Tom Cruise’s $30,000 toy Indy racer for his kid? Please. Consider this: an all-platinum Datsun Fairlady Z created by a Japanese jeweller to mark the 40th anniversary of model maker Tomica and the Fairlady Z itself.
The extraordinary price is a reflection of the high cost of platinum, 7.4 ounces of which were used by the Japanese jewelmaker Ginza Tanaka to create this car, a celebration of Tomica’s first line of toy cars. Introduced in 1970, Tomica have since sold over half a billion of the die-cast toys, based mostly on Japanese domestic cars.
A very data-rich press release makes note of the fact that the platinum Z is 5.5× the weight of the original 1970 Nissan Fairlady Z 432 Tomica. You also get a box. It’s made of a further 8.5 ounces of platinum, which is 35× the weight of the cardboard box a Tomica car is normally packed in. Like all Tomicas, the platinum Z has wheels that move and doors that open.
Unfortunately for all you rich bastards out there, it’s not for sale. Instead, Tomica will be displaying it in Osaka between April 23 and May 5. From then on, the car will move with a Tomica exhibition around Japan, then land in Ginza Tanaka’s stores.
Photo Credit: YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images. Hat tip to Nak.