Someone Paid $22,900 For This Nissan Race Car With No Engine

This Nissan NPT-90 display car looks ready to tear around a circuit near you, but there’s one fairly major catch… it has no engine, gearbox or running gear.

You could spend $22,900 on a tidy used sports car – perhaps an Audi TT or a Porsche Cayman if you’re lucky. Alternatively, you could spend it on a Nissan racing prototype that cannot move under its own power.

That’s exactly what one bidder has done, snapping up this spectacular 1990 Nissan NPT-90 GTP display roller through a US Treasury auction.

The online sale, which ran from July 7 to 14, saw the unusual Nissan eventually fetch $22,900. There was no buyer’s premium, although its new owner was responsible for collecting it from the lot in Houston, Texas.

Finished in Nissan’s familiar red, white and blue racing livery, the NPT-90 has all the visuals of a genuine IMSA prototype.

There’s a huge rear wing, covered headlights, gold-centred wheels with Goodyear racing slicks and the names of drivers Bob Earl, Chip Robinson and Geoff Brabham along the sides.

The right-hand-drive cockpit also looks convincing, featuring a single racing seat, a Simpson harness, a MOMO steering wheel and a dashboard filled with gauges and switchgear.

However, it’s all an illusion, as the lights, switches and fire-suppression equipment are all merely for show, while the car has no drivetrain or functional running gear underneath – effectively making it an extremely elaborate piece of Nissan memorabilia.

What was the real Nissan NPT-90?

The genuine NPT-90 was developed by Nissan Performance Technology Incorporated for America’s IMSA GT Championship – a sports car racing series that ran from 1971 through to 1998.

The NPT-90 arrived midway through the 1990 season as the replacement for Nissan’s successful GTP ZX-Turbo, and claimed three victories that year. Indeed, Nissan secured both the constructors’ championship and the drivers’ title with Geoff Brabham.

Unlike the display car, the real thing was powered by a twin-turbocharged version of Nissan’s VG30 V6 – producing around 950bhp. It was one of the fearsome prototypes that helped make the original IMSA GTP era so memorable.

From a private collection to a government auction

This is not the first time the roller has changed hands recently. It sold through Bring a Trailer for $27,500 in February 2025. Its next appearance was rather less conventional, forming part of a nationwide US Treasury auction conducted by Apple Towing.

The Treasury uses these auctions to dispose of property seized or forfeited following breaches of federal law. Money raised is paid into the Treasury Forfeiture Fund, which supports law-enforcement work and can also be used to compensate victims of fraud. The listing does not reveal the specific case that resulted in the Nissan ending up in government hands.

So, is $22,900 good value? It cannot be driven, registered or raced, but it would make an incredible centrepiece for a serious collection.

All you need is a very large garage – and something else to drive home in.