When listing the greatest automaking countries in the world, you have to include Japan in the top three. Japanese cars may not be as revered as German or Italian cars, but they are the best-selling in the world due to their simplicity, practicality, reliability, and most of all, affordability.
Over the last century, Japanese automakers have built many iconic models that are known and loved in all corners of the globe, including the Mazda MX-5 Miata, Toyota Supra, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, and Honda NSX. However, there are many other awesome Japanese cars that most gearheads have never even heard of either because they were built by unknown automakers, are rare, or were never sold outside Japan. Let's explore ten of the best JDM cars you probably didn't know existed.
10 Aspark Owl
The EV industry has come a long way. A decade ago, we barely had any EVs on the roads. Fast forward to today, and we have EV options in almost every segment, including supercars. One of the best electric supercars ever made has to be the Aspark Owl, even though many aren't familiar with it.
The Owl has everything. For one, it has a gorgeous design that turns heads everywhere and boosts aerodynamics. Equipped with a quad-motor powertrain developing an unbelievable 1,984 hp, the Owl is also fast.
9 Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
Of all the motorsports you can participate in, the Dakar Rally is arguably the hardest to win. This gruesome competition takes place in some of the toughest conditions in the world and requires a vehicle to be special to win it. Well, that's exactly what the Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution was, as it's the most successful Dakar Rally vehicle ever made, with 12 titles won.
To meet homologation requirements, Mitsubishi built 2,500 road-legal examples of the Pajero Evolution in the late '90s. If you can get your hands on one, be thankful, as it's among the best off-road SUVs you can buy.
8 Mazda Eunos Cosmo
Most gearheads have at least heard of the Mazda Cosmo Series I — it was the first production car to be powered by a Wankel rotary engine. However, not many know about the Eunos Cosmo that Mazda built three decades after the Series I.
The Eunos Cosmo is special in many ways. It had a modern design, advanced technologies like a built-in navigation system and a climate control touchscreen, and is still the only Mazda to be powered by a triple-rotor Wankel engine — a 2.0-liter unit belting out over 300 horses.
7 Toyota GT-One
When the FIA introduced the GT1 Championship in the '90s, top automakers like Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, and McLaren joined. Toyota didn't want to be left behind, so it developed the GT-One and road-legal versions to meet homologation requirements.
There weren't many differences between the race car and the road car. The GT-One road car had a carbon-fiber body and was equipped with an uprated version of Toyota's 3.6-liter R36V turbocharged V8 engine. With only two road-legal examples ever made, the GT-One is among the rarest Japanese cars ever built.
6 Autozam AZ-1
Most gearheads don't know this, but Mazda used to have a sub-brand called Autozam that made several awesome cars, mostly targeted to the Kei car market. Of all the cars Autozam ever built, the AZ-1 is arguably the best.
Introduced in the early '90s, the AZ-1 is a mid-engined Kei class sports car that impressed many with its unique design featuring gullwing doors. Like most other models built by Autozam, the AZ-1 was equipped with a Suzuki-sourced 653cc three-cylinder engine paired with a five-speed manual.
5 Nissan R390 GT1
The 24 Hours Of Le Mans is as iconic as it gets when it comes to motorsports. Building a car that can compete in this competition is a huge achievement, let alone winning it. After returning to the racing world in the mid-90s, Nissan's Nismo collaborated with Tom Walkinshaw Racing to develop a car that could compete at Le Mans, resulting in the R390 GT1.
As required, Nissan built one road-legal version of the R390 GT1. This car was equipped with the same 550-hp twin-turbo V8 engine as the race car, giving it great performance.
4 Toyota Century V12
Toyota has always dominated the affordable car market, which is why it's one of the most valuable brands in the world. However, Toyota also builds luxury cars, and the Century is among the best it has to offer.
The Century debuted in the '60s and has been the car of choice for Japan's rich and powerful since. The second-generation Century, which debuted in 1997, is the one we're interested in. This car has an elegant design, a luxurious interior, and a massive V12 engine under the hood. Best of all, it recently became eligible for import into the US.
3 Tommykaira ZZ
Most people who are familiar with Tommykaira know it as a custom car builder. However, from 1996 to 2000, the Japanese tuning company built and sold its own sports car — the ZZ.
The first-generation ZZ was special in many ways. For one, it was designed by Tommykaira from scratch and didn't borrow any styling elements from other production cars. It also had a detachable roof — a rare sight back then. After selling 220 units, the ZZ went on a long hiatus and came back for the second generation in 2014 as a fully electric car.
2 Mazda 787B
As we mentioned earlier, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a tough ask for any automaker, as the car not only needs to be fast but must also be reliable enough to handle 24 hours of racing non-stop.
In the early '90s, Mazda decided to have a crack at winning at Le Mans, so it built the 787B. Mazda knew it couldn't match the insane amounts of power European rivals had, so it decided to focus on making the 787B more reliable than any other car in the competition. The strategy worked perfectly, as the 787B became the first and only Japanese manufacturer to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
1 Yamaha OX99-11
Most people know Yamaha as a manufacturer of some of the best Japanese motorcycles. However, Yamaha has attempted several times to compete with the likes of Toyota and Nissan in the car world, and it almost succeeded in the early '90s with the OX99-11.
The OX99-11 is an unusual sports car with a weird design featuring a canopy door and a tandem seating arrangement. Equipped with a 400-hp V12, the OX99-11 was going to be fast. Only three prototypes were ever made.