So. You are aware of Yahoo Auctions and you know of a few classic car dealership websites in Japan. But what if you want to cast your net even wider? What if there was a website, that was in English, that allowed you access to for-sale ads for hundreds of thousands of cars in Japan?

Well there is such a thing. It’s called Goo-Net.

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We held off talking about this car because we heard that some JNCers were considering bidding on this baby. But now the auction is over and if its description is correct, this is one of the earliest examples of any Toyota - or any Japanese car, period - to exist in the US. It’s a 1958 Toyopet Crown used by the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco to demonstrate their home country’s top-of-the-line auto. After putting just 28,698 miles on the car, the consulate signed over to the title to the current seller in 1964 and it has sat in a garage since. This is truly an amazing piece of Japanese automotive history, and the selling price of $22,322 definitely reflects that. Let’s hope that the owner will restore it to the rightful condition it deserves. Thanks for the tip, Toyotageek.

[eBay]

As Keanu Reeves would say, “Whoa.” Here’s a California blue plate special, a 1976 Toyota Celica Liftback with just 55,000 original miles and one owner. The asking price from Old Town Classics in San Diego is $12,500, which, while not unreasonable for a car in such minty fresh condition, does make you wonder how much they paid that one owner for it. This bicentennial beauty was spotted on Bring a Trailer but you could probably drive it home without one.

Thanks to Alex K. for the tip!

[Bring a Trailer]

Once in a blue moon, something comes along that makes you want to sell your organs to black marketeers. In 2007, we saw a 1966 Toyota Corona sedan with 8700 original miles sell at auction for $16,740.

Now, a similarly mint mint green 1969 two-door model is on eBay with only 28,699 original miles. According to the seller, it’s always avoided inclement weather, which is quite the task considering it’s from New York. The two-door models are rarer and sleeker than the sedans, and this light green color suits the period perfectly. It was listed before, but it looks like the winner backed out. Amazingly, the reserve was met at only $5500. A bargain! Anyone want to buy a kidney?

[eBay via BringATrailer]  Thanks to Alex K. for the tip.

So there’s a 1973 Datsun 240Z with only 19,000 miles on eBay right now. The bad news is, it looks about as subtle as a late 70s porn star. Not only does it have an “IMSA body kit” and enough stripes to cover a 1977 Dodge conversion van, you also get a whale tail spoiler and a mural of a half-naked barbarian in a fuzzy codpiece on the hood. Classy! It was halfway into a small block Chevy swap so it doesn’t come with an actual 19,000 mile engine per se, but it does come with an inexplicable “TURBO” decal on the side. And just in case you couldn’t tell that it’s awesome, it says so, right there on the front air dam. Oh, it’s located in New Joisey too, so interested parties better snap it up quick because it’s “EXTREAMLY UNIQUE AND IN EXTREAMLY GOOD CONDITION…A ONCE IN A LIFETIME FIND.” Let’s hope so.

[eBay via Jalopnik]

One of our readers needs to get this, right now, and share the wealth. It’s a huge collection of NOS (new old stock) 1960s to early 80s Toyota parts from a closed dealership. The seller says it consists of a little bit of everything for old Corollas, Crowns, Land Cruisers, Starlets, Coronas, Carinas, Hiluxes and Cressidas. The actual mountain of parts includes taillights, headlights, exhausts, service manuals, relays, switches, trim, and sheetmetal. In other words, all the hard to get stuff. For anyone who has ever tried to restore an old car, you know this is a once in a lifetime chance. We already know we’ll be kicking ourselves in the future for passing on this opportunity. Someone buy this, please!

[Source: eBay]

A while back, this Datsun 510 sold on eBay for $13,000, a steep price for what appeared to be a BRE-themed Datsun 510 replica. Only, it wasn’t a replica. According to the seller, it’s a one-of-a-kind prototype for a Datsun factory program that would have allowed buyers to put together their very own street-legal BRE Trans-Am 2.5 510. Goodies include a Nissan factory performance 5-speed, BRE suspension package, mild cam upgrade, high volume oil pump, raised compression, American Racing Libre wheels, 1 of 3 alleged hand-built LSDs, and a slew of BRE badging.

This could have been Datsun’s equivalent of the Boss Mustang or Camaro Z/28, but unfortunately the program never got off the ground. The aftermarket parts developed for it ended up being sold through BRE or Interpart. The seller also says that there were several of these prototypes built, but this is likely the only surviving complete, 100% numbers matching example.

The original owner was purportedly once a middleman between Nissan USA and BRE. The car also comes with an explosion of memorabilia and some very nice NOS spare parts. But get this. With the car exactly as it was when it sold for $13,000, the price tag is now $65,000 with a BuyItNow of $79,000. That’s almost a 600% increase in price with just the discovery of its proper bloodlines, the passage of a few months and a yellow 240Z upholstered with a wetsuit (if that’s your thing). Google stock, eat your heart out. Thanks again to David of Motoring J Style for the tip!

[Source: Motoring J Style]