Brian serves as the Information Technology Manager for Sports Car Market magazine. As a fourth-generation automotive enthusiast, he has a particular passion for Japanese cars spanning the 1970s to the 2000s and is actively involved in the North American kaido racer community.
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 […]
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.
