Toyota 2000GT photos by Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding.
With mounds of attention heaped on the trifecta of Japanese sports cars—Nissan Skyline, Mazda Cosmo, and Toyota 2000GT—that sold at the Pebble Beach auctions this past summer, it should come as no surprise that three major auction houses have decided to offer almost the exact same lineup for the upcoming Arizona auctions.
Along with the first public auction sale of a Japanese car for seven figures, to many observers the Pebble Beach auctions marked a sea-change in the collectibility status of Japanese vehicles, a change necessary to attract younger enthusiasts to the collector car scene. While individual Japanese cars had sporadically appeared at auction before then, August was the first time three of the most desirable Japanese cars all came to market in the United States at the same time. With another three coming along all at once again next month, it appears that collectors and auction houses now see the cars as more than a novelty.
What promises to be the most expensive of the three is a 1967 Toyota 2000GT, chassis number MF10 10193, that Gooding plans to offer. According to Gooding’s description, the 150-hp 1,988-cc dual overhead-camshaft triple-sidedraft six-cylinder-equipped 2000GT was originally exported to Switzerland, where its first owner bought it in August 1971. Since its current owner bought it in 1982, it has been treated to a full restoration in 1993 and then refurbished earlier this year. Gooding’s pre-auction estimate ranges from $900,000 to $1.1 million. The 2000GT that Gooding sold at its Pebble Beach auction carried a pre-auction estimate of $1 million to $1.3 million and sold for $1.155 million.
Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R photos by Anthony Bellemare, courtesy of RM Auctions.
As it did in August, RM will offer a Skyline 2000GT-R in Arizona, but this time a four-door version of the vaunted Hakosuka. According to RM’s description of the GT-R, it’s one of 832 GT-R sedans built, making it rarer than the two-door coupes, with which it shares the 160-hp dual overhead-camshaft triple-sidedraft 1,989-cc S20 straight-six and five-speed manual transmission. This particular GT-R, chassis number PGC10-000917, received a full restoration in Japan in 2009, and was imported to the United States within the last three years. While RM sold the two-door Skyline GT-R in August for $242,000 (against a pre-auction estimate of $125,000 to $175,000), it expects the four-door version to sell for $100,000 to $150,000, with no reserve.
Mazda Cosmo; photos courtesy of Bonhams.
Bonhams, which sat out the Japanese car sweepstakes for its Quail Lodge auction during Monterey week, will make up for it with two in Scottsdale: a 1970 Mazda Cosmo and a 1968 Toyota Corona. The Cosmo, chassis number L10B-10900, is one of 1,176 second-series examples with the 128hp 982cc twin-rotor Wankel and five-speed manual transmission. According to the Bonhams description of the Cosmo, it was originally registered in Mazda’s home district of Hiroshima, was refurbished in 2011, and has been fitted with Hayashi Racing wheels. The Cosmo that Gooding sold at Pebble Beach sold for $264,000 against a pre-auction estimate of $200,000 to $250,000; Bonhams expects this Cosmo to sell for $140,000 to $180,000.
Toyota Corona photos courtesy of Bonhams.
The Bonhams Toyota Corona, on the other hand, appears to have been sold new in California and remained there ever since. Powered by the 90-hp 1,879-cc 3-RS four-cylinder and two-speed Toyoglide transmission, the 27,000-mile two-door hardtop sat undisturbed for a few decades in a San Francisco garage until the late collector Martin Swig bought it in 2007, according to the Bonhams description. It is scheduled to cross the block with no reserve; Bonhams expects it to sell for $20,000 to $30,000.
Photo courtesy of Bonhams.
Of course, when it comes to Japanese vehicles at auction, the Toyota FJ-40 Land Cruiser has already earned a reputation as a desirable vehicle, reflected in the fact that every major auction house in Arizona next month has at least a pair of FJs on its docket. Bonhams will have two, Gooding will have two, RM will have two, Russo and Steele will have two, and Barrett-Jackson will have no less than 14. Of those with pre-auction estimates, expected sale prices to range from $50,000 to $100,000.
Gooding’s Scottsdale auction will take place January 16-17 at the Scottsdale Fashion Square. RM’s Arizona auction will take place January 15-16 at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel and Spa in Phoenix. The Bonhams Scottsdale auction will take place January 15 at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa. Russo and Steele’s Scottsdale auction will take place January 14-18. Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction will take place January 10-18.
UPDATE (16.January): Bonhams sold the Mazda Cosmo for $110,000, the Toyota FJ40 pictured above for $38,500, and the Toyota Corona for $11,000. RM Auctions sold the Nissan Skyline GT-R sedan for $88,000.
UPDATE (17.January): The Toyota 2000GT failed to meet its reserve price and was not sold.
