Need NSX community help Re: Zanardi #42

[NSXMTL]

Hello NSX community!

So Bat has Zanardi #42 up for sale (JH4NA2128XT000169) https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1999-acura-nsx-13/ and there is quite a bit of confusion on the provenance of this car. According to NSX Prime and the registry, this car has been in an accident. However, the current seller claims it has not. Even though the family purchased the car after the date of the supposed accident, he has recently taken the car to get inspected which also claims that the car was not accidented. @Hattori_Hanzo made a list of observations on the BaT listing which he believes are clear indications of an accident/repair. You can see his comments posted on June 4th, 7:31pm.

I'm wondering if anyone knows for certain what happened to that car (if anything)? Pictures proving the accident or knowledge of the previous owner that allegedly damaged the car? Anything to prove one way or another would be truly helpful.

Thank you!

 

[Honcho]

Hello NSX community!

So Bat has Zanardi #42 up for sale (JH4NA2128XT000169) https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1999-acura-nsx-13/ and there is quite a bit of confusion on the provenance of this car. According to NSX Prime and the registry, this car has been in an accident. However, the current seller claims it has not. Even though the family purchased the car after the date of the supposed accident, he has recently taken the car to get inspected which also claims that the car was not accidented. @Hattori_Hanzo made a list of observations on the BaT listing which he believes are clear indications of an accident/repair. You can see his comments posted on June 4th, 7:31pm.

I'm wondering if anyone knows for certain what happened to that car (if anything)? Pictures proving the accident or knowledge of the previous owner that allegedly damaged the car? Anything to prove one way or another would be truly helpful.

Thank you!

This may help you: http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/118137-Zanardi-value-JH4NA2128XT000169?p=1133099&viewfull=1#post1133099

You can try to contact this member via PM and see if he has more evidence of the accident/damage. There are very few people people in North America who are qualified to determine if a NSX has suffered frame damage- it requires a NSX frame repair manual and measuring various dimensions using the specified control points on the frame. Did the person who inspected the car perform these measurements? If not, I'm not sure I would trust their opinion, considering the rarity of this car. Considering its potential value, it may be worth shipping the car to Joe Lomoriello at Vince's Auto Body in New York for a real inspection. Joe is the only person I know who can tell you if this car has been damaged for sure. This is a process that is beyond the skill or knowledge of the average Honda dealer and you need a NSX body specialist to know for sure. I don't know if there is anyone of Joe's caliber in Montreal, but maybe other members can chime in here.

Hope this helps.

 

[NSXMTL]

Firstly, thank you very much for answering this post Honcho... very much appreciated. However, the timing and current situation with this car with 2 days left to go in the BaT auction would preclude the seller from any further inspection than what he already did (he kind of lives in the middle of nowhere - like 3 hours North East of Montreal). To be clear, his 'inspector' is pathetic to say the least. Seller claimed he brought it to a local FixAuto chain garage which clearly has no authority on the NSX, and even then, and based on the new pictures submitted, I have doubts he even went there at all. All this to say is that with 2 days to go and with such a big ? on this car, it surely will end up RNM. I was looking for "the smoking gun" proof such as confirmation from the previous owner or even pics. Since the accident noted in several threads specifically stated "guardrail impact", one would assume that someone actually knows for a fact what happened or just something like "left rear damage" would have been stated from inspections/observations. I did notice that #42 is no longer in the official Zanardi thread (whereas I clearly saw it before with the mention of damage)

P.S. Even if the auction is RNM, I have a feeling that the Seller will not trek the car down to Joe Lomoriello for him to get the news of what I'm sure he is beginning to suspect is fact.

Thank you!

 

[NSX_n00b]

I was looking for "the smoking gun" proof such as confirmation from the previous owner or even pics. Since the accident noted in several threads specifically stated "guardrail impact", one would assume that someone actually knows for a fact what happened or just something like "left rear damage" would have been stated from inspections/observations.

I think the fact that all these years later the "smoking gun" hasn't been found means it most likely doesn't exist. The first posts referencing damage and guardrail impact are from Feb 2009. For the sake of the argument let's say the accident happened around that time. That's still over 11 years ago. Most shops/dealerships/etc. only hold on to records for 10 years. Cell Phone cameras weren't everyday items yet in early 2009 and the quality of the photos from camera phones then was definitely lacking compared to today. The car was in San Diego, CA at the time and I'm willing to bet there were plenty of shops in the area back then that were willing to do the work off the books so the owner wouldn't have to report it and CarFax would be none the wiser. The new photos posted in the auction from the "inspector" only sink the ship even more. I'm sure someone out there knows what happened for sure but the fact the first "appearance" of this car was at the auction in 2009 the likelihood that the original owner or someone associated with them is viewing Prime or BaT all these years later I think is pretty slim. Just my .02 on the matter.

 

[NSXMTL]

I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment. But it doesn't hurt to ask, especially in such a community where so much information is shared. It was worth giving it a shot.

 

[The Kid]

I don't really feel it is my place to destroy the sellers auction, so I've remained quiet. The information I gathered was listed on the Zanardi Registry and available to anyone who can right click a mouse and GOOGLE a vin #. Ironically enough, I did a severe quarantine clean up at home and threw out a folder with most of the records and reports I'd acquired over the years. This example has been well documented.

 

[NSXMTL]

I don't really feel it is my place to destroy the sellers auction, so I've remained quiet. The information I gathered was listed on the Zanardi Registry and available to anyone who can right click a mouse and GOOGLE a vin #. Ironically enough, I did a severe quarantine clean up at home and threw out a folder with most of the records and reports I'd acquired over the years. This example has been well documented.

Well, there are 2 ways to look at it. Perhaps it's more in line with the NSX Prime community spirit if you would be maybe saving a potential buyer from believing the car had no accident. As far as I'm concerned the seller put it out there that the car has had NO accident. So, at that point it's not really sabotage but simply highlighting the reality of the situation. I'm almost certain it will be RNM if Seller was under the illusion he had a perfect provenance car (minus the wheels) to which his reserve will surely be reflective of that.

 

[Dynamic-uzed-auto]

good luck with whatever the outcome is.

 

[NSXMTL]

good luck with whatever the outcome is.

Well, too much unknown for me to bid. It's too bad as it would have eliminated a lot of costs (importation/shipping/duties/etc)

 

[Honcho]

Well, too much unknown for me to bid. It's too bad as it would have eliminated a lot of costs (importation/shipping/duties/etc)

FWIW, I think you made the right call.

 

[AEROBUFF]

That bolt going into the rocker in pictures 276 and 277 told me that something was fixed in that area. Unless the its something special to the Zanardi there should not be a big bolt there. Its hard to tell from that if it was hit hard enough to bend the frame or if was just a low speed scrape from a tall driveway. But, why was the bolt there? It also bothered me they were trying to sell a six figure car and they didn't at least use the right jack points. You can see them in the pictures six inches away from the points they chose to use.