It is a prime moment in time for those who love themselves a bit of Japanese car culture. The prices for original examples of certain contemporary JDM classics — think Skyline GT-Rs, Toyota Supras, and the like — are going through the roof.
One of the few nameplates from the era that perhaps hasn't been caught in the same financial whirlwind in New Zealand is the Z32-gen Nissan 300ZX. These were reasonably common throughout the '90s on Kiwi roads, and perhaps that's why they remain reasonably priced. A quick glance online shows that you can get one that's solid, if a bit seasoned at the game of life, for around six or seven grand. While a well maintained manual can command as much as $15,000.
That's a fair whack of coin for something that's more than two-decades old, but all things considered it's not particularly over the top ... and certainly nowhere near as extreme as the price that this mint 1996 300ZX sold for in the United States earlier this week.
Admittedly, the car itself has a couple of special qualities. For one, it's a commemorative edition that Nissan rolled out in 1996 to celebrate (or mourn) the final 300 300ZXs sold in America. As illustrated by the plaque mounted on the dash, this car just happens to be No. 300 out of 300. Cool!
The second quality — perhaps slightly more relevant to the price this thing ultimately fetched — is the amount of miles on the clock. In total, there's just 533 miles (or 868 kilometres) showing. This gives every indication that the owner who bought the car in 1996 has done nothing with it ever since. Apart from keep every surface, every fixture, every dial button and lever, in showroom condition.
Private Collection Motors themselves acknowledged this in the car's online listing, adding that the car also spent some time on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California. Beyond the history, the car comes in Onyx Black, has a tan interior punctuated by all of the electric wizardry that Nissan packed into these cars at the time, and is equipped with a 5-speed manual.
And it sold for ... US$90,100.
That's an incredible $124,000 in New Zealand bucks — enough to buy two brand new Nissan 370Zs with enough change for a few ticks on the options list.
We've made a significant song and dance about the rising prices of Australian cars both modern and classic, but I reckon similar noises can be made regarding Japan's finest creations from the '90s. And New Zealand, with our lax Japanese import regulations and subsequent high uptake of collectible cars, could be sitting on a goldmine.
