They're two of the best-known Japanese manufacturers around, but who makes the better sports cars? Honda can claim to have made cars that were decades ahead of their time, always focusing on the highest level of build quality and precision. And thanks to technologies such as VTEC engines, Honda's high-revving sports cars are built to provide drivers with maximum fun and still be relied upon year after year.
But Honda is not the only Japanese brand famous for its cool engines, and Mazda's rotary engines have been favorites among classic JDM enthusiasts for decades, providing a unique sound and experience unmatched by other powertrains. They don't stop there though, claiming several best-selling mass-market sports cars too. So who comes out on top? To decide, let's take a look at 5 of Honda's and 5 of Mazda's greatest sports cars.
10 Honda Integra Type R
It's a nineties classic, sporting a 189hp VTEC engine that red-lined at an almighty 8,700rpm. The Honda Integra Type R saw the brand in top form, taking the standard Integra and meticulously improving almost every aspect of the car.
The Type R's aero kit was fully functional, unlike many modern hot hatches. The rear spoiler increased downforce by nearly a third, and extra bracing kept the car feeling sharp through corners. It's a true enthusiast's car, and low-mileage examples can go for well over their MSRP at auction today.
9 Mazda RX-8
It didn't quite have the legendary status of its predecessor, the RX-7, but the RX-8 still amassed plenty of fans during its nine-year production run. It was the last car to be sold with a rotary engine before emissions regulations caused its demise.
The car has several strange quirks, including asymmetric suicide rear doors and plastic bumpers to save weight. It also has a reputation as being a bit of a nightmare to maintain, but it's more than worth it for rotary fanatics to say they own the last of Mazda's famous engines.
8 Honda S2000
The S2000 has all the right ingredients for a classic sports car recipe: 2.0L engine with 237hp, a six-speed manual transmission, and only 2,800-lb curb weight. It's no surprise, then, that it's a very desirable car among Honda fans today.
It wasn't the fastest car off the line, with an official 0-60 time of 6.2 seconds. Most owners say the real joy of the S2000 isn't pure speed though, and instead, it's its high-revving engine and connected driving experience that really make this car stand out.
7 Mazda 787B
Mazda's 787B was a Group C race car built for use in the World Sports Car Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car enjoyed considerable success at those events, winning Le Mans in 1991. This was thanks to its insane rotary engine, the R26B.
It's one of the most powerful rotaries ever built, with a claimed maximum output of 930hp, although it was tuned to 700hp for races. It's also arguably one of the best sounding race cars ever, with an unmistakable yowl that anyone who's ever seen this car race live will attest to.
6 Honda S600
Honda's first mass-market sports car, the S600 was only manufactured for three short years from 1964 to 1966. It only had a tiny Kei-sized 0.6L engine, capable of churning out 57hp and giving this little coupe a top speed of 90mph.
Nevertheless the S600 was fairly popular, selling 13,000 units during its production run. It's a revered classic today thanks to its status as such a critical model in Honda's history, but examples are still fairly cheap to buy. Recent low-mileage examples have been sold for around $34,000.
5 Mazda MX-5 Miata
The Miata, or MX-5 as it's called in non-American markets, is one of the most popular affordable sports cars ever released. It's a winning combination of fun handling, a low price tag and a whole host of aftermarket parts so owners can build their Miata to their individual tastes.
Sure, they're not the most powerful cars straight from the factory, but that's not the point. Mazda designed this car for fun at road-legal speeds, and they absolutely hit the nail on the head. It's one of the all-round greatest sports cars around right now.
4 Honda Civic Type R
Every generation of Honda's Civic Type R has been more impressive than the last, and the latest iteration offers both an impressive spec sheet and a thoroughly enjoyable drive. It takes the brand's best-selling hatchback and cranks it up to 11, delivering 315hp and a top speed of 169mph.
As well as its beefy engine, there's a whole host of other great features that come with the car, including Honda's data-tracking app called LogR™ and figure-hugging embossed race seats. Not to mention three exhausts, which is strange but cool.
3 Mazda Cosmo
Mazda's first commercial rotary engine was launched in the Cosmo sports car, one of the factors that led to its sales success and revered legacy. The name was chosen to reflect Mazda's assertion of the rotary as futuristic, as the most futuristic thing on everyone's minds at the time was the Space Race.
Built at the brand's Hiroshima plant, the Cosmo boasted 110-130hp and either a four- or five-speed manual. That was enough to make it genuinely quick for its day, and it was an affordable option compared to rivals like the Toyota 200GT.
2 Honda NSX
It's a car that's only just beginning to receive the attention it deserves, and that means prices for NSXs are steadily increasing. The car was a showcase for Honda to display their engineering prowess to the world, and as such it featured a host of features that were ahead of its time.
The NSX was the first production car to sport an aluminium semi-monocoque chassis, which saved around 440lb over using the industry standard steel. A full electric power system and an early VTEC system also helped make the car into a true futuristic machine.
1 Mazda RX-7
It's probably the best known Mazda out there, featuring in everything from blockbuster movies to drift championships. The reason the RX-7 is so versatile is its well-balanced setup, with enough room for tuners to really crank up those horsepower numbers.
The RX-7 also featured some unusual design choices, including sequential turbos that were designed to give the car a more consistent level of power across RPM. It's certainly a car no-one will forget in a hurry, and with prices for stock RX-7s shooting through the roof, it's unlikely most car fans will get to own one in a hurry either.