Which is the baddest JDM car?

[importzxtt]

A friend of mine is convinced his Toyota Soarer (Lexus sc) with the 1uz v8 vvti is the baddest JDM sports car. His argument is the vehicle has the biggest engine, the most horsepower of its era. A better quality interior and a luxrious ride that you can only get with a long wheelbase car. I'm curious to know what's your guys opinion on this? In your view, of the JDM cars who is "king of the road"?

[agent007]

And suddenly it's trinituner of the mid 2000s once again. Duane, there seems to be a glitch in the matrix and as for OP, your friend sounds like me.

May I add, the S54B32 engine has to be one of the greatest engines to be created in history (even though it ain't from Japan) alongside the 2JZ-GE. Other greats are the 1LR-GUE, 2UR-GSE, 2GR-FKS, 3S-GE, 2ZZ-GE, 4A-GE, RB25DE, VQ35HR, VQ37VHR, SR20VE, SR16VE, J37A, C32B, H22A, K20A, B16B, B18C, FA24D, 4G92 DOHC MIVEC, Skyactiv 2.0G PE-VPS and the LT6 flat plane crank (yes I know these are all non turbo). I prefer NA over forced induction anyday.

So to answer the question of the "baddest JDM car" I've given a couple example engines above for users to go look up which cars they came from.

[Catastrophist]

well my argument is agent wicked for leaving out 13B
at events when the rx pull up everybody know the timing
every car guy looks at the rx looks at his car and shakes his head in discontent
the monstrous masculine sound scares the kids
the sophisticated look is good looking on every angle
on the corners it will dominate those 1/4 milers

honourable mention: miata mx5

[16 cycles]

They still making the STi...though going fa20 now...so the EJ might be one of the longest production runs ever from japland

[Dave]

How could a Soarer be considered a sports car?
Long before all those modern engines one of the stalwarts then and still now would be the Datsun L series and most notably the L28 line.

[hindian]

Don't forget about the 4g63 in that lineup too. Going as far back to the Sirius turbo till now even though it has been replaced with newer tech it still is a worthy competitor imo

[timelapse]

Baddest JDM car IMO is a 3rd gen RX.
It is still on my wishlist, but at my age would seem like a mid life crisis

[david12]

The 4g63 is still in production. In a car called the Zotye sr9.

As for the original question. I'll put all of the competitors into place.

Let's take a trip back to the 90s and early 2000s
The GTRs were the king of the hill. You can't contest a GTR with the technology and performance features that it had. I hate how the young "racer boys" of this era put the famous R34 and the MK4 supra up against each other as competition. They were never designed to compete with each other. The Supra is a fat boy luxury car. But enough of that, let's get into the competitors.

The iconic sports cars are: 3rd gen RX7, GTO, 300zx, NSX and the MK4 Supra.

There were also the Sports cars that fell into the lower line of the manufacturers lineups like the Silvias, MR2, Miata, Celicas, even in the 80s the Ae86 and well the hot hatches. Honda had their host of front wheel drive performance cars and I think they dominated this category. BTW N15 Pulsar VZR is a Honda killa lol. Of course there are your Evo's, STIs, GTI-Rs, Celica GT Four etc. Homologation rally cars.

As for the Soarer I don't think I would even consider it as a sports car. It's just a comfortable luxury coupe. Yes it came with big engines I6 and V8 but that was to haul around all the weight that the car had lol.

As for the best, for me it's always by category but I'm a Nissan boy so...

GTR is Godzilla, King of the hill, the best

GTO, It was ahead of its time with all of the performance features that it had

You can't beat a 180sx, CA18DET goodness

Best JDM hot hatch- N15 Pulsar VZR N1

In the famous STI Vs Evo discussion for me the Evo wins. Just my opinion and preference. But I believe that the best small AWD car to come out of Japan is the Pulsar GTI-R.

