Every year, Becky (nissangirl74) and I take a couple days out of our crazy schedule, zip out to Scottsdale, and have a little ‘staycation’ amongst the happenings during auction week. Typically, we’ll wander through, check out the cars, scarf some food truck fare, bump into some local friends, and enjoy being together and outdoors in Arizona’s amazing January weather.
It seems a bit odd to discuss “classic Nissans” in a post about one of the largest automotive auctions in the country, but every year, we bring you coverage of what was there, what it sold for, and what it was all about. So, without further ado, let’s see what Nissans were on the auction block this year!
We’ll go in order of hammer price, from low to high. First up was a 1985 Nissan 300ZX Turbo. Five speed, in an attractive color combination, with T-tops and some questionable stainless rocker molding and aftermarket wheels. This one had nearly 100k miles and an accident report, but appeared to be well-sorted. Somehow, I missed getting pics of this one, so the auction pics are attached. Final price was $5,720, so I’d say it was a deal for the buyer, and the seller probably wasn’t disappointed.



Next on the list was a 1989 RHD 300ZX 2+2 non-turbo model, and this one comes on the heels of another silver early RHD Z32 (from the 2024 auction). This one had a manual transmission and wasn’t as well-presented, with a shoddy respray (peeling in several places) and several painted-over rubber trim bits. A clean engine bay and interior probably helped its case somewhat. Interesting note on the auction docket: If anyone figures out what a “upgraded power takeoff unit” is (for a car), let me know. Who writes these things? This one hammered at $9,900, which felt like a fair deal considering the work one might want to do to spruce it up.


OK, so now that we’ve gotten the four-figure cars out of the way, let’s look at the heavy hitters from this year’s auction. The next car up was a naturally-aspirated 1986 Nissan 300ZX with an automatic transmission and only 11,902 actual miles, rolling on its original tires. Immaculate, and the interior was a pure time capsule – but why wouldn’t it be? This one rolled off the block for $26,400.
Next Nissan on the block was this 1991 Nissan 300ZX twin turbo with 9,828 actual miles. As perfect a Z32 as I’ve ever seen, this one still wears its original tires, and although the battery has long since been replaced, the original Nissan battery was included. This car arrived late, so we didn’t get pics, but here’s a few from the online auction listing – This car crossed the block at an astounding $73,700.
Going a little deeper into Nissan’s history, this 1977 Nissan Skyline GT-R came from the collection of Japanese tuning house and parts manufacturer TopSecret. Of course, it would have a potent naturally-aspirated RB30 with individual throttle bodies and a multitude of other period-correct mods. While the late-70’s Skylines often dwell in the shadows of their early 70’s (and 90’s) brethren, this one was a significant enough car to fetch a staggering $74,800.
Sticking with vintage Nissans, this 1971 Nissan Skyline 200GT was pretty much flawless to my eyes. No crazy motor swap, just clean, period-correct Japanese heritage. Seems every Hakosuka we see has a RB swap and a lot of track-inspired mods. Not so here, this one was my favorite of the bunch. A well-sorted L20 with triple Solexes and a quarter-dump exhaust made this old Nissan collector smile. Seems to have found at least one other kindred spirit in the crowd, with a hammer price of $95,700.
Ready to play in the big kids’ sandbox? Well, the top-selling Nissan at Barrett-Jackson 2025 was (you guessed it) a R34 GT-R. This 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec was equipped with a load of NISMO goodies and BBS wheels, and presented beautifully with no unnecessary additions. Perfect stance, perfect period-correct mods, and understated white paint made this GT-R stand out in its simplicity. With a final hammer price of $139,700 I’m guessing the buyer and seller were both pleased with the outcome. This one was hiding from us (displayed on a lift in the main hall), so you’ll have to enjoy the promotional pictures from Barrett-Jackson.
Thanks for joining us for this quick tour of the Nissans at auction, and please check out our article on the Datsuns at Barrett-Jackson 2025 as well!