Honda New Zealand has put 16 rare heritage cars up for auction, and for collectors, that makes this a pretty loud moment. The lineup stretches from early-1980s classics to a sharp little 2000 Civic Type R, with proceeds set to support charities after the sale closes on July 29, 2026.
The cars were kept at Honda’s Nelson Bays site before the company wrapped up operations there and shifted distribution work to Auckland. That move turned a tucked-away collection into a short-lived public opportunity, and the mix of cars now includes some genuinely tempting oddballs alongside more familiar nameplates.
The oldest vehicle in the group is a 1981 Accord, but the real attention magnet is the 2000 Civic Type R. It has the kind of recipe enthusiasts chase hard, with a manual gearbox, a high-revving engine, and a starting price of $30,000 with no reserve.
That first-generation Type R has long been admired for being compact, quick, and alive in the hands of a driver. It is the sort of car that still feels special because it was built with purpose, not fluff, and that still matters to people who care about how a car communicates on the road.
Another listing drawing eyes is a 1995 Accord LXi showing only 4,722 miles. If that number holds up, it could be one of the lowest-mileage examples anywhere, which is the kind of detail that sends collectors into a frenzy and makes simple family sedans suddenly feel like museum pieces.
There is also a 1988 Honda City Jazz, which brings a completely different kind of charm. Small, quirky, lightweight, and fitted with a manual transmission, it has that unmistakable “you have to see it in person” energy that makes old Hondas so easy to love.
Honda’s place in New Zealand goes back a long way, and this auction is tied to that history. The company was founded in Japan in 1948, but it expanded quickly overseas, with American Honda established in 1959 and the Honda N600 becoming the first car sold in the United States in 1969.
New Zealand became part of that bigger story when Honda began assembling vehicles locally. The 1976 Honda EB1 Civic was the first car Honda built outside Japan and also the first hatchback it assembled in New Zealand, which gave the brand an early local footprint that mattered a lot as the market evolved.
Petone handled the first round of assembly, and later Honda moved second-generation Civic production to Panmure and Nelson Bays. That shift reflected how the company was building a real presence in the country, not just shipping cars in and hoping for the best.
The Nelson Bays site itself had an earlier life before Honda took over. It once built Jaguars, Triumphs, and other British vehicles, but as those brands faded in popularity through the 1970s, the factory changed direction and became part of Honda’s New Zealand operation.
When Petone closed in 1982 and sporty small cars started gaining ground, Nelson Bays took on a bigger role. Over time it became less of a full assembly hub and more of a place to store new vehicles and get them ready for customers, but it still carried a lot of the brand’s local history.
That is what gives this auction its edge. These are not just old cars with low mileage or clever badges, they are pieces of a regional story that stretches across decades, factory changes, and a long stretch of Honda fans who know exactly why a Civic Type R or a tiny City Jazz can still stir people up.