*Favourite Japanese performance car - I don't have 1 in specific lol but if I had to choose one right now I'd say the GTI-R. Essar tweny powa!!!*

All of the long talk was to rant about the R34 and the MK4 Supra being put up against each other

[eliteauto]

The Soarer at best is a GT car not a sports car, the Supra although in huge demand today wasn't that powerful off the assembly line, the R32 was a tech marvel ( like the Z32) and proved its worth on the track and could possibly be the baddest, but the balance and beauty of the FD3S is definitely up there as well.
Funnily I watched this vid a couple weeks ago

[16 cycles]

channel has some of the legends and new kids on block -yaris GR on a time attach hill loop...

more vids there

[A172]

[VexXx Dogg]

So many JDM legends, and each would have strong and weak points.
I'd take a FD3S over a supra or skyline gts (rwd fight club)
AWD club it's hard to beat the GTR, but the evo 6.5 TME was prob the pinnacle of that series for me. I'd take a TME over a new evo or subie any day.
FWD, Type R. no contest. Big FWD power doesn't make sense and Honda found the secret sauce of weight, power and handling.

[agent007]

By including some turbos in the mix, here is my list:

Top 5 hands down:

1. 2004 Honda NSX-R
2. 1998 Toyota Supra RZ
3. 2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec 11 Nur
4. 2000 Mitsubishi GTO Twin Turbo MR
5. 2002 Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type-A

Honorable mentions:

S2000, R32, 300ZX, Silvia S15, 350Z, 370Z, New Z aka "400Z", Altezza (don't care that it has 4 doors, it's a bloody sports car imo), RX-8, MX-5, Atenza MPS, 323 GTX, WRX STi, BRZ, Evolution and Eclipse (2nd gen).

And well for the fwd crowd:

DC5R, DC2R, BB6S, EK9R, FK8R, FTO GPX, CK4 MIVEC, MX-6 with KL-ZE, Axela MPS, Swift Sport, Levin BZR, Celica SS2 TRD Sports M T231, Pulsar GTI-R and Primera P11 sr20ve.

[david12]

In my opinion the FD RX7 is the best looking Japanese car of all time and the Spirit R is just the cherry on top. It's just the dang rotary. It's a cool concept and some of the benefits are really good but there are so many cons and for that I just won't consider it.

Agent I see you call a special Skyline there. How about the R33 Nismo 400R powered by the RB-X GT2. Seeing that the R33 is the one that no one talks about, how many of you all remember this special edition?

[importzxtt]

I like how most of you point out that the soarer is not actually a sports car but a GT. That's refreshing.

Growing up my favorite was always the supra turbo it has a bigger engine than the GT-R and will not be caught on the highway by one. At one time I was very infatuated with the Z32 hence the user name, my father is a mechanic and warned me against these machines as they are hard to work on and for some little jobs the whole engine has to come out. Plus it has the reliability of a Nissan meaning one day it will leave you stranded on the side of the road like my s14a or my uncles bluebird. (For example, a mass air flow sensor that fails without warning). As the prices of the supra soared (lol) I started looking more at the soarer/lexus sc. As I get older I realize I don't really want a little sports car with a big wing and loud exhaust as my first choice, it attracts the wrong kind of attention and is not comfortable to drive. In my opinion the v8 soarer is the king of the road, it's a sophisticated Japanese GT car, something like a Jaguar or an Aston Martin it's the only Japanese coupe of the era with a v8, the instantaneous torque is addicting and it makes all the right kinds of noises. If you have the money to modify one of these 1000 plus hp is attainable. (See what the Australians do with these soarers for reference).

Ah yes, I forgot to mention the rx-7, a true sports car indeed.

[agent007]

The 3rd gen RX-7 I absolutely agree has to be one of the best looking sports cars of all time. It's light weight, low center of gravity engine with a colossal redline makes it a sharp racing tool for any track. The problem is, it's greatest strength is also its greatest weakness and it is not a long term weapon nor one for endurance racing. It's one of those iconic sports cars you simply collect and go to shows with it. Those apex seals continue to be a concern amongst the rotary community. But whether your 7 is bridge or street port, I agree the sound alone draws a crowd. It's in my top 5 as you all can see but it ain't #1.

Mazda came back strong with the RX-8 showing the world that they can make a 14s car without using a turbo and they mastered the small 2-seat roadster. The Miata is the best selling sports car of all time and the most raced one as well.

The NSX-R will literally keep up with the other top 4 in my list above and it doesn't need a turbo to do that. Let that level of engineering sink in for a moment. Also, you see those B and K series VTEC engines? No other manufacturer can come close to the punch and reliability those have to offer. Nissan and Mitsubishi came close but Honda...those boys are geniuses.

