Japan drives on the left, like New Zealand and Australia. So most people assume every car at a Japanese auction is right-hand drive. For Japanese cars that is true. For European cars it often isn’t.
If you are buying a European car from Japan, a BMW M, a Mercedes-AMG, a Porsche or anything Italian, the first thing to check is which side the steering wheel is on.
Why so many European cars in Japan are left-hand drive
Many European cars sold in Japan are left-hand drive. So the auction lists carry left-hand-drive Euro cars right next to right-hand-drive ones of the same model, and the photos don’t always make it obvious which is which.
At the top end it is even more lopsided. In the auction results we tracked over three months this year, the Ferraris and Lamborghinis on offer were almost all left-hand drive.
How to tell from the auction sheet
The auction sheet has a steering box. It is marked 左 for left-hand drive or 右 for right-hand drive, often with the character circled. It is easy to miss in the photos and impossible to miss once you know where to look. We confirm it on every sheet before a car goes on your shortlist.
New Zealand and Australia are different stories
Where the car is going changes everything. New Zealand and Australia have separate rules for which cars can be registered, and we check how left-hand drive is treated for your exact car. We confirm the pathway for your exact car and country before you bid, never after it lands.
For supercars, Australia is the harder market. Modern Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren and Porsche road cars are generally not on Australia’s register of specialist and enthusiast vehicles. Rare editions and much older cars are a different conversation. That is why most of our supercar work is New Zealand first.
The right-hand-drive cars worth hunting
Right-hand-drive European cars do come up, and the Nissan GT-R R35 is right-hand drive by design. Those are the cars we focus on for New Zealand and Australian buyers: right-hand drive, grade 4 or better, clean sheet.
What it costs us to find one
Our fee is set in yen on the price of the car: a flat ¥150,000 for cars under ¥3,000,000, 6% of the car price from ¥3,000,000 up, and 5% for supercars and exotics such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Porsche GT and Aston Martin. Japan costs add about ¥100,000 per car for transport, auction fee, export clearance and port handling, and depend on where the car is.
Got a European car in mind? Tell us the model, budget and destination, and we will tell you honestly how often a right-hand-drive one in good condition comes up.