Photo: Cars & Bids
A short time ago, we showed you an imported mid-90s Z30 Toyota Soarer 1JZ. That was a great car, no arguments there. But that was a car more known for its gem of an engine than it was for the vehicle itself.
The predecessor to that Z30, the Z20, is a bit different in that regard. Its claim to fame is its status as one of the classiest-looking Japanese cars of the 1980s, and it also had some killer tech to boot.
Like the later Z30 Soarer, this 1989 Soarer was kept away from western markets as a not-so-well-kept secret example of late 80s JDM at the apex of its golden age. Only after its export embargo ended in 2014 was this example finally ready for an American tour.
Now, it’s for sale on Carsandbids.com, the modern-era car auction website founded by YouTube’s resident automotive savant Doug DeMuro. This particular Z20 Soarer is the ultra-rare Aerocabin with the exclusive power-folding metal roof, which DeMuro himself describes as one of the “coolest” fitted to any car, in his opinion.
In the days before the 1J and 2J, the Soarer settled for a three-liter Toyota M Series turbocharged inline-six engine jetting 232 horsepower at 3,200 rpm and 5psi of turbo boost. In this example, the Soarer is fitted with a four-speed automatic transmission.
With just under 60,000 miles on the odometer (95,560 km), this Soarer’s seen fewer miles than some cars a quarter of the age. That said, the vehicle isn’t numbers matching. While the anonymous owner does include the original set of wheels, the car currently sports a set of BBS aftermarket rims most often found on old Civics and Camrys.
The enormous soda can muffler is obviously not stock either and might wind up on the wrong end of a reciprocating saw depending on who winds up the Soarer’s new owner. Anyone who fronts the $28,500 asking price is well-deserving of that privilege.
Like the later Z30 Soarer, this 1989 Soarer was kept away from western markets as a not-so-well-kept secret example of late 80s JDM at the apex of its golden age. Only after its export embargo ended in 2014 was this example finally ready for an American tour.
Now, it’s for sale on Carsandbids.com, the modern-era car auction website founded by YouTube’s resident automotive savant Doug DeMuro. This particular Z20 Soarer is the ultra-rare Aerocabin with the exclusive power-folding metal roof, which DeMuro himself describes as one of the “coolest” fitted to any car, in his opinion.
In the days before the 1J and 2J, the Soarer settled for a three-liter Toyota M Series turbocharged inline-six engine jetting 232 horsepower at 3,200 rpm and 5psi of turbo boost. In this example, the Soarer is fitted with a four-speed automatic transmission.
With just under 60,000 miles on the odometer (95,560 km), this Soarer’s seen fewer miles than some cars a quarter of the age. That said, the vehicle isn’t numbers matching. While the anonymous owner does include the original set of wheels, the car currently sports a set of BBS aftermarket rims most often found on old Civics and Camrys.
The enormous soda can muffler is obviously not stock either and might wind up on the wrong end of a reciprocating saw depending on who winds up the Soarer’s new owner. Anyone who fronts the $28,500 asking price is well-deserving of that privilege.
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