Japanese supercars at the Villa d’Este auction: rare NSX and GT-R
The Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance has always been associated with cars of a special caliber — those with bodies by Pininfarina, an impeccable ownership history reaching back to the garages of Turin industrialists, and a value that should be written in italics. Therefore, the news that this year’s auction on Lake Como will include a serious selection of Japanese cars is noteworthy.
Rare Honda NSX: almost a million dollars per example
Two of these cars are rare Honda NSXs. The first, a 2003 NSX-R, is expected to sell for between $998,000 and $1.115 million. It is one of only 140 second-generation NSX-R models ever produced, and it was recently exported from Japan.
In 2022, this car was selected for the NSX Refresh Plan program. During the factory restoration, the engine was dismantled, the gearbox was overhauled, and all important exterior parts were removed and repainted. The car is located in Germany and has 46,700 km (29,000 miles) on its odometer. As for the blue 1999 Honda NSX Type S, it is one of 209 units produced, with slightly more mileage — 46,830 km (29,093 miles).
A quintet of Nissan Skyline GT-R: from S-Tune to Clubman Race Spec
A quintet of extraordinary Nissan R34 Skyline GT-R models will also be presented at the Broad Arrow Auctions event. The most valuable among them is a 2002 GT-R CRS by Nismo — one of fewer than 20 GT-Rs that underwent CRS restoration at the Nismo Omori Factory. After the elusive Z-Tune, the Clubman Race Spec is perhaps the most desirable of all R34 GT-R models. It could sell for between $822,000 and $998,000.
The auction also includes a 2001 Skyline GT-R V-Spec II Nismo S-Tune. It is likely to sell for between $587,000 and $822,000. This is the second of only 14 GT-R S-Tunes by Nismo. Its mileage is just under 11,000 km (6,800 miles).
Alongside it, a 2001 GT-R M-Spec, estimated at $528,000–$704,000, will be presented at the auction. It is not as rare, being one of 366 units produced, and has 23,000 km (14,200 miles) on its odometer, but as we already know, people are willing to pay extraordinary sums for R34 models.
Another pearl of the auction is a ‘standard’ 1999 GT-R, painted in Midnight Purple II. It was modified at Hosaka Tuning Factory in Japan, and could be worth up to $469,000. And last, but not least — a 2002 Skyline GT-R V-Spec II Nur, one of 156 painted in Millennium Jade, which could sell for $528,000.
This auction demonstrates that the market for Japanese sports cars from the 1990s and early 2000s continues to grow, and models like the NSX-R and R34 GT-R have long crossed the line between just ‘old cars’ and genuine investment assets. It is especially interesting that these cars are being showcased at a prestigious European event traditionally associated with Italian and German rarities. This testifies to the globalization of the collectible car market and the recognition of the Japanese engineering school at the highest level. It is worth noting that even ‘standard’ versions of the GT-R, such as the M-Spec, are valued at sums that would have seemed impossible for Japanese cars just a few years ago.