A PETROLHEAD has revealed how they paid just £50 to get their dream car running again after snapping it up for a bargain price at a salvage auction.
Edwin Evans admitted to having been “obsessed” with the motor for 15 years but never being able to buy one since they are ultra-rare.
YouTube/@TopDeadCEdwin Evans picked up his dream car – a Honda Beat – at a salvage auction[/caption]
YouTube/@TopDeadCThe model was the last to be approved by the brand’s founder before his death[/caption]
YouTube/@TopDeadCIt was only sold in Japan[/caption]
The Honda Beat was only ever sold in Japan between 1991 and 1996.
Around 33,600 were made, over two-thirds of which rolled off production lines between May 1991 and May 1992.
It was also the last model to be personally approved by the brand’s founder Soichiro Honda before his death in 1991.
Amazingly, Edwin managed to find a ’92 model on sale at a salvage auction as it was a Category S write-off, meaning it had suffered some structural damage.
Based on a video on his YouTube channel, Top Dead Center, it appeared that the car had been rear-ended, leading to some warping on the boot and the rear portion of the chassis.
Due to its condition, he was able to pick it up for just around £2,000 despite it still running perfectly and having just over 50,000 miles on the clock.
And it cost just £50 to iron out the wrinkles in the chassis and get the Beat completely road-legal again.
After spending a couple of hundred quid on modifications, including a new steering wheel, cut-down bumpers and resprayed wheels, Edwin was ready to get out driving.
The only catch is that the Beat is a kei car, a form of miniature motor popular in Japan.
The idea stems from the fact that Japanese cars can be taxed differently depending on size, so there’s quite a demand for small city cars.
Just to give an idea of how small it is, the top of the car reaches just around 6’5″ Edwin’s midriff – and that’s with the roof up.
The delighted car nut said: “I’ve been obsessed with this car for 15 years.
“I’ve never bought one because they were only sold in Japan, which makes them incredibly rare and usually quite expensive.
“So when a crash-damaged one came up for sale I thought it might be my chance to buy my dream car for cheap.”
It comes an ultra-rare 1950s Ferrari hit auction with a £4.3 million price tag.
Meanwhile, a 200mph supercar owned by Rowan Atkinson went under the hammer with just 3,000 miles on it.
YouTube/@TopDeadCEdwin got his for a bargain price after it sustained structural damage, though it only cost £50 to fix[/caption]
YouTube/@TopDeadCHowever, the Beat is a kei car, meaning it’s much smaller than a regular motor[/caption]
YouTube/@TopDeadCThese tiny cars were made to reduce tax costs for Japanese drivers[/caption]“}]]