Mark’s Personal Car Collection
This is a personal archive of the JDM, race & rally inspired, and classic cars I’ve owned over the years—kept here as a reference for enthusiasts and clients.
My personal collection was stored at a property I had in Australia, it just did not seem right for some of the vehicles (XU-1) to be exported to Japan, plus I preferred keeping them all in one location. The collection shown here was not all of my vehicles, just some picked out examples.
None of the cars on this page are for sale; it’s here to show the condition standards I use when sourcing vehicles for buyers (see Purchase to Order and How the Auction Process Works).
Where It All Started
Over more than 20 years I built a personal collection of cars that meant something to me – JDM heroes, European touring and rally inspired cars, an Australian giant-killer muscle car and a 1957 classic, most of them first bought in Japan and later stored in Australia. A few of these cars even attracted attention beyond the enthusiast scene, including museum display and manufacturer events.
In 2018, I decided to start selling the entire collection, partly due to the fact I could not enjoy them fully due to work commitments and the idea of reinvesting the funds into expanding Brave Auto International. Covid arrived partway through that process and slowed everything down, so the sell-off took longer than planned, although I was not really in a hurry – I finally sold the last car in 2024.
The collection itself is gone, but the standards I applied to my own cars are exactly the same standards I use today when helping customers buy at auction. The cars shown on this page are not for sale – this is simply an archive that shows the types of vehicles I’ve owned and the level of condition I look for when sourcing cars for clients.
First Cars – Fiat 128 and Toyota Corolla Twin Cam
My first car, at the age of 14 (yes, in New Zealand back in the eighties you could obtain your drivers license at the age of 14), was a Fiat 128 which my father rebuilt and gave to me. If I am honest, the Fiat was not really my cup of tea. I was proud of it because it was mine and Dad had built it for me, but it simply lacked performance.
Dad said to me, “It is your car, you can do what you want with it, and I did.”
It was not long before I swapped it for a 1972 Toyota Corolla coupe that had been fitted with a 1.6L twin-cam engine (4A-GE), twin 40 side-draught Webers and a 5-speed transmission. A year later, at the age of 17, I sold the Corolla and bought my first Mazda RX-7, a 1980 model in completely stock condition that had just been imported from Japan. It did not take long before I decided the stock RX-7 was not quite doing it for me either.
Learning Rotary Engine Building on Mazda RX-3's and RX-7's
I removed the engine, rebuilt it, and while I was at it, I ported it to a bridgeport and fitted a 48 IDA carburettor.
Back in the mid-late 1980s there were very few workshops specialising in rotary engines, so I had to learn for myself with the help of Dad. I will be honest, it was hit and miss a few times in the beginning. Dad managed to get some workshop manuals and porting diagrams from Neil Allport, who was well known in New Zealand for rallying Mazdas.
Armed with a bit more knowledge, I started building different RX-7s and a few RX-3 coupes. I would buy them stock, pull the engines out and rebuild them. You have to remember, this was back in the late ’80s and they were a dime a dozen then.
My last RX-7 I built before I left New Zealand for the UK was built in the early ’90s. It was a 1982 model with a 12A J-port, full race-spec motor with a third (centre) shaft bearing and carbon apex seals, fairly rare back in those days and it was a well-known car around town for its performance – and probably the sound.
Sadly, I sold that RX-7 to fund my two-year working holiday in the UK. The rest, as they say, is history.
Starting a JDM and Classic Car Collection
It was not until 1997 that I truly started to collect vehicles. Being a bit older and wiser, I slowly began buying the cars I had grown up staring at in posters on my bedroom wall and new they would become future investments.
All of the vehicles below, besides the Karmann Ghia and the XU-1, were modified by me using bolt-on / bolt-off parts so they could be returned to stock standard later on.
I kept every original part that was removed and I stored all my personal vehicles in Perth, Western Australia, as I had property there at the time.
1986 BMW E30 M3 - Euro spec, non-cat, dogleg gearbox
Purchased in Japan in 1997, exported to New Zealand in 1999, then exported to Australia in 2002.
This was the first vehicle in my collection.
I bought the M3 at auction in Japan and kept it there for a short period as I was working and living there. A couple of years later, I exported it to New Zealand, where it was stored at my late father’s property. In 2002, I exported it from New Zealand to Australia, where it remained in my personal collection for around 20 years.
The M3 was an immaculate example. The only modifications I carried out were changing the front seats, fitting 17-inch BBS alloys, H&R springs, EVO rear spoiler and a full free flow aftermarket exhaust.
