Madness For Motocompos

1984 Honda City Turbo II with pair of Motocompo scooters

#68113. S/N AA1417834. 33k kilometers (about 21k miles). “Turbocharged 1.2-liter inline 4, 5-speed manual transaxle, white paint with red graphics, blue & gray cloth upholstery, in-dash beverage cooler, 14-inch Volk Racing Turbofan wheels, two 49-cc Motocompo scooters included.” Condition: 2+. SOLD AT $49,350. Bring a Trailer, 3/16/22.

As the Civic was heading into its second generation, it got a little bigger, which moved it into a new market segment in Japan. So the Honda City was created to fill the inexpensive 1.2-L compact class. The folding Motocompo scooter was released at the same time, sized to fit in the back. The idea was that you could have a portable moped to get you where you needed to go after you parked. Unfortunately, consumers were confused. TV commercials featuring the ska band Madness didn’t explain that the City and Motocompo were separate purchases, not bundled. An updated Turbo II, aka “Bulldog,” City came later, featuring an intercooled turbo setup, a bulge in the hood, boxy flares and a few other details. Many of the Honda City sales we see these days come with a Motocompo. While the scooters aren’t necessarily rare, they have a niche appeal, as you probably don’t want to ride farther than around the block. They typically sell for between $5k–$8k alone, so the pair here very much contributed to the high bid price. This same car sold on BaT in 2019 for $24,000, that time with only one Motocompo, so the extra scooter certainly helped the price. Well sold.

2005 Subaru Legacy GT wagon

#66020. S/N 4S3BP676X56322733. Stated 184k kilometers (about 114k miles). “Turbocharged 2.0-liter EJ20Y flat 4, 6-speed manual transmission, all-wheel drive, refinished Satin Pearl White, black leather upholstery, 18-inch BBS wheels, HKS twin-scroll turbocharger, HKS turbo timer, JDM Legacy Spec-B bodywork, fog lights, JDM Legacy Spec-B S402 suspension, Brembo brakes, Recaro front seats.” Condition: 2+. SOLD AT $19,425. Bring a Trailer, 3/23/22.

As we have mentioned before, Japanese cars that have been modified with quality parts and done to a high standard can sell for strong prices. This is a perfect example: a Subaru Legacy with a Japanese EJ20Y swap-out of a Spec B model, resprayed Pearl White, with some STI parts scattered around and some parts from HKS. In the U.S. we don’t get many cool wagons, and this one is definitely desirable for those in the know. Still, for around the same amount of money, you can get a contemporary WRX STI, which actually has the coveted STI badge along with a VIN to match. This wagon was nicely done, and is probably a great driver. However, the real STI would probably be the better investment as a long-term collectible.

2000 Nissan Skyline GTR V-Spec

#J1041124079. S/N 905 (last 3). 86,101 kilometers (54k miles). “2.6-liter inline 6, 6-speed manual transmission, 18-inch wheels. One of 4,194 V-Spec models.” Condition: 1-. SOLD AT ¥12,506,000 ($104,769). Yahoo Auctions, 3/20/2022.

While we are still two years away from being able to import the earliest of the R34 Skylines into the U.S. under the 25-year rule, prices continue to climb. Speculation on a ready and rabid U.S. market has led companies such as Garage Defend and Trust Kikaku in Japan to collect (read: hoard) R34 Skylines for years. Some buyers have reacted to this market speculation by purchasing a car and paying for storage in Japan until the month and year their car becomes legal to import. Until then, we can only guess at what GTR prices will look like in the U.S. when cars start to show up in 2024. Considering all the variables — dealer markup, import fees, and a few more years of waiting — I wouldn’t be surprised if the going rate for clean, original GTR V-Specs reaches $130k by then. ♦