Japanese sports cars from Toyota, Honda and Co.

What distinguishes Japanese sports cars?

Japanese sports cars have not just been around since yesterday. The first models were launched on the market as early as the 1960s. From Honda sports cars to Toyota sports cars to Nissan sports cars, powerful models were found - but initially only for racing.

After popularity and demand increased, production models were developed that became even more powerful and sophisticated – in other words, real sports cars.

Advanced Japanese technologies

A special feature of Japanese sports cars is technical progress. In recent decades, manufacturers such as Mazda, Honda, Nissan & Co. have focused on developing advanced vehicle systems. These include, above all, new hybrid drive technology with modern electronics and new all-wheel drives. This means that Japanese car brands are not only known as sports cars, but also for agility and reliability in general.

Clean workmanship

What is also important to customers is very good workmanship – and you can get that from Japanese car manufacturers. Here, a lot of emphasis is usually placed on quality and many parts, especially in the interior, are still processed by hand today.

Top price-performance ratio

Top quality, a lot of performance, modern technology and a low price? That sounds like a dream, but Japanese cars can deliver all of that. Compared to American car brands or car brands from Germany, the price-performance ratio is much better.

In the following, we have taken a closer look at some famous Japanese sports car models for you.

 

Toyota Sports Cars

The history of Toyota sports cars began in the 1960s. The manufacturer inspired people with exciting and varied models, many of which have achieved a real cult status today.

Toyota 2000 GT

The Toyota 2000 GT was introduced to the public in 1967. Its curvy silhouette is still a recognizable mark today, which makes it unmistakable even almost 60 years after its introduction. The large headlights and pop-up headlights, which only extend when they are needed, make the 2000 GT look cute, but also give it a very streamlined look.

This sports car was designed to be strongly driver-oriented and the performance was top class at the time: 150 hp, 2.0-liter inline 6-cylinder with a top speed of 220 km/h. It was produced for three years and in 1970 the last Toyota 2000 GT rolled off the production line.

Toyota Supra

The Toyota Supra was visually strongly inspired by the aforementioned 2000 GT and is probably Toyota's most famous sports car today. He has made it to legend, a living legend, because the Supra still exists today. Many know the Supra from the 90s, when it was already a real sports car that was able to set some records, especially in racing. In every Supra generation, the inline 6-cylinder and a combination of front engine and rear-wheel drive are the common thread that makes the Supra recognizable as such.

The first generation was built from 1978-1981, the fourth and last generation rolled off the production line from 1993-2002. This seemed to be quiet around the Supra at first, but now the Toyota Supra is back as the GR Supra. GR stands for Gazoo Racing and is the manufacturer's motorsport division. The GR Supra has been on the market since 2019, a collaboration between Toyota and BMW.

 

Honda Sports Cars

For a long time, Honda had only built everyday cars, but in the 90s the time had come – Honda's first sports car was born. To this day, the manufacturer manages to inspire fans with modern sports cars.

The Honda S series

It all started with the models of the Honda S series. The S stands for Sports car and with the first sporty models, Honda heralded the sports car era of the next few years. The S500 (road version of the concept car called the S360) was the first sporty model – a two-seater roadster with a top speed of 130 km/h. It was first built in 1963.

In the next few years, the S600, S800 and from 1999 the S2000 followed. As the last model in the Honda S series, the Honda S660 was launched in 2015 as a limited special model. Like its predecessors, it was a two-seater roadster, but it was only sold in Japan.

Honda NSX

Honda's first sports car model was the Honda NSX. The manufacturer developed the model together with Ayrton Senna and relegated European sports car manufacturers back to the back of the rankings. The NSX came with 274 hp and an aluminum body and chassis – a world first at the time. The fine-tuning was perfect, thanks to Formula 1 legend Senna and company founder Soichiro Honda.

The NSX was built for 15 years, only a few hundred models came to Germany, many were sold to the USA. In 2016, the new version of the NSX was launched under the Acura label. However, the Acura NSX was only built for six years and was discontinued in 2022.

Honda Civic Type R

In 1997, the time had come: the Honda Civic Type R was introduced. Today, the tenth generation is on the market and some trademarks have remained, including the red Honda emblem and the combination of driving dynamics and powerful engines. From the outside as well as in the interior, the Civic Type R does not fool you - it clearly shows that it belongs on the race track.

