The folks over at Helix Auto Works now have the Acura NSX that was underwater for over a decade in their possession. Now dubbed the LochNSX, the project car is several dozen steps away from its conclusion. The team just posted the very beginning of the journey though and to put it lightly, it’s a dirty job.
In case you somehow missed it, this NSX sold at auction last week for $8,500 after being fully submerged in a river for over a decade. It was only found because a completely different search in a homicide investigation led divers to the same area. Now, the new owners over at Helix Auto Works are committed to restoring it.
Read: What Would You Do With The Acura NSX That Was Submerged Under Water For Two Decades?
That work started in earnest recently as the team towed the car to their shop and set it up in a yet-unfinished garage. Jay, the eventual next owner of the Acura and one of the team members at Helix, gets his very first peek at the car in the team’s first video update on YouTube below.
In it, he spends some time taking in the overall condition of what will hopefully one day be his very own street-legal dream car. The guys find all sorts of remnants of the river still in the car including growing plant life and shells from long-vacant crustaceans. Jay manages to remove both headlight pods and free the front hood as well.
There are living bugs under it but as another team mentions, it’s little victories that the team is leaning on right now. For those that don’t know, much of the NSX is aluminum which doesn’t rust. That means that its watery grave had less of an effect than it would on any car that’s made of steel.
Next up, the team will start excavating the parts and pieces that are still deeply buried in mud. We expect to see what it looks like in the engine compartment and the rear trunk area in the next video. At that point, the team will have an even better idea of what it’s up against.
Image Credit: Helix Auto Works