1987 Honda Prelude 2.0 Si
S/N JHMBA3146HC005396. 4,200 miles. “2.0-liter inline-4, 5-speed manual transaxle, Phoenix Red paint, black cloth upholstery, 13-inch alloy wheels, power-operated sunroof, rear spoiler, A/C, cruise control, AM/FM cassette stereo with graphic equalizer, window sticker.” Condition: 1. SOLD AT $82,950. Bring a Trailer, 7/26/23.
If there was a car you could point to that put Honda on the path to success in the 1980s, the second-generation Prelude would be it. Honda’s sporty 2-door coupe was also a platform for the latest Honda tech, such as the anti-lock brakes and pop-up headlights introduced with this generation. Just a year ago, in the October 2022 issue, I covered a similar red Prelude with 30k miles that sold for $42,090. The mileage difference between the two puts a little more perspective on why this example sold so well. This could possibly be the lowest-mileage, top-trim, 5-speed U.S.-spec Prelude out there. Which is why bidders kept bidding. Well sold.
1993 Mazda RX-7 R1
S/N JM1FD3310P0202898. 16,000 miles. “Twin-turbocharged 1.3-liter rotary, 5-speed manual transmission, limited-slip differential, Brilliant Black paint, black cloth upholstery, 16-inch alloy wheels, R1 package, rear spoiler, A/C, carbon-fiber door-sill plates.” Condition: 1. SOLD AT $107,625. Bring a Trailer, 8/08/23.
Mazda RX-7 values have been trending upward for some time now, but not nearly as fast as its ’90s JDM supercar rival, the Toyota Supra Turbo. But sub-20k-mile RX-7s, such as our subject car, are now reaching six figures. Higher-mile RX-7s (over 60k miles) are still pulling strong in the $30k–$50k range. The limited numbers of the R1 trim help this car; just 638 R1-package cars were built in Brilliant Black out of the total 9,976 RX-7s for 1993 (with this being the largest production year). This R1 trim added a front and rear spoiler, dual oil coolers, a strut-tower brace and suspension upgrades. The golden-hour photos of this RX-7 really highlight how well the black paint was preserved. Immaculate condition, low mileage and sought-after options made this R1 very desirable. Well sold.
1994 Toyota Hilux Surf SSR-X Limited
S/N KZN130-9012031. 44,400 kilometers (27,600 miles). “1KZ-TE 3.0-liter turbodiesel inline-4, 4-speed automatic transmission and 2-speed transfer case, Toyota Electronic Modulated Suspension (TEMS), fender-mounted side mirror, fender flares, running boards, cloth upholstery, A/C, power windows and locks, Toyota brush guard with Bosch auxiliary lights, sunroof and side window wind deflectors, aftermarket steering wheel, aftermarket pedals, turbo timer, aftermarket alarm system.” Condition: 1. SOLD AT $13,585. Cars & Bids, 8/16/23.
With all the Japanese cars available to import now, we also see desirable JDM variants of cars that were available here in the U.S. What we know as the Toyota 4Runner was available in Japan as the Hilux Surf. Our 4Runner only came with the ancient, underpowered 2.4-liter 22R I4 or the 3VZ 3.0-liter V6 that suffered a head-gasket recall. The Japanese market offered these engines as well, but also a couple of diesel options. The 2LT-E diesel is an underpowered engine notorious for cracking its head under heavy load. Fortunately for the buyer of this Surf, it came equipped with the desirable 1KZ-TE, the more-powerful diesel engine variant. Watching exhaust-gas temperature is still key on these Japanese turbo diesels, but at least the head isn’t as fragile as on the 2LT-E. This Surf is one trim level down from the top but has rare added features like the pop-out dash-mounted television. Given this Surf’s 27k miles, the winner stole this car for $13k. Well bought. ©