Actor, producer and all-round megastar Tom Cruise is known for his love of driving – partly thanks to his 1990 film Days of Thunder where he starred as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle, but mostly because he once set a blistering lap time around the Top Gear test track at the wheel of a brown Kia Cee’d.
But did you know that Cruise actually raced in SCCA competitions in the 1980s thanks to his The Color of Money co-star Paul Newman?
See that Canon/Planters liveried Newman-Sharp Racing Nissan 300ZX above? That was Cruise’s actual car, and despite it living in a scrapyard for several years in the 1990s and early 2000s, it has now been restored to its former glory. Oh, and it just sold on US auction site Bring A Trailer for R1.7 million. Yikes.
It’s no ordinary Z31-gen Nissan 300ZX of course, the 3.0-litre V6 has Jim Wolf Technologies camshafts, MSA headers and throttle body and a HKS exhaust system. Then there’s Nismo anti-roll bars, Tokico springs and shocks and bucket seats inside. Apparently the odometer only reads around 5,000 miles, with 800 of those being added since its recent rebuild.
Period documents show that Cruise’s early racing career got off to a decent start in this car, with the actor passing his SCCA driving school test in 1987 and picking up three regional race wins at Sebring. In his first National level race he finished fourth, and in his first season of racing he picked up a second, a third and two fourth-place finishes.
As Motoring Journalists, we have spent the past two decades reporting on the latest developments in the automotive industry. Our passion for cars began at a young age, and we have been fortunate enough to turn that passion into successful careers.
We have covered a wide range of topics related to cars and the automotive industry. From the latest car models to the impact of new technologies on the industry, we have always been at the forefront of reporting on the latest developments. I have also interviewed some of the biggest names in the industry, from CEOs of major automakers to famous racing drivers.
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