When a later-model M3 was released in Australia around 2015, BMW Australia requested to borrow my M3 (I still have no idea how they knew about it) for a launch display at their HQ — which should give you an idea of the vehicle’s condition.
1997 Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
Purchased in Japan in 2005, exported to Australia in 2006.
1957 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia with 2.7L Chevrolet Corvair Engine
This was the last vehicle my late father built, starting from a bare shell and restored to its original colour and condition. This was the perfect sleeper vehicle, the only give away it was not stock under the engine lid were the widened rear wheels and the classic rumbling sound of the 2.7L flat six engine.
I sourced the 2.7L Chevrolet Corvair engine from the United States for dad and had it sent over to New Zealand for the build. Dad completely stripped the engine down and did his magic gained from his racing days.
The build was completed a few months prior to his passing from cancer, and the car was left to me. My aunty and uncle asked if they could purchase the vehicle so it would remain in New Zealand, which I agreed to. As of 2025, they still own it.
Although I did not personally own this car for long, it has enormous sentimental value to me.
You can read more about it here, as it has been featured in a number of motoring magazines:
→ 1957 VW Karmann Ghia Corvair feature article
1972/11 Holden Torana GTR XU-1 – Genuine Unrestored Example
A genuine unrestored example with just 58,000 miles from new.
This was one of my late father’s personal collection vehicles and one of his most treasured. He had owned it since 1980’s. After his passing in 2006, I bought it from the family estate and imported it to Australia in 2007, where it remained in my private collection.
In 2008, I loaned the XU-1 to the Western Australian Motor Museum on a six-month contract as they prefer to change the display every 6 months, but it ended up staying there for 10yrs on display.
During those ten years, I would remove it from the museum twice a year for a couple of weeks at a time when I was back in Australia visiting.
1987 Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth – Unrestored Touring Car Icon
Unrestored example running all 8 injectors.
I purchased this from a private collectior here in Japan during 2007 and exported it to Australia in 2008 to be added to my collection.
Over the years I have purchased a small number of 3-door and 4-door Sierra “Cossies” and two RS500s in Japan, all for customers in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
When I was offered this RS500 from a private collector, I could not say no, even though at the time it felt like I was buying a small island.
It was one of the cleanest Cosworths, I had ever come across.
1994 Mazda RX-7 FD3S – 13B Bridgeport with HKS T51R Turbo
I bought this car in completely stock condition from auction in 2007 with the idea of modifying it and then exporting it to Canada to compete in the Targa Newfoundland tarmac rally.
One of my Canadian customers at the time and I planned to run the RX-7 in the event. The idea was to import it into Vancouver and then drive it across Canada while visting customers to Newfoundland. I even purchased an Isuzu Rodeo camper to use as the support vehicle.
Two months before the RX-7 and Rodeo were due to leave Japan for Canada, the Targa Newfoundland event was cancelled because the organisers were unable to secure public liability insurance.
I decided not to take the RX-7 build any further, it was due to have an approved roll cage and race seats fitted. Instead, it was sold and exported to a customer in Canada, along with the Rodeo camper, which went to another customer there.
2000 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 6.5 TME
Purchased in 2010, exported to Australia in 2012.
A JDM car collection is never complete without an immaculate, one-owner (prior to me) rust-free Lancer Evolution 6.5 TME in classic red with full factory TME livery. This example was a one-owner car before I bought it and remained exactly as it left the factory.
1992 Ford Escort RS Cosworth Lux – Big Turbo Model
I purchased this vehicle in 2011 from auction and stored it in Japan for 12 months, making it eligible to be imported as a personal import into Australia. At the time, this was the only way to import the Escort Cosworth “big turbo” model, as compliance was never available for the big turbo version within Australia.
Besides the modifications you can see in the photos, the car was also running anti-lag and launch control, operated via the two red buttons on the steering wheel, plus a few other mods such as group-A head-gasket, larger injectors, RS500 intercooler etc.
2014 Renault Megane RS Sport Trophy – Limited to 1,200 Units Worldwide
This was an Australian-delivered vehicle which I purchased in Australia in 2016.
I have been lucky enough to drive many different types of vehicles over the years, but this is, hands down, the best car I have ever had the pleasure of driving.
About Mark: I’m the founder of Brave Auto International and I personally source vehicles in Japan for export.
This collection is the benchmark for what I look for—authenticity, originality and condition—when buying for clients.
Learn more on the About Brave Auto International page or Contact Us if you’re chasing something specific.