Once-in-a-lifetime JDM barn find: 1973 Nissan “Kenmeri” Skyline GT-R

Everyone dreams of opening up a garage door to find a long forgotten car hidden under a layer of dust and junk. It is the same as finding hidden treasure, but in the form of a Hemi Cuda or a big-block Cobra. The reality is that stumbling across a neglected car of that caliber is extremely uncommon. If you’re a fan of JDM sports cars, then, this most recent find will leave you reaching for your jaw that just hit the floor.

Yahoo! auctions Japan has this crusty and dusty KPGC110 Skyline GT-R up for grabs. Just be sure to bring a suitcase of money: the asking price is 35,000,000 yen ($338,157).

While standard KPGC110 or “Kenmeri” Skylines aren’t uncommon, the S20 powered GT-R was only offered for sale from January to April 1973, with a total of 197 cars produced. This rarity makes the Kenmeri GT-R one of the most sought after JDM sports cars, alongside the Toyota 2000GT and the Nissan Fairlady Z432R.

The seller reports that they were going to get around to fixing it up, but judging by the amount of dust and debris on and around the car, they likely gave up on it some years ago. They also report that many genuine GT-R parts are included with the car, which will surely come in handy considering how hard those are to come by.

Rarity and performance clout aside, is the asking price worth it? Last January, a Kenmeri GT-R sold for an astonishing 47,300,000 yen ($430,000) setting a new record for any Nissan Skyline at auction. Considering that this GT-R needs what will likely be a six-figure restoration, $338,000 is a pretty steep asking price. However, when it comes to Kenmeri GT-Rs, the sheer paucity of examples out there means it’s in a seller’s market for these low-volume JDM gems. This may well be the last one we see for quite some time. Price aside, we sincerely hope that the Skyline can find its way into the garage of a steward who can bring it back to its original GT-R glory.