Remember that US$80,000 platinum Nissan Fairlady Z432 model that was a one off and not for sale? Apparently there is a market for extremely expensive models of cars that are made of gold, silver or platinum. Japanese artist Nori Miyata has launched the Ultima Jewelery line whereby luxury cars and yachts are replicated in miniature scale. The Lamborghini shown above is made of 18k gold and is 1/24 in scale. No idea how much this will set you back though as price is on request. More details here.

At the recent Hong Kong International Jewellery Show, jeweller Ginza Tanaka displayed a one-off replica of the Nissan Fairlady Z432 made in platinum. Created in celebration of Tomica’s 40th anniversary, the platinum car has opening doors and wheels that spin. And of course, a regular paper box wouldn’t do to hold this car so the jewellery produced the box in platinum too. The whole process apparently took about a month to complete with hours and hours spent polishing the metal to give it that pretty shiny look.

The car is 7cm long, weighs 210 grams and estimated to cost US$80,000. It’s not for sale though (although I bet plenty toy car collectors would covet it.) If you want to see it in person, head on over to Japan as it will be displayed at the Osaka Tomica Fair in April.

Image: Takara Tomy