Hai Performance: A Visual History of Japan’s Hottest Sports Cars

-From the April 2015 issueFor more than half a century, the Land of the Rising Sun has been an intermittent source for engaging and often affordable performance. Here's a quick history lesson on what they've produced. -Datsun’s Sports (Fairlady in Japan) 1500/1600/2000 roadster begins as an MG Midget–like fiberglass-bodied convertible and evolves into a crack SCCA road racer. -Honda’s first car is the 1500-pound S500 roadster powered by a tiny DOHC inline-four with a 9500-rpm redline. One motorcycle influence: chain-driven wheels. -Toyota’s first sports car, the Sports 800, has 44 horsepower and a removable targa-roof panel. -Toyota teams with Yamaha to build the 2000GT (shown above), Japan’s salute to the Jaguar E-type. --• Mazda’s Cosmo coupe introduces this brand’s distinctive Wankel engine. -Datsun’s Bluebird/1300-1600/510 sedan is a reformulated BMW 1600. -Datsun stretches its hot streak with the gorgeous Fairlady/240Z (shown above). The first edition, with a SOHC inline-six and independent strut suspension, all but kills affordable British and Italian sports cars in the U.S. --• On the home front, the Skyline GT-R sports coupe marches onto land. -Twenty years later it earns the nickname "Godzilla." -Back in the day, we call Mazda’s Wankel-powered RX-2 (shown above) and RX-3 supercoupes. Our IMSA RS exploits in the RX-2 get rotaries banned; we set a 160-mph Bonneville record in the RX-3. -The Toyota Celica embellishes the Datsun Z formula with a back seat. After a homely start, it receives attractive styling and a turbo bump to more than 200 horses. --• Mazda's RX-7 (shown above) combines rotary power, a light two-seat body, and compelling pricing. We race one at Daytona and hike our Bonneville speed over 180 mph. -Datsun’s Maxima sports sedan (shown above) borrows powertrain components from the 240Z. We turbocharge one for Paul Newman. -• Mitsubishi’s Starion 2+2 joins the performance fracas with rear drive, turbocharging, and a garbled name. -Inspired by Ferrari, the mid-engined Toyota MR2 coupe and spyder begin a long run as this brand’s break from boredom. -Si editions for Honda’s Civic, CRX (shown above), and Prelude up speeds and handling prowess. --• Mazda’s second-gen RX-7 arrives with an optional turbo, prompting our return to Bonneville for a 238-mph record. -The Honda Prelude’s claim to fame is four-wheel steering. -Mazda’s Lotus-inspired MX-5 Miata (shown above) is a sensation that eventually becomes the world’s favorite roadster. -• Infiniti's introductory offering, the Q45, is a sports sedan touting four-wheel semiactive suspension. --• To curb enthusiasm, Japanese carmakers agree to limit domestic engine output to 280 horsepower. -Acura’s NSX salutes Ferrari with a sleek aluminum body and a hot 3.0-liter, 8000-rpm V-6 equipped with a variable-timing-and-lift valvetrain. (Borrowed from motorcycles, Honda’s VTEC system first appeared on four wheels in the 1989 Acura Integra GS-R in Japan.) -The third- and last-generation Mazda RX-7 (shown above) arrives with sequential turbocharging, improved dynamics, and stunning bodywork. -• Subaru’s distinctive SVX sports Giugiaro design, a 3.3-liter flat-six, and four-wheel drive. The brand’s Impreza WRX brings turbocharged World Rally technology to the street (the U.S. waits a decade for the WRX). -To celebrate its 50th birthday, Honda blesses sports-car admirers with the light, lively S2000, powered by a 9000-rpm 2.0-liter VTEC engine. -The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII arrives stateside with Brembo brakes, Bilstein shocks, and a provocative carbon-fiber rear wing. -The last gasp for rotary power is the RX-8, with too many doors and a back seat. --• Japan’s auto manufacturers association eliminates its long-standing 280-hp limit. -Elevating its performance cachet to uncharted heights, Nissan launches the mighty GT-R (shown above) with a twin-turbo V-6 and four-wheel drive, and adds a video-game dash for fun. -• Lexus drops the F-bomb—its IS F is a strategic road weapon disguised as a family sedan. -Feeling unusually frisky, Lexus distills lessons learned at the track into 500 LFA supercars powered by a 4.8-liter V-10 gift-wrapped in carbon-fiber bodywork. In spite of astronomical prices, Toyota probably loses money on the project. -The Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ fraternal twins are an odd pairing, but who’d whine about fresh, affordable rear-drive sports coupes? -Sending a Ford Mustang to M.I.T. would yield something like the Lexus RC F, a sports coupe steeped in power, performance, and panache. --



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