The annual Scottsdale, Arizona car auctions have slowly been introducing Japanese classics to the larger collector market. There have been the expected Toyota 2000GT, Hakosuka GT-R, and Cosmo Sport, but also workhorse FJ40 Land Cruisers and tuner favorites like the R32 Skyline GT-R. Now, a new piece of Japanese automotive history has joined the ranks, a 1977 Honda Civic.
The Civic may seem like an unusual entry in a sea of European exotics and 1960s muscle cars, but it’s an icon. It was the car that put Honda on the map and put it on the road to automaking superpower. And sure, its primary purpose was economy, but it hails from the Soichiro era where even the most affordable offering in his lineup was imbued with a charm and fun-to-drive character.
This particular Civic is extremely clean and has a known history as well. If it looks familiar, it appeared (briefly) in our 2016 Touge California before retiring from fuel pump issues that have since been sorted.
Prior to that, it lived most of its life under the ownership of a Colorado man. After he passed away in 2010, it was acquired by a dealer who did some light restoration by replacing its trademark houndstooth upholstery with a similar inserts. The Caroline Yellow exterior shows just enough patina to let you know it’s the original paint, and dealer options like pinstrips, bumper overriders, and a roof rack add to the period appeal.
So how much did this little gem sell for? Bonham‘s reports that the gavel fell at $15,400 including the 10 percent buyer’s premium. That’s not supercar prices, but a fair for a well-preserved piece of automotive history. Incidentally, the MSRP when new was about $3,000.
Images: Bonham’s
Congratulations to Scott King! Imagine how much your air cool stuff is worth now! Cause, you know, that whole “water cooled” thing being a fad and all…
I half expected a caveat from our noted N&Z guru that without these cars there might not have been a Civic. It’s great that the Civic was recognized at auction and found an appreciative bidder.
Great sale but I’m pretty sure I still hold the record for highest price paid for a Civic of this vintage. Of course it is draped in a coachbuilt Italian body…
Checked your page – LIKE it much!
No pix? What’s the coachbuilt Civic look like?
(I recognize the basis of the Cloud and Leata, and read an article about the Powell. There CAN’T be many of the Durangos left…)
Perhaps he is referring to the Honda Civic Lady prototype, but I’m not certain.
http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/kidney-anyone-1976-honda-civic-lady-coggiola-protoype
Ahhhh – I remember that one now. Interesting ’70s style. Thanks for the link!
Oh oh, get ’em while, or before, they’re hot! It may be too late for that now.
Adjusted for inflation thats $12,444.95 for the original MSRP. Thats a nice profit for original owners.
Using that metric, the new Fit/Jazz looks like a pretty good deal.
(I think it’s more what the original Civic was than the new ones, if anyone’s wondering why I didn’t Civic – Civic.)
I guess if I had a crazy amount of money, I’d go for it, but I dunno…
Great looking car, and all that, and it DOES have its place in history…
Seen exactly ONE in the past decade-ish.
I will be curious to see what happens when first gen Accords start to show up at auction. It’s only a matter of time. After all, while the Civic was Honda’s first big seller in the US, the Accord was the first Honda aimed at mainstream American families, and set a new standard for quality, reliability and content in that space.