The 1980s and '90s were terrible times for the American automotive industry, an era when cost-cutting and badge-engineering became far too prevalent amid increased fuel economy and safety regulations. But the dearth of good cars leaving Detroit factories left open a foothold for Japanese cars to begin their rise during this period, with the result being that brands like Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Mazda, and Subaru all gained serious market traction by the end of the millennium.
From unbelievably reliable commuter cars to family-hauling minivans and even some seriously impressive sports cars, many of the best options in the world during the 1980s and 90s came from Japan. Choosing the cream of the crop can be a hard task, however, largely because of the famous "Gentleman's Agreement" between the manufacturers that made horsepower ratings largely inaccurate at the time.
But despite the obfuscation, the two decades since the year 2000 have revealed the truth. Here are the 11 fastest Japanese sports cars of the 1980s and 90s.
11 Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R earned its nickname of "Godzilla" for good reason: amid all the excellent Japanese sports cars of the 1980s and 90s, it was a monster-slayer that stood head and shoulders above the crowd. In the final R34 variant, it used a twin-turbocharged inline-six engine that produced a claimed 276 horsepower but was actually putting out more like 330—and that's before tuners and modders did their work. An ATTESA all-wheel-drive system helped route that power to the ground during accleration and cornering, which only made this car all the more potent.
10 Acura NSX
When Honda decided to take on Ferrari by building a reliable supercar at a fraction of the cost, the NSX emerged as a stone-cold stunner. It's not the world's fastest car in a straight line, but with a rev-happy VTEC V6 under the hood and a curb weight below 3,000 pounds, it's quick off the line and thanks to a suspension system tuned with input from Ayrton Senna and a sleek aerodynamic profile, it only gets faster in the high-speed twisties.
9 Subaru Impreza STI 22b
Most Americans probably think that Subaru didn't build an STI variant of the Impreza until the 2000s, though the truth is that perhaps the best STI ever was the 22b-generation of the 1990s. Rumors have been swirling recently that Subaru might even bring back a coupe STI in the near future, though there's less hope that it will prove as awesome as the original simply because it was so small and light with such a raspy flat-four under the hood.
8 Nissan Pulsar GTI-R
Japan's best hot hatch of the 1990s was the Nissan Pulsar GTI-R. Almost like a Skyline with a shorter wheelbase and more room to haul the family, it used the same all-wheel-drive system but paired with a turbocharged inline-four pumping out 277 horsepower and 210 lb-ft of torque. Critically, it only weighed 2,400 pounds, which meant it could keep up with the likes of the Porsche 911 of the early 1990s.
7 Toyota Supra
Everyone knows that the fourth-generation Toyota Supra is one of the sweetest 1990s cars in the world, though fewer people realize that the Supra was a great car going all the way back to the early 1980s, when it was still just an upgraded Celica. The third generation upped power and performance by a significant margin, as well, but it wouldn't be until the fourth gen that Toyota nailed the 2JZ-GTE engine under the hood and built the stunningly fast, eminently tunable sports car with 326 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque from the factory.
6 Mazda RX-7
Today, the rotary engine has long been phased out of the automotive industry due to its inherent tendencies to blow engine seals, burn oil, and consume excessive quantities of fuel. But in the 1980s and 90s, Mazda was all about the RX-7, which was a legit track star thanks to low curb weight made possible by the rotary setup. The earlier angular RX-7 generations were impressive but the swoopy FD took things to a whole new level in 1992.
5 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo
Mitsubishi got into rally racing in a big way in the 1990s, following up on the success of the Galant with the all-new Lancer for 1992. By the end of the decade, the fifth iteration of the Evo had proven itself with larger wheels, better aero components, and a more powerful turbocharged four-banger. (And don't forget that Mitsu also built arguably the greatest rally legend of all time starting in the 1990s, as well, the Pajero Evo.)
4 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4
While the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo was progressing throughout the course of the 1990s, Mitsubishi also built a seriously beefy sports car with a ton of advanced technology in the maxed-out trim package called the 3000GT VR-4. With a twin-turbocharged, DOHC V6 under the hood sending up to 320 horsepower and 315 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels by 1999, the last year the model was sold in the United States, the 3000GT Vr-4 was definitely ahead of its time.
3 Toyota MR2 Turbo
While the Acura NSX was the undisputed supercar king of Japan during the 1990s, there was another car known alternately as the "Poor Man's NSX" and "Poor Man's Ferrari" thanks to its mid-engined layout: the Toyota MR2. The first-gen MR2 debuted in 1984 with an extremely boxy, angular exterior and maxed out with a supercharged inline-four that produced 145 horsepower and 137 lb-ft of torque. That might not sound like a ton, but the car weighed under 2,500 pounds. The second-gen MR2, meanwhile, introduced a turbocharged variant and a more luxurious cabin, as well.
2 Nissan 300ZX
Nissan attempted to bring the line of Z-Cars up a notch with the 300ZX of the 1980s and 90s. Styling got a bit more angular, while power was up in a big way by the end of the millennium. With a twin-turbocharged V6 and advanced features for the time like four-wheel steering, the 300ZX remains an impressive car to this day, though it's a bit complex to maintain.
1 Honda S2000
Just in time for the end of the millennium, Honda released the S2000 in 1999 and quickly took the world by storm. With the highest specific-output engine in the world, the S2000's screaming inline-four produced up to 250 horsepower and had a redline of 9,000 RPM. Throw in a silky smooth six-speed stick shift and a factory limited-slip differential, and the S2000 still stands out as one of the best cars ever made.
Sources: Driving Line, The News Wheel, Jalopnik, and Wikipedia.