Also, big up to Mitsubishi for making the EVO X. Jeremy Clarkson himself said that it will literally run circles around the STi in an old TG video and the thing is, that STi as in any other Subie sports a boxer engine that naturally reduces the center of gravity of the car yet the EVO was the sharper tool on a track. The EVO X with surety sent Subaru back to the drawing board.

Then we have Nissan with their 370Z. Why do we overlook this great level of engineering. It will literally keep up with my top 5 list and it also does not need a turbo to do that. Hearing all 6 pots fire climbing past 6k rpms with an upgraded exhaust system is the reason why I will say up to this day that the VQ V6 has to be one of the best engineered V6 engines in the world.

The Supra's inline 6 has a balance and smoothness to it that is unmatched. Nissan and BMW comes close but the difference with the Supra is, being rwd means it's launch would be slightly inconsistent but it's top end will challenge the GTR and the GTO. Then we cannot continue to talk about these Yamaha designed heads with wide angle valves. Talk about race tech. You all remember the drag race between an old Corolla AE101 with a 4A-FE vs a Golf GTi 2.0 of that era? It was on TG. The Rolla' decimated the GTi.

Subaru's BRZ and STi are taking it forward and will be some of the last JDM greats that modern kids will "posterize" on their walls. The BRZ is a track weapon that far exceeds many turbo cars.

Don't have much to say about Suzuki except that they have the pocket rocket concept down. From the Swift GTi to the Ignis Sport and now these newer Swift Sports etc. They are very fun machines and excellent for solodexing.

[kamakazi]

Horses for courses

In that regard, Evo or Sti as they have the most bases covered

[nismotrinidappa]

I still want a 300zx. Although these days I'm thinking of a rotary engine in a pick up or something small. Maybe a Suzuki carry breadvan?

[rollingstock]

6g72tt

3000gt does get my piggy hard

[nick639v2]

S12 Silvia with the hood scoop. Or ae86 Rolla for me... Might slip in a 280z in factory pacific blue

[Rovin]

this thread reminds me of dem sound bois on fb who always arguing about whats d bess mids speaker



ebonx to all those who said row3 tod gen

1st gen was quite a looker too especially with d wide body kit , rx8 can be had for small $ though ...

[shake d livin wake d dead]

Allyuh throw up some pics for ah lil fappage nuh!!

My list would be
3rd gen
R34
S15
Altezza(walks away in the wind)

Those are the old schoolers for me. New school, something about that GT86 is plain sex!

[fokhan_96]

Tread brings back memories playing gran turismo on ps1...lol

The best must be the skyline r34, because we watched it grow into GTR of today.

[FrankChag]

well my argument is agent wicked for leaving out 13B
at events when the rx pull up everybody know the timing
every car guy looks at the rx looks at his car and shakes his head in discontent
the monstrous masculine sound scares the kids
the sophisticated look is good looking on every angle
on the corners it will dominate those 1/4 milers

honourable mention: miata mx5

A special place in my heart for the Miata and NSX.. but ultimately this has to go to the LFA.
More reasonably though (like what I'd actually buy for myself)... the Subs WRX STI.

[timelapse]

The demon

[Rory Phoulorie]

I am a simple man.

Datsun 120Y

[timelapse]

I am a simple man.

Datsun 120Y

Simple my ras.We all know that twelve o y men are in a class of their own.Different kinda stoosh.

[MaxPower]

this thread reminds me of dem sound bois on fb who always arguing about whats d bess mids speaker

Yep and when they use the words “the baddest” also determines the age group.

[Rovin]

I am a simple man.

Datsun 120Y

Simple my ras.We all know that twelve o y men are in a class of their own.Different kinda stoosh.

long time i eh hear anybody say it like dat ....

[zorced]

The baddest JDM car is the Lexus LFA and factory unicorns like 22b impreza and R34 Z-tune, DIY unicorns like 4 rotor RX7 and the 1GZ V12 Supra.

So he must be talking about the regulars including Civic, NSX , Evo, Celica GT4, Silvias, Datsun Z.

The Soarer is a nice car and ticks a lot of the boxes. In this day and age I would feel good to just have it rather than studying to be the baddest.