Our readers will be well aware of the status that the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) still holds among many motorsport enthusiasts, having reigned over the Super Touring era that saw multiple countries hold their own championships packed to the brim with ground-scraping, two-litre-powered weapons of mass destruction.
Thankfully for those who remember seeing these cars in their heyday, there are still plenty of examples kicking about across the world, and interest in preserving these relics has never been higher. One particular car with a Kiwi connection is about to go under the hammer in the UK.
The No. 23 factory-backed Nissan Primera hides one hell of an SR20DE under the bonnet, sending out a whopping 240kW to the front wheels, and is backed by an Xtrac six-speed sequential. While most will recall Paul Radisich and Craig Baird flying the Kiwi colours, there was actually a third New Zealander involved: Steve Richards. Richards departed his V8 Supercars drive to take on a role as Nissan’s BTCC reserve and test driver. He was charged with testing and developing this very Primera, before Nissan left the series in 1999.
The price? It can be yours for a cool £69,990, which is roughly NZ$130K, depending on the conversion rate. If you’ve got that kind of change sitting around, more information can be found at motorsportauctions.com.
