Leaderboard

It's quite hard to pin a current market value on a 432 or 432-R, but - in Japan, where the majority of them reside - they can change hands privately for stratospheric (in S30-series Z terms) figures. The 432-R is often valued at three or four times that of a 'normal' 432, but there's a limited data reference as so few Rs are sold 'on the record' and in public view. Japanese buyers and sellers can be very secretive (most individuals are circumspect with regard to their personal financial circumstances) and quite a few of these cars have been owned by people who are now of senior age, coming to the end of their safe driving life. That's a situation that can be taken advantage of by younger family members, friends and/or people in the old car business. @kats can tell you of a case late last year where a genuine 432-R, owned by an elderly gentleman, was bought at an unusually low price (by somebody in the right place at the right time) and was very soon being 'flipped' at a three or four times multiplied figure. Sad that the elderly vendor didn't get a more honest buyer. I feel that it's important for these cars to go to good homes, which I guess is not always about money. And that's something we can also say about this 'PS30-00218' for sale via Takeey's. It may well have a cloud over its authenticity (which all hinges on whether it's chassis number has been altered or not...) but it exists, is an attractive car in it's own right - nothing wrong with a 432-R 'tribute'/'replica' - and as long as any new owner knows exactly what they are buying, and the price paid reflects that, then OK. It just needs to find that 'Mr Right'.

Hi Steve, This is a well-known - perhaps I should say somewhat 'notorious' - car with some er, baggage... I have it down in my notes as having a "re-stamped" (re-engraved?) firewall chassis number, and there has been a fair amount of gossip about the car between interested parties over a few years. I have photos of the car from when it was for sale in 2018, so it's been knocking around ostensibly 'For Sale' for a good few years now. The website you link to is actually for a somewhat parasitic forwarding company, hoping to get in on the sale of the car and the shipping/handling thereof and taking a margin from both seller and buyer. Best to look at the car with the actual seller, well-known Japanese old car vendor 'Takeey's' based in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka prefecture. Here's their website: http://takeeys.com/index.html ...and here's the car for sale (price = 'ASK'...) on the Takeeys official site: https://www.goo-net.com/php/search/spread.php?baitai=0600834&area_cd=15&goo_car_id=700060083430240917001&ef_flag=1 Chassis number 'PS30-00218' is a genuine chassis number, but - more specifically - it is a known and official chassis number for a PS30-SB 'Fairlady Z432-R', the very limited production super lightweight variant of the 432. Genuine 432-Rs are on another level in terms of rarity, desirability and market value in comparison with 'ordinary' 432s. However, there are question marks around this particular car. You will note that Takeey's are not claiming it in writing as being a genuine 432-R. They are selling it as a '432', which it almost certainly is. The question is whether a standard 432 has been 'sexed up' with many 432-R specific parts and details and has - nefariously - assumed the identity of 'PS30-00218' which was a genuine 432-R. We can spot many 432-R specific details and parts on the car (console delete, trans tunnel-mounted ignition switch, plain vinyl trans tunnel cover, spare wheel well delete, 100 litre tank, etc etc etc - there are too many to list) but only a genuine 432-R would have the super lightweight type bodyshell with its thinner gauge sheetmetal. Almost impossible to fake that. @kats will be able to tell you much more than me, and perhaps a little more diplomatically!