JDM Holy Grail: 1972 Nissan Skyline 'Hakosuka' for sale in NZ

Many assume that Nissan's V8 Supercar-killing R32 GT-R was the first Japanese car to wear the famous three-letter badge, but the history goes back a lot further than that.

Arguably to most popular of the GT-R line-up, the R32 laid waste to Holdens and Fords alike in Australia with its fire-breathing twin-turbo six cylinder engine. While this model was labelled 'Godzilla' for its destructive tendencies on the track, the first model to bear this name was a lot more laidback, but still extremely competitive for its time.

The small nondescript coupe known by engineers as the KPGC10, and by purists as the 'Hakosuka' was an early 1970s sports car designed to compete with other Japanese sports models such as the Mazda RX-3.

It followed in the footsteps of the four-door C10 Skyline that was the very first car in Nissan's line-up to wear the GT-R badge. After dropping two doors, the GT-R was entered into the local racing circuit, where it won 49 out of the 50 races that year.

Now that you're familiar with some of the history surrounding this iconic car, we can delve into the specs of this particular model and look at why it's worth the $400,000 that it's listed for.

With only 81,000kms on the clock, it's safe to assume that it has lived a reasonably sheltered life, most probably as a weekend car. The listing on Dutton Garage states that the car is a fresh import from Japan, so we'd like to think that those Sunday drives consisted of mellow cruises under blooming cherry blossom trees.

From the pictures, you can see that this car is nothing short of immaculate, and even the iconic original rear fender flares are in perfect condition. The simple black and white aesthetic compliments the car's simple but classy looks perfectly.

A quick look under the hood reveals an engine bay that's clean enough to eat out of. From the copper fittings to the chrome trumpets on the independent throttle bodies, it's quite the sight to behold.

Just like exterior, the interior is immaculate, and looks like it could've rolled off the production line just yesterday. The listing makes note of the matching black vinyl mats which compliment the rest of the cabin nicely.

If you want to own this piece of Japanese history (we hope you've got deep pockets) you can take a look at it here.