“Gotcha!” The continuing tale of a Nissan/Datsun tragic

In 1996 I was on a mission to buy a suitable pavement scorcher and visited the now-defunct Manukau City Car Fair. Unbelievably, among the sea of four-door utilitarian Japanese compacts was the absolute jewel in the crown, my automobile wet dream — a 1985 two-door R30 RS Nissan Skyline FJ20 Turbo five-speed manual in nice condition. The owner wanted $10,000 — a great deal.

But what did I do? I bailed out, paralysed by indecision. The money would have been a stretch but it was the worst automotive choice I ever made. Instead I went for a rusty Toyota Sprinter 8 Valve Twin Cam Coupé, which was pretty terminal from the get-go. I know. We’ve all done it, but there was really no excuse for passing up the Skyline, and I was haunted by that for years.

Shortly after, I managed to unload the Sprinter onto another unfortunate soul and I bought a second-hand imported Honda CRX five-speed Twin Cam. This was much better and it was my ride for about seven years, but the dream of an RS FJ20 Turbo manual Nissan Skyline or Gazelle still lurked in my mind.

Shortly after, I managed to unload the Sprinter onto