The latest generation comes with even more aerodynamics and a stronger focus on the racing DNA. So it's hardly surprising that it's the fastest and most dynamic Civic R Honda has built so far.

 

Mazda Sports Cars

Mazda's sports car models occupy a special position among Japanese sports cars. The reason is the Wankel engine, which was installed in all Mazda sports cars. To this day, one model in particular continues to delight fans of low-cost roadsters.

Mazda RX-7 & Mazda RX-8

As early as the 60s, Mazda built sporty models that were characterized by futuristic design. But it was not until the Mazda RX-7 appeared in 1978 that it was possible to set a model against the Porsche 924 and 944 again. At that time, the installed Wankel engine produced 105 hp and the acceleration was enough for more than 190 km/h – at the end of the 70s, this was a very remarkable achievement.

As the successor to the RX-7, the Mazda RX-8 was launched in 2003. Like the previous Mazda sports cars, the RX-8 also came with new design ideas. The rear doors were hinged at the rear. Accordingly, there were no B-pillars and the rear passengers could get in very comfortably. The output was 192 or 231 hp and of course the tradition of the Wankel engine was continued here.

Mazda MX-5

In the Mazda MX-5 you have always had little space, but there was a lot of driving fun. In 1990, the Roadster came onto the market and was thus a classic roadster again for a long time after the heyday of the 60s to 80s. In addition, the MX-5 was also available as a convertible, this trend was to arrive in the middle of society in the next few years. Riding pleasure and handling are also fantastic in the latest MX-5 generation. If you want to isolate yourself from the current dominance of SUVs and electric motors, you can do so with the MX-5 in any case.

 

Nissan Sportwagen

Nissan startete schon früh in den Motorsport. Bereits in den 50er Jahren konnte Nissan bei der härtesten Rally der Welt in Australien den ersten Platz belegen. Während der 19-tägigen Fahrt wurden 16.600 Kilometer zurückgelegt – über schlechte Straßen, durch Überschwemmungen und bei enormer Hitze. Daher rührt der Ruf für die enorme Strapazierfähigkeit der Nissan-Modelle.

Nissan Z Series

Models with the letter Z stand for sports cars at Nissan. The 240Z made the start in 1970, which was replaced by the 260Z and 280Z in the next few years. Since the end of the 70s, sporty grand tourer models have been marketed with the 280ZX and the 300 ZX.

In 2003, the 350Z was added again, a slim sports car, which became the most powerful Z model of all time from 2009 as the 370Z. In 2022, the seventh generation came onto the market, the Nissan Z continues tradition without losing sight of modernity. However, the model never came onto the market in Europe, because the strict CO2 requirements make it uneconomical for Nissan to offer the Z here.

Nissan GT-R

The Nissan GT-R, a 2+2-seater sports coupe, has been produced since 2007 and will also be sold in Europe until 2022. Since then, it has unfortunately no longer been available for purchase in this country, because it had to be taken off the market due to new noise regulations. It is still on sale in other countries and has received a facelift in 2023. However, the edition was limited and the GT-R will probably not get another model year.

 

Mitsubishi Sports Car

From 1982 there were Mitsubishi sports cars, which were particularly successful in America. But the brand with the three diamonds also had fans in Europe.

Mitsubishi Eclipse

The Mitsubishi Eclipse is a sports coupé produced by the manufacturer that was also available in Germany from 1992 to 2000. In 2005, the last generation of the model appeared in the USA, which was then finally discontinued in 2012.

 

Subaru Sports Car

For a long time, Subaru was better known for rally models and robust off-road vehicles, until a real sports car was added to the range in 1991 with the Subaru SVX.

Subaru SVX

The Subaru SVX was built until 1997, was equipped with a six-cylinder boxer engine and produced 230 hp. This was perceived by many as disturbing, because the windows could only be opened for a third. However, the large glass surfaces as a whole were well received.

Subaru BRZ

If you want to drive a real exotic, you should take a closer look at the Subaru BRZ. It has a combination of boxer engine, rear-wheel drive and is a sports coupé. The sound is enormous, the 234 hp power is completely sufficient. However, Subaru only sold 300 cars for the 2023 model year, so you should consider yourself lucky to see a BRZ pass by.

If you want to secure a BRZ, you should contact a Subaru partner quickly, because it will be available in Germany from April 2024 in the aforementioned limited edition.

For even more speed and performance records, it's also worth taking a look at our list of the 10 fastest cars in the world.