GREY NO MORE

WORKING FOR A specialist insurer during the 1990s was a great way to observe the growing demand for oddball used cars being sourced via the auction yards of Japan.

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Described derisively by our mainstream motor trade as ‘grey imports’ there was nothing intrinsically wrong with these cars, despite their strange names.

Popular arrivals included Soarers and Supras from Toyota, Nissan Silvia and 180SX coupes the GTR ‘Godzilla’ plus twin-turbo versions of the 300ZX. Australia already knew Mazda’s 323, but not the all-wheel Familia Turbo version that made a big impression on the rally world. And, of course, there were 4WDs like the Toyota Surf and Nissan Terrano.

Thirty years later and most of the early arrivals are gone. Any that survive, especially Skyline GTRs and Supras, are valuable and regarded as legitimate collectables. Cars from the 1980s and ‘90s do still appear on JDM auction screens too, but today they may generate big money and be headed to the USA.

JDM stands for Japanese Domestic Market and describes the place where cars of unique specification are sold by the millions in order to satisfy Japan’s voracious appetite for motor vehicles.