Japanese Sports Cars: Top 8

There was a time when Japanese sports cars were everywhere, available at all price points.

In the ’90s, if you wanted an affordable sports coupe, you could snap up an Acura Integra, a Toyota Celica, or even a Mitsubishi Eclipse. Here in 2022, none of those are around, though the Integra will return before year’s end. Move a step up the performance ladder, and the likes of the Mazda RX-7, Nissan 300ZX, Toyota Supra took on the best of the world.

But times have changed. In this age of crossovers, Japanese sports cars are thin on the ground.

We start this list off with a pair of quintessential sports cars, the Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ. Both redone for the 2022 model year, the Toyobaru twins stick to the essentials—rear-drive, lightweight, natural aspiration, manual transmission—and eschew most everything else. The latest models make some concessions to modernity, with more creature comforts and an infotainment system that doesn’t feel like a purchase from Pep Boys, but they do that all by adding roughly a turkey’s worth of curb weight.

Power comes from a larger 2.4-liter flat-four engine. 228 horsepower and 184 pound-feet might not sound like much, but with the low weight of these sports coupes, they’re still plenty quick. Beyond that, the GR86 and BRZ are both interactive, entertaining handlers. Pricing starts from $28,725 ($33,310 CAD) for the GR86, and $28,990 ($31,220 CAD) for the BRZ.

We’re sticking with Toyota for the next entry. Like the GR86, the Supra is not solely the work of the big T; instead, it rather (in)famously shared its development with BMW’s Z4 roadster. So yes, the Supra features a brace of Bavarian turbocharged engines, including a 2.0-liter four-pot and 3.0-liter inline-six. But who arranges six cylinders in a line better than BMW? Exactly. The base engine pumps out a commendable 255 hp, but the one you’ll want is the 382-hp six. If you’re looking to shift your own gears, however, we have bad news: the Supra is only available with an eight-speed automatic transmission. For now, anyway: rumors persist that a row-your-own option will eventually arrive.

The Z took a year off. When we do that, we come back a little rounder. Not the case here. Nissan has sent the Z to the gym, giving it a cleaner, more retro-inspired look than the bulbous 370Z of yesteryear. Under the skin lies a massaged version of the venerable FM platform, which locates the V6 way back in the chassis for a better handling balance. The engine is smaller in displacement this go-round, coming in at an even 3.0 liters. With a pair of turbochargers helping it breathe, horsepower now sits at 400 hp, and torque sees a huge jump to 350 lb-ft. Unlike the similarly powerful (and also two-seat) Supra, the Z will also offer buyers the choice of a six-speed manual (with rev-matching) or seven-speed automatic. It’s the sports car rematch we’ve been waiting years to see.

Everyone knows the Miata. For over 30 years Mazda’s cute little droptop has wowed drivers with its approachable handling balance, which prioritizes fun over outright speed. Not that the current car, which is in its fourth-generation “ND” phase, is slow. A 2019 bump to 181 hp keeps it quick in a straight line, which isn’t hard when the car weighs barely over a ton. The ND also comes in RF form, which features a cool targa-style retractable roof, and body lines with a hint of the iconic RX-7. We prefer the lovable droptop though, which has a super-simple actuation, better sightlines, and more open-air goodness. Oh yeah, and it’s cheaper. Win-win.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum from the humble Miata is the aluminum-bodied Acura NSX. It showed up as a concept car—in convertible form no less—in 2012’s The Avengers. A dozen years later, the NSX will bow out in a final, limited-run Type S form. This lighter, sharper supercar boasts even more power (600 hp) from its high-tech hybrid powertrain. Huge 305-section rear tires help the NSX put all that power to the ground, by way of Acura’s clever SH-AWD system. All this fancy tech will cost you, though, with a list price of $171,495 ($224,795 CAD). Nobody said cosplaying as Tony Stark was going to be easy.

The Nissan GT-R is old. It debuted way back in 2007, making it one of the oldest vehicles out there. It’s a testament to how well Nissan crafted the original package that the GT-R remains even remotely competitive a whopping 15 years later. There have been power bumps here and there, from the initial 480 hp to today’s 600 hp, all coming from the hand-built 3.8-liter turbocharged V6. There have been facelifts too, both outside and—more necessary—inside. It might eventually see a new generation, but the current GT-R’s legacy will never fade. This was Japan’s high-tech halo sports coupe, a car with an M3 price and 911 Turbo performance. There’s nothing quite like it, and that’s reflected in the $115,335 ($164,998 CAD) price of entry.

This entry comes with a big asterisk: at the time of writing, Honda hasn’t officially revealed the latest Civic Type R yet. And it’s a four-door. But we’re allowing it in because of how sizzling the last one drove. Put simply, the CTR is what Porsche would make if it were in the hot hatch market. Incredible grip and poise mix with a hugely flexible engine and one of the very best six-speed manual transmissions on the market. Some might lament the lack of AWD with 400-horsepower cars like the AMG A45 and Audi RS3 out there, but they’re missing the single-minded purity of the CTR experience. Given that the next car rolls on an evolution of the previous chassis, we expect more greatness from this one. Don’t let us down, Honda.