If you’ve ever wondered what happened to Tony Stark’s Acura from The Avengers, one of several movie cars driven by Iron Man, you’re about to find out. Acura just confirmed that the one-off NSX Roadster will appear at The Quail on August 15 during Monterey Car Week. This will be its first public showing in more than a decade, timed with the 35th anniversary of the original NSX.
The first-generation NSX, of course, which launched in 1990, was Honda’s answer to Europe’s best. Ayrton Senna, the then McLaren-Honda’s F1 world champion, was involved in its chassis development. Pushing for a stiffer structure and sharper suspension, the Brazilian legend’s influence turned the NSX into a balanced, precision tool that could run with Ferraris yet be driven daily. That same engineering DNA is still underneath this Roadster’s custom body.
The movie car’s origin story begins in 2011. Marvel Studios, working with Acura under a licensing deal, needed a hero car for Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark. Acura’s then-creative director Dave Marek had just three months to deliver. He sourced a well-used 1991 NSX with more than 250,000 miles on the odometer.
Trans FX in Oxnard, California, handled the transformation. The team stripped the body down to its chassis, then built a fiberglass frontend and foam rear section inspired by the second-generation NSX Concept shown at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. The suspension was dropped two inches, 18-inch wheels were fitted, and the original interior was mostly intact, besides a painted panel in the center console to match the exterior and the aftermarket seats. The 3.0-liter, 270-horsepower V6 powertrain was also retained.
But perhaps one of the most striking aspects about this car was its exterior paint. It wasn’t just any red. Marek’s team worked directly with Marvel to color-match the finish to Iron Man’s on-screen armor. The metallic tone was designed to pop under camera lighting, creating a visual link between Stark and his car without needing an explicit explanation in the film. It is worth noting that this new styling direction appeared years before the production second-gen NSX arrived in 2016, and long before Acura launched the ultimate version of the hybridized 627-horsepower NSX Type S in August 2022.
This appearance at The Quail is more than just a nostalgia play because Acura will auction the car in 2026, with all proceeds going to charity. During Monterey Car Week, they’ll start taking names from serious bidders who want a shot at owning it.
Besides the NSX Roadster, the display at The Quail will also include a curated lineup of significant NSX models. You’ll also get a chance to look at a 1995 NSX-R, the Japan-only lightweight track special, and a 1999 Zanardi Edition, one of just 51 built for the U.S. market. Acura will also show the all-new RSX Prototype EV that we touched upon earlier this week, an electric performance SUV previewing the brand’s future.
It’s rare to find a Hollywood car that still drives, still wears its movie plate (“Stark 33”), and still looks exactly as it did on screen. Given the NSX’s growing collectibility, this sale should attract both film memorabilia hunters and serious car collectors. The original NSX has already seen its market value surge, and this one adds cinematic provenance into the mix. So if you’re at The Quail, you’ll get a chance to look at something that blends pop culture, motorsport DNA, and design history, all in one very red package.
Source: Acura