A CAR dealer has revealed how he picked up a rare modern classic motor for free and restored its value by spending just £15.
It is estimated that there are fewer than 100 of the same model left in the UK after most “rotted away and got scrapped“.
The Nissan NX was only produced for six years from 1990 but gained a cult following among sports car enthusiasts.
The 100NX was the UK-specific version of the model and had an even shorter run, starting in 1991.
They were quite popular, especially as they only cost £14,585 when new, but have largely faded from Britain’s streets in the years since.
Of those remaining, Matthew Goodwin, from High Peak Autos, already owns two after picking them up for just £600 and £500 respectively.
However, after he bought them, Matthew revealed that he was struggling to find a set of original Nissan wheels to replace the aftermarket set attached to his new blue 100NX.
Fans flooded him with messages offering spare parts to get the car back on the road, but he got more than he bargained for when an email arrived from a petrolhead named Clive.
Matthew explained: “He had owned a Nissan 100NX since 2006, so 18 years.
“But he was going to scrap it.
“It had been parked off the road for five years and he just didn’t know what to do with it.
“He said ‘if you can do something with it rather than me scrap it, you can have it for free.”
Matthew leapt at the chance and drove down to collect the motor as soon as he could.
When he arrived, he was confronted with a car that, while a bit battered, bruised and dirty, was fundamentally in pretty good shape.
There was no rust or corrosion and the paintwork was in decent condition, although ironically it too had aftermarket wheels which were “badly kerbed”.
Inside was a different story, with the remains of a shattered window scattered across the rear seats, which in turn had let in a layer of dirt and debris over the years.
Nevertheless, all Matthew had to do was spend £15 to have the car valeted and given a thorough clean.
From that alone, he estimated that he would be able to sell the car for several thousand.
And when he completed a planned restoration process for about £2,000, it would be worth even more.
However, he was so enamoured with the beautiful NX that he decided he would forgo the profit and keep it for himself to add to his growing collection.
It comes after the Ford Jeremy Clarkson dubbed “one of my all-time favourite cars” was auctioned off for an eye-watering sum.
