Japan has a long tradition of engineering excellence. This has helped the country produce many of the world's most interesting and entertaining cars. And as the home of roadside drinks machines selling hot coffee in a can - amongst other exotica - there's no surprise it's produced its fair share of oddities as well. Here's our list of the best cars from Japan, in alphabetical order.
The Autozam AZ-1 is a fine example of Japanese miniaturization. Built by Mazda, the AZ-1 met the strict kei car regulations yet also managed to be hugely desirable thanks to its mini supercar looks. The mid-mounted 657cc turbocharged three-cylinder engine developed only 63 horsepower, but it revved happily to 7000 RPM. Weighing only 1584 pounds, this was enough power to see the AZ-1 from 0-60mph in 8.0 seconds.
Mazda also offered uprated Mazdaspeed parts such as a bodykit, wheels, suspension, and even a limited slip differential. There was also a Suzuki version called the Cara, which managed 531 sales, while the AZ-1 notched up 4392 to make it a rare and collectible car today.
View Price on AmazonOne hundred brake horsepower-per-liter was the stuff of race cars in the late 1990s, yet Daihatsu squeezed this much from the Charade's 993cc three-pot motor. Turbocharging helped achieve this magic figure, and the rev-hungry engine helped the lightweight hot hatch from rest to 60mph in 7.7 seconds.
Fizzing performance wasn't the Charade GTti's only party trick as it handled well too, matching the taut looks. The GTi that replaced the GTti in 1993 was fun, but not a patch on the original that also proved to be a surprisingly able rally car with success in events as diverse as the Lombard RAC and Safari rallies.
As Japan was revolutionizing the motorcycle world with affordable, reliable machines in the late 1960s, the Datsun 240Z did the same for sports cars. Launched in 1969, the 240Z outdid the MGB thanks to a six-cylinder engine with 151 horsepower, good enough for 0-60mph in 8.1 seconds. There was no drop-top model, but that didn't stop buyers snapping up 622,649 Zs if you include the 260 model that followed in 1974. It was a particular hit in the US.
It's easy to see why the Datsun was so successful with its Albrecht Goertz-penned sleek coupe shape. It also handled superbly and didn't need the constant mechanical attention of the rivals from Europe.
One of the longest running dynasties in Japanese automotive manufacturing, the Honda Civic arrived in 1973 and the name is still going strong. In that time, the Civic has grown in size and ambition, as well as broadening to include coupe, hot hatch, and hybrid models. As a barometer for the motoring world, few are more in tune than the Civic.
The Civic also helped the Triumph name soldier on into the 1980s with the Acclaim model that was based on the second generation of Honda's small hatch. Rover also based its 200 and 400 models on the Civic. To date, more than 28 million Civics of all generations have been sold.
When Honda set its mind to creating the best supercar, the result was the 1990 NSX. Everything about it was created from scratch, including the 2977cc V6 engine. It might have shared the same bore and stroke as the Legend saloon's V6 motor, but every casting and detail was different such was Honda's determination to perfect the NSX. Even Ayrton Senna helped develop the all-aluminum chassis' dynamics.
The NSX could hit 157mph, cover 0-60mph in 5.3 seconds, and was everyday usable. Later improvements made it even quicker, yet Honda rarely sold more than 1000 NSXs per year between 1990 and 2005 due to badge snobbery. Those snobs missed out on a car that was properly special.
As birthday presents go, Honda did a lot better than a book token and pair of socks with the S2000. To mark its 50th year, Honda came up with an edgy two-seater sports car with a deliciously rev-hungry 2.0-liter engine. The all-aluminum motor used V-TEC variable valve timing to deliver 243 horsepower, making it the most powerful car in its class.
Source: autocar.co.uk
