RISING CLASSICS

For more than a couple of years now, we have been writing about the changing world of classic cars; about how a car from not that long ago may have entered the list of what is considered a classic car.

The New Zealand market is as up to date as any on trends, and recently we have been surprised by the values of some Japanese cars that not too long ago were not considered desirable at all. There’s a direct parallel between desirability and price, even when we don’t want to admit it.

This magazine featured a couple of Mazda RX3S a while ago; those two cars were worth a combined $250,000. Now, here’s one to reinforce the fact that some Japanese cars are now worth serious money in this market too. The Nissan GT-R celebrates its 50th anniversary next year, and one of the original GT-RS, a 1972 model, is currently for sale in New Zealand for only $10 shy of $400,000 — serious money for a car that many didn’t know how to take when it was new.

It is fair to say that anyone who did have a close look at it then was impressed. These cars were produced in a very limited run, known as the Hakosuka — if you understand Japanese — or Skyline, and they were a very successful racing car in their home country. Ironically, it was the Mazda rotary that ended the Skyline’s winning ways. The cars came with a DOHC two-litre six, which was fed through triple Weber carbs that would rev to 7000. That should have made all of us sit up and take notice.

Nowadays, Japanese cars are a major part of our automotive park, and cars like this one are major ‘markers’ of that particular story. Today, it is a genuine classic.