking to purchase a classic icon or a high-revving VTEC hero, make sure to keep an eye on our Coming Soon section, and subscribe to keep up-to-date with all the latest news and listings. Alternatively, if you’re in the market to sell, then contact one of our Consignment Specialists today, and learn how to achieve a great result at auction.