Yes, there are many new sports cars that you can buy today. Toyota has the GR Supra, Nissan brought back the Z, there’s the BMW Z4, Chevrolet Camaro, Ford’s new Mustang, and more affordable options like the Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ. While all of them are fast, capable and very competent, they can only aspire to be as cool as a classic JDM car that will also value. These used JDM icons are absolutely badass collector-worthy models from a bygone era, and the cherry on top is obviously the stellar reliability you can expect from a Japanese car.
We’ve compiled a list of rare JDM classics we’d rather own than a new sports car. And to make this mix as interesting as possible, we’ve included 10 iconic JDM SUVs, sedans, convertibles, hatchbacks, and coupes.
10 Mitsubishi Pajero Evo
We’ll start this list with one of the coolest SUVs ever made. The Pajero Evo is an ultra-desirable, Dakar-ready two-door SUV for the road with a MIVEC 3.5-liter six-cylinder engine that develops 276 hp and 256 lb-ft of torque. What makes the Evo special is that it’s a special road-homologation of the real car that wiped out everything else at the Dakar. The Pajero Evo is already a JDM collector car and there is nothing else like it. Think Lancer Evolution, but with better ground clearance and Batman-like wings.
9 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI TME
If an SUV doesn’t tickle your fancy, how about the same recipe in a rally-winning saloon format? And what better way to celebrate the rally pedigree than with a Lancer Evo 6.5 Tommi Makinen Edition – the holy grail of all Lancer Evolutions.
If there really is a car that can do it all, this is it! This AWD sedan can take your kids to school, has enough trunk space for bags, can humiliate most modern sports cars on the road, and keep doing it without fail until climate change kills us all .
8 Subaru Impreza 22B STi
The Subaru Impreza 22B STi is what happens when you let Subaru’s engineers run wild. It is a true unicorn as only 424 units were made. Under the blue hood sits a version of the EJ20, called the EJ22G, with a “claimed” power figure of 276 hp. A byproduct of Subaru’s dominance in the WRC, the 22B STi featured Eibach springs and Bilstein dampers along with other special parts and a mega-wide body. The car has achieved such a cult status that even when it goes up for sale, there is a fair amount of auction fighting.
7 Honda S2000 CR
The Honda S2000 is a convertible that does everything right. A high-revving F20/22C naturally aspirated engine at the front, rear-wheel drive, a sharp chassis, a smooth gearbox… what more do you need? But Honda sold 699 units of S2000 with CR attached to its name. Changes included a different visual treatment, stiffer springs and dampers, larger diameter anti-roll bars, better rubber, a hard top and many other subtle changes that made their full presence felt when you took it out on a race track. All this plus wind in your hair.
6 Nissan Pulsar GTI-R
Wondering what a 1990s Japanese hatchback is doing? Look closer, and that big bulge in the hood might be a giveaway. Because under the hood is Nissan’s famous SR20DET that makes 277 hp and 210 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels! Yes, the Pulsar GTI-R is a forgotten AWD trap and, in a way, the great-grandfather of the GR Yaris. All it needed was 5 seconds to reach 60 mph, making it faster than a Porsche 911 and a Corvette of its era. Enough said then.
5 Toyota Corolla AE86
Hachi-roku needs no introduction, right? A boring, cardboard and vanilla Corolla from the 80’s for a normal person and a wet dream for any car nerd. The AE86 is Toyota flexing and showing the world that even a Corolla can be more fun to drive than a sports car. A true icon, the Corolla AE86 is all about balance and chassis dynamics, although the 1.6-litre 4AGE is a gem of an engine with one of the best intake notes of any car never done! Well, it can offer tofu as well as racing rings around bigger cars with the right driver behind the wheel.
4 Mazda RX-7 Spirit R
Mazda said goodbye to the rotary-engined RX7 with one last edition and called it the Spirit R. Limited to 1500 units worldwide, the Spirit R is as serious as it gets for this rotary-engined legend. The 1.3-liter twin-rotor 13B engine developed the same 276 hp (blatant lie) and 231 lb-ft, but featured a tricked-out Bilstein suspension, Recaro buckets, bigger brakes, steel-braided lines and those beautiful 17 inch BBS wheels. Overshadowed by its Japanese counterparts, the RX7 was more of a katana than a butcher knife.
3 R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R NISMO 400R
The Skyline GTR was nicknamed “Godzilla” for all the right reasons. He ate everything he could get his hands on and continues to do so to this day. The Nismo 400R is what you want if you’re looking for the ultimate holy grail of all GTRs. Limited to 44 units and powered by a 2.8-liter RBX-GT2 (best engine name ever?), the 400R developed 400 hp and 346 lb-ft, helping it reach 300 km/h. That’s supercar-level performance, and we seriously doubt any modern sports car can keep up with this non-mythical creature from Japan.
2 Toyota Supra TRD 3000GT
There are plenty of modified Toyota Supras with wide body kits around. But the best version of them all has to be this factory original widebody version of TRD’s Supra that even got a standalone name: 3000GT. Well, right now only 35 examples exist in the world and each one has a special VIN with a new name. Changes included a new hood with geometric vents, a body that was 50 to 60 mm wider, different bumpers and two types of wings: Type-S and Type-R. Changes under the hood were minimal, but who’s complaining when you’ve got a 2JZ-GTE? You really can’t beat that.
1 Honda NSX Type R
Boffins at Honda’s Type R division took a feather-light mid-engined sports car and stripped away all the unwanted fluff, resulting in one of the world’s best-handling cars, the NSX-R. You don’t get a radio, soundproofing, spare tire, air conditioning or traction control. It’s just you and an aluminum chassis with a mid-mounted 3.0/3.2-liter V6 VTEC engine. The NSX-R tips the scales at 2710 pounds making it lighter than any hatchback on the market today. A championship white NSX with white Enkei wheels (borderline NSFW) is the stuff dreams are made of.
