Super rare Japanese sports car sells at auction for an eye-watering amount

A BRITISH auction house is celebrating after an old Nissan sold for a higher price than many vintage Ferraris would cost, after an “incredible bidding war”.

The Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R Nismo 400R has just been snapped up for £701,400, to the gleeful surprise of London-based Collecting Cars.

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The coveted 1998 Japanese-made car is described as “astonishingly rare” with only 44 versions believed to have been built.

The Nissan GT-R Nismo remains a big favourite among video game fans, having featured prominently in the best-selling Gran Turismo series – while also starring in the Fast And Furious movies.

Ed Callow, Collecting Cars auction specialist, said: “For around £200,000 to £250,000, you could currently buy a very usable Ferrari 250 GTE or 330 GT from the 1960s.

“And while you’ll pay more for a perfect concours-winning car, the values are still a world away from what the winning bidder paid for this 1998 Nissan Skyline GT-R Nismo 400R.

“With a production run of approximately 40 cars, and only around half that number physically accounted for, the Nismo 400R borders on the mythical for Japanese car enthusiasts.

“Many will not even be aware of its existence, and even fewer will have ever seen one on the road.

“In automotive terms, the Nismo 400R is a unicorn – so when one comes to market, the collectors with the wherewithal to acquire one sit up and take notice.

“This car had already met its reserve at £550,000, but it soared well above that value by more than 25 per cent.

“In the end it was just two collectors based on two different continents who were slugging it out for the right to own this revered 1990s performance car.

“We have sold more than 500 Ferraris on Collecting Cars, but very few with a price that exceeds this coveted 1990s Nissan.”

Collecting Cars say the Nissan was presented in period-correct specification, with very well-documented low mileage from new.

They reported: “Under the bonnet is a twin-turbocharged 2.8-litre RB-X GT2 straight-six, producing up to 400hp and 346lb-ft of torque, driving all four wheels through a five-speed manual transmission – enabling the 400R to sprint from 0-60mph in just 4.0 seconds, and with a top speed of 186mph.”

A more mainstream Nissan, the Qashqai, has previously been honoured as The Sun Car Of The Year.

Other car auctions revealed this month include a retro Ford, a 1940 V8 Endurance Rally Coupe Deluxe model, going under the hammer at London’s Bonhams.

Also up for auction is an Audi RS6 once owned by Spandau Ballet’s Gary Kemp, brother of ex-EastEnders star Martin Kemp.

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