When asked to name the countries that make the best-looking cars, most gearheads will not have Japan on their list. Japanese auto brands like Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Mazda are extremely popular among dealerships and car buyers, but more for their practicality and cost-effectiveness than their designs.
Still, some of these Japanese automakers have been in business for the last century and have been able to not just perfect their quality and engineering but also their designs. They may be few and far between, but we've seen several drop-dead gorgeous JDM cars that give the most beautiful Italian cars a run for their money. If that's hard to believe, we hope these ten cars will convince you.
10 Toyota 2000GT
The '60s gave us some of the most beautiful cars of all time, including the Jaguar E-Type, Lamborghini Miura, and Ferrari 250 GTO, to name a few. To compete with the iconic European brands, Toyota designers rolled up their sleeves and developed an absolute beauty in 1967 — the awe-inspiring 2000GT.
Considered to be Japan's first-ever supercar, the 2000GT had an elegant design that made it look like the Japanese version of the Ferrari 250 GTO. Sadly, Toyota equipped it with a measly 2.3-liter inline-six developing 138 hp, which was just too little to compete with European supercars of the day. Still, people are willing to pay seven figures for one of the rare 351 examples.
9 Lexus LFA
Toyota's luxury division Lexus is mostly known for making some of the most luxurious cars in the world. However, in 2011, Lexus decided to have a crack at the supercar market when they developed the LFA. The first thing people loved about the LFA was its design, particularly that rear end with the triple exhausts.
The LFA also had the power to match, coming from a 4.8-liter V10 cranking out 563 hp. 500 examples of this fantastic car were made, making it super rare.
8 Mazda RX-7 FD
The Mazda RX-7 is a rotary-powered sports car with a significant cult following worldwide. There are three generations of the RX-7, but the third-generation variant is the best-looking of them all, which explains why prices have skyrocketed.
Most of the third-gen RX-7s you see are full of modifications to make them look cooler, but we think the stock model has a great design too, especially those pop-up headlights. It's powered by a 1,308cc twin-turbo twin-rotor engine with 252 hp on tap, making it a blast to drive.
7 Toyota Supra (Mk IV)
The fourth-generation Supra is a legend in the auto industry. Unlike the boxy third-gen model, the Supra Mk4 had a smooth aerodynamically-efficient bodywork and a huge rear spoiler, making it one of the coolest-looking Japanese cars of its day. The Supra looked so good that it was one of the stars of the first Fast and Furious movies.
There were two engine options for the Supra Mk4, with the most powerful being a 3.0-liter 2JZ-GTE twin-turbo V6 blurting out 321 hp and 315 lb-ft of torque.
6 Honda NSX
After its success in Formula One racing in the '80s, Honda felt it had enough engineering and technological prowess to build a sports car that could compete with anything from Europe.
After a few years of development, Honda introduced the fabled NSX - a gorgeous Ferrari-rivalling aluminum-bodied supercar with a chassis tuned by the legendary Ayrton Senna. Powered by the first VTEC-equipped engine in a production car, the NSX was a joy to drive. Some may disagree, but we think the second-generation NSX looks cool too.
5 Nissan Skyline GT-R Nismo Z-Tune
Nissan built several special edition Skylines, but the Nismo Z-Tune is, by far, the rarest and most desirable of them all. The Z-Tune was initially a Nismo concept, who needed to build a special car to celebrate its 20th anniversary. But since the R34 GT-R was no longer in production, Nismo searched around Japan for 20 lightly used R34s and converted them into Z-Tunes.
Upgraded included a carbon-fiber body, tuned Sachs suspension, a special Brembo brake system, and aggressive aero. Thanks to the upgrades, the Z-Tune looked and performed better than every other Skyline GT-R before it.
4 Mazda Cosmo
Mazda has built many impressive cars over the years, but few of them were as important as the Cosmo. The Cosmo was special in many ways. For one, it had a superb aerodynamic design featuring beautiful, futuristic proportions that everyone fell in love with.
The Cosmo was also the first-ever production car powered by a two-rotor rotary engine. The Cosmo is also very rare, with just over 1,000 examples made.
3 Honda S2000
After proving it could create a world-class supercar with the NSX, Honda engineers went back to the drawing board and came up with yet another classic — the S2000. The S2000 was an instant hit, loved by many for its mid-engined rear-wheel-drive layout and the fact that it was one of the best-looking roadsters.
At the heart of the S2000 was one of the greatest naturally aspirated engines ever built — a high-revving 2.2-liter DOHC VTEC four-cylinder with the highest specific power output in a naturally aspirated engine.
2 Datsun 240Z
Nissan-owned Datsun is no longer in business these days, but it will always be remembered fondly for giving us a fantastic sports car — the 240Z. Developed in response to the Toyota 2000GT, the 240Z is a world-class grand tourer that was lauded for its gorgeous supercar looks.
Small, peppy, and pretty, the 240Z competed with the likes of the MG MGB, Austin Healey Sprite, and Triumph Spitfire, but unlike the British cars, the 240Z started every morning and didn't leave oil stains on the driveway.
1 Aspark Owl
In 2017, Aspark wowed the automotive world when it unveiled the all-electric Owl concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The Owl was instantly popular, largely thanks to its beautiful aerodynamic design featuring a low-slung carbon-fiber body, dihedral doors, and a massive rear wing.
Apart from being a stunner, the Owl is also quick. Powered by a 1,984-hp quad-motor system, the Owl can reportedly accelerate to 60 mph in just 1.69 seconds, which will make it the quickest car ever made when it comes out in the next few months.