Rare 1970 Nissan Fairlady Z432R Sells at Auction

When you think about expensive auto auctions, you probably don’t think about Japanese cars. While few will doubt Japan’s design and manufacturing prowess, most auctioned cars are older, rare European and American cars. However, a 1970 Nissan Z Fairlady Z432R just snagged $805,000 in a Tokyo auction.

Why the huge price tag? The Nissan Z is an iconic automobile and an important part of Japanese auto history. The 1970 Nissan Fairlady Z432R is an especially rare find and collectors believe that only 30 to 50 of these Nissan Zs were ever assembled. It’s unclear how many remain in the world.

The Fairlady Z432R was originally sold under the Datsun brand. The Fairlady was the competition model of the Nissan Z and featured a spry S20 2.0-liter inline-six with a four-valve, three-carburetor, double-cam inline. This engine was also found in the first-generation Skyline GT-R.

Notice the R at the end of the 1970 Nissan Fairlady Z432R? That denotes this particular Fairlady is a racing ready super car. The “R” models were especially rare, which helps explain why this 1970 Nissan Fairlady got so much at auction.

This particular 1970 Nissan Fairlady Z432R was also very well-maintained. Indeed, it was one of the best examples ever seen for a Nissan Z. Add it all up and suddenly that $800,000 price tag doesn’t seem too unreasonable.

The sale follows on the heels of the $3.74 million fetched by the Highland Green 1968 “Hero” Mustang GT, which was driven by Steve McQueen in the film Bullitt. This is the most ever fetched by a muscle car.