Late-90s and early-2000s Japanese cars are now the must have cars for collectors, with models from Nissan, Toyota and Subaru replacing the likes of Ferrari and Jaguar since car fans who idolised them in their youth can finally afford to buy them.
Yet despite the fact that cars like the Nissan Skyline GT-R would fetch serious money on this side of the water, there’s a surprising amount of cars like these that simply end up abandoned on the streets of Hong Kong.
Apparently, one of the reasons is that parking permits in Hong Kong are so extortionate, motorists simply find it cheaper to simply leave them than pay to keep them running.
Check out the shots courtesy of Instagrammer @carsofhongkong and see how long you can last before you’re breaking out the tissues.
R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R
One of the most iconic Japanese cars of all time, the R34 Skyline is beloved by tuners and video game fans alike, thanks to its monstrous power and starring roles in The Fast and The Furious and Gran Turismo.
In good condition, this performance legend easily can fetch prices of £30,000 or more here in the UK, but check out the poor neglected Skyline above, just longing for one last drifting session.
Mitsubishi Galant VR-4
The range-topping version of the Mitsubishi Galant saloon, the Galant VR-4 was built specifically to comply with Group A rally regulations before it was superseded by the iconic Lancer Evolution models.
After the Evos took over competition duties, the VR-4 was instead used as a platform for Mitsubishi to experiment with new technologies, with successful parts later introduced to the Evo range.
Subaru Impreza WRX STi Version 1
The very first Subaru Impreza to wear the now-famous STi badge, the 1994 WRX STi Version 1 was a Japanese market exclusive, and one of the most desirable Subarus ever made.
Its pink badge is inspired by the colour of cherry blossom, a symbolic colour in Japanese culture which harks back to the era of the Samurai. Unfortunately, this road warrior’s master abandoned it to rot by the roadside long ago.
Isuzu VehiCROSS
A crossover before the crossover was even a thing, the Isuzu VehiCROSS is almost unique in that it’s essentially a concept car brought to full production.
In its time, the VehiCROSS became known for its motorsports successes, primarily in the gruelling Dakar Rally across the Sahara Desert but even such a tough car can’t resist the Hong Kong humidity forever.
Nissan Silvia 2000 ZSE-X
Otherwise known in the US as the Datsun 200SX, the Silvia 2000 ZSE-X was part of Nissan’s S110 line-up and featured sharp styling that would that of inform later models like the R30 Skyline.
Interestingly, this Silvia was originally meant to have a rotary engine similar to those built by Mazda, but Nissan couldn’t get their version of the engine to run reliably enough and scrapped the plans.
