Rare TommyKaira ZZ Sends Fans Into A Wild Bidding War And The Dealer Still Said No

This is likely one of fewer than five TommyKaira ZZs residing in America right now

The TommyKaira ZZ isn’t a car that comes up for sale very often. In fact, it’s likely that fewer than five are in the USA right now. That rarity is part of why bidding on a recent example went wild in the final minutes of its auction. Despite a last-minute flurry and a 50-percent jump in the top bid over just 20 minutes, the dealer ultimately said “no sale.”

For those who might not know, the TommyKaira ZZ is sort of like a Lotus but without all the luxury. That might sound silly, but consider this: the ZZ features a bespoke aluminum chassis, steel subframes, basic unequal-length wishbone suspension at each corner, and a simple four-cylinder engine. It was light and quick and looked wild for the time.

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In fact, those traits made it a main attraction in the video game series Gran Turismo. Most fans in the USA who know this car were likely introduced to it via the game. Perhaps several of them showing up to this auction on Cars&Bids is why it popped off in the last twenty minutes. Leading up to that time, the high bid for this modified ZZ was just $13,000.

Then, in the time before the auction ended, 23 more bids came in, and the high price ended at $20,250. It failed to meet whatever reserve the dealer had on it. “Sorry, far off on this one,” said the selling dealer when the bidding ended and the hammer fell. No doubt, some of the modifications here hampered its value overall.

Whomever owned it previously changed the front clip to include headlights from a Toyota Celica and modified the engine cover too. Of course, they only did that last part because they pulled out the carbureted 2.0-liter four-cylinder and dropped in a 2.2-liter SR20DET from Nissan. The seller didn’t include documentation about current power output, but it’s probably more than the original 178 hp (133 kW) in the original.

That said, the old adage ‘never buy another man’s project car’ likely applied here. The dealer did point out that it had sold a different ZZ in the past for $40,250. That one was far more original, though. What’s a fair price for this very rare sports car? Tell us in the comment section below!

Photos Cars&Bids