Well, you could get a brand new 2023 Z (and change back).

Does BaT issue 1099s at year end so the Federales know about the sale?

 

A positive Lotus Emira review from evo magazine: https://www.evo.co.uk/lotus/emira

 

I agree with you on the SP, but they only made 38 road cars, most of which have been street driven in Australia for almost 30 years so usually high have quite mileage. They rarely come up for sale, but when they do, their values actually track higher than Spirit Rs here. That is kind of consistent with your thinking.

Even if you have limitless money to spend on an SP, you may need to wait years to find one. If you have money, you can buy a Spirit R now quite easily (although finding an unmodified one in decent condition is harder than you might think).

For what it's worth, the Spirit R has more power than the SP did (206kw vs 204kw). The SP did that with higher boost and a 3.5" SMB exhaust system. Put that same exhaust on the Spirit R and it will make more power again. The SP was much lighter, true, making it quicker overall. But I have to say my Spirit R just feels and looks so much newer than the various SP I've seen in person. Oh and being a Type B, mine has 4 seats so I can stick my kids in the back, unlike the SP.

While the Spirit R does not have any more power than the other top spec series 8 models, it is the only model with the top performance spec combined with all the add ons from previous limited models. Early RZs might have had the kevlar seats and footrest etc, but they didn't have the 280ps engine, or the 16 bit ECU or the 4 channel ABS system, etc. Later Type RS cars had those mechanical features but didn't have the special add-ons of the earlier limited models. No other model has it all in one package. This is what makes it the flagship/pinnacle of the FD - it is the ultimate culmination of the car's history and development.

Importantly, it is the fact that this is the last limited run Mazda manufactured and the car featured in multiple video games etc that makes these so desirable and therefore valuable.

Last but not least, it is the only limited model Mazda made that had a numbered ID plate. Do not underestimate the value of a numbered plate for a collectible car, as trivial as it may seem. Mazda touted the RZ has limited edition, saying they would release 150 - they ended making 325. They said they would make 500 Type R Bathurst R, but made 650, then followed up with another 2,174 Type R Bathurst which are virtually the same. None of those limited models are individually numbered in the same way as a Spirit R. When they said they would release 1,500 they actually did.**

** Mazda actually made 1,504 Spirit Rs, but 4 of those were for testing and/or press cars.

 

Someone was trying to sell a Spirit R number plate on ebay for $2550 a few years ago.

I think someone is making and selling fake plates.

What about the series plates for the special edition cars made by some of the tuner shops.

One such Re-A plate ended up at a shop in Texas on a car headed for the crusher.

Was it the case that some cars went straight to the tuner shops from the factory?

 

The plates are real I think - they come off crashed / written-off cars. I know that 2 of the plates sold on eBay were from cars that were crashed in Australia and wrecked for parts. Others have turned up on Yahoo Auctions Japan sold together with other Spirit R bits such as clusters etc. I have used these records to help build a registry. So far I am aware of at least 10 Spirit Rs that are confirmed dead, but there are no doubt more.

I recall seeing an RE-A plate on a car on here very recently. Many cars did instead go to RE-A, Veilside etc when very new but not sure about factory. You could definitely get Mazdaspeed gear fitted direct from the dealer in Japan.

 

this happened later with the 30AE Mx5's, and we sort of learn that Mazda hasn't really changed much about how they operate! the Mx5 was 3000/3000 for the whole world, there were press cars, but these had blank vin plates

then the 3001st car happened when K0400101 fell off the truck at the port in LA, so Mazda made one more for the person. which is really cool, but then they fixed and sold K0400101, so there are 3001 out of 3000 running around, lol

the other fun part is that while the cars were roughly leaving the factory in Vin number order Mazda was careful to put the numbered badges on in a random order, so the vin and the limited edition number aren't correlated

 

So this one sold for, gulp, $50K. Of all the sales I've seen over the last year or so, this one is the most astonishing. It'll take another $15-$20K to make this a nice car and you'll still have major accident history (at the least). I really don't get this market, but it certainly hasn't softened if this is a $52.5K car (with fees). Amazing.

 

Looks like a bidding war/BaT magic took this one above what a lot of folks (including myself) thought it would land at. I figured 40k. The one owner thing tends to hold some weight but yeah...this was impressive.

Side note: 98 Integra Type R with 70k miles sold for $78k the other day. That was crazy.

 

Don't get me started on the integra again hahaha.

 

back in my day (2005), you could go to the junkyard, buy an integra shell, and then all the ricer honda parts and build a honda challenge race car for a few grand (the 25 hour spec, was new engine, trans, axles, bearings, alternator, steering rack, fuel pump, radiator, and some more stuff, with the entry fee and food it was like $11k)

now that car would be worth close to 80k?

really?

 

Before we go on a tangent with integras - We have to remind ourselves that one of the major determining factors that sets the collector market is not how good, sporty, track worthy, beautiful, or reliable a car is.

Yes, those attributes are what put the car on the map and in people's brain but what ultimately makes people shell out the cash is nostalgia. Or why else would anyone pay for (in our case maintain) a 30-year-old temperamental old sportscar? Especially when today's cars are much better at what they do and they do it with warranties, new amenities, new safety features attached to them. It makes no sense to own an old sportscar, just like it makes no sense to shell out $80K for an integra type R.

Take for example the air-cooled VW market (I'm also an air-cooled vw afficianodo): The biggest money draw of cash is the 23 window buses as it is not unheard for them to bring in over $200K. But you has anyone here ever ridden in one? The early 60's air-cooled bus came equipped with a finicky 40HP engine, yes at the CRANK so it doesn't have enough HP to go up a hill or drive in the fast lane in the freeway. They are loud, uncomfortable, and unreliable to boot. You think the 7 is unreliable? lol God help you if a bolt comes loose while driving and so it's a rule of thumb that when you have a an air-cooled VW, you always carry tools and an extra generator belt. And yet, they net the big money.

I have a 1971 VW convertible karmann ghia (so i speak from experience about needing tools lol). Since mine is a 1971 it came with the 50Hp engine (20% more HP than the early 60's VW's , it's lighter, better looking, and more stylish. So a much more pleasurable driving experience, and yet I'm lucky if I ever get $30K for it. Nostalgia man....

 

No - non-R Integras from that era can be had for well under $10k.

 

To be fair, the ITR is a FWD legend on the street and they're getting more and more rare.

 

My sister -in-law recently told me that she was considering an offer from the transit company to dispose of her Integra in return for a $300 transit pass.

Lucky she mentioned it.

Its a base Integra manual owned since new and only driven (somewhat jerkily) for short errands.

 

So I guess no one else thought that was crazy money for that MB FD and we'd rather discuss Integras? Gotta love this thread

 

I thought it was crazy money. Not only was it in an accident, but it must have been hit hard because the panel gaps didn't line up, especially the hatch lid ones.

 

Why is that crazy money for an FD when an integra with high miles goes for $80k?

Based on that, this FD went cheap.

 

It was a lot but not crazy, in my opinion. For reference, check out this Supra. 1 owner, 155K miles, clean but has some flaws/ red flags, Sold for $97K

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1993-toyota-supra-99/

 

It doesn't quite hit the crazy mark for me but definitely went above what I anticipated.

Honestly, the type r was crazy for me. I'm a huge fan but no way did I think a 70k+ mile itr would fetch nearly $80k.

Demand for this era of Japanese sports cars appears to be growing at a significant pace. Not sure it's going to slow down any time soon.

 

my parents went to Europe in 1971 and picked up a VW camper van, drove around Europe and then brought it back. when i was a kid the thing was SO COOL, its BIG and BRIGHT red, and had a SINK and the pop top bed thing, and curtains and such.

i do also remember that any hill at all was taken in second gear, at like 40mph if you were lucky, and then much much later i found out that the original engine blew up with less than 12,000miles, and wasn't covered under warranty

actually the car it got replaced with wasn't any better, a 1981 Buick Century Diesel Wagon. it only came with 3 doors because they didn't finish building it... there is a reason GM has gone from 50% market share to 15%... (i remember walking across a GM new car lot in the late 90's, and wondering why they had so many 1982 cars for sale before i noticed that they were actually new! )

 

You should offer her $300 + dinner to seal the deal

 

Yes, strong result for the MB car. The higher than “collectible” miles and accident history made me think it would’ve been sub $50k as well. Honestly, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that people are paying this much for FDs period. We are in a brave new world. I wish we kept the original thread title.

For some reason some forum members find it hard to believe that the LHD ITR is far more desirable than a LHD FD to a larger group of people. We circled the wagons on this a few times in this thread, but at this point I think the numbers clearly speak for themselves.

 

+1 the integra is a lot of fun, but its kind of a s*#=box. the FD is like the masterpiece at the culmination at the end of an art movement.

 

Yes. I understand sometimes certain things are worth more than others even though there is no logical reason for it.

I'm just saying if I had $70k to spend on a car, and my options were limited to an FD and ITR, it's not going to be the ITR. They are simply not comparable. It's like the other thread trying to compare a PFC to a Haltech Elite.

 

Yep, the s2k is the only Honda worth paying for. I sold my FD and bought an s2k in 2001. I was back in an FD in 3 months