Three years ago there was an invitation-only Cannonball-style cross-country rally for cars 100 horsepower or less. It was called the Musketball. Among the entrants were a Suzuki kei van decorated like the famous Trans-Con Medivac ambulance. So naturally we got to thinking, what’s the perfect JNC to tackle such an event? We should note that while it was a competitive event, winning almost took a back seat to having wacky fun, so do with that what you will.
What car would you choose for a 100 horsepower or less cross-country rally?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What Japanese racing livery should be revived?“.
We loved the creativity put into last week’s answers. We’re suckers for almost any vintage livery and it was fun imagining the suggested graphics making a comeback.
Various Mazda colors seemed to be favorites. From Yewnos100‘s pick of the GTU RX-7’s green-on-white to j_c ‘s nomination of 80s IMSA blue-on-white to speedie‘s choice of the 787B’s Renown orange-and-green, there was no shortage of Mazda warpaint.
Land Ark‘s suggestion of Toyota’s red-orange-yellow tricolor on a NASCAR Xfinity Supra is something that seems very possible. Ian G.‘s proposal of the yell0w-on-blue 555 livery on any Subaru seems less so, as the company isn’t really active in motorsports anymore. That makes daniel‘s wonderfully obscure submission of Isuzu’s Baja 1000 livery even more unlikely, as the company is no longer building any passenger vehicles at all. On the other hand, RX626 named two brilliant picks in Idemitsu and HKS/Genki livery, as the former company is still around and the latter is apparently making a comeback.
Honda liveries were also popular, as seen by Alan‘s red-yell0w-green JACCS option, and Jacob B‘s preference for a minimalist but beautiful RA272 red-on-white.
The winner this week also put forth a Honda livery, but not from a car. Lee‘s out-of-the-box thinking did something we never considered before, combining motorcycle livery with open-wheeled racers:
Some left field ideas here:
With Liberty Media’s impending takeover of the premier motorcycle racing category, why not an F1 and MotoGP crossover? Mick Doohan’s classic 90’s Repsol Honda livery would be awesome on a Honda powered Red Bull Racing F1 car. And with Yamaha entering the world of Formula E, past and future would meet with Yamaha’s 1970’s Red and White livery on the spaceship like body of the Lola electric chassis!
Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!
So the assignment is to traverse the United states in a loosely organized rally of questionable legality in vehicles that don’t stand a chance against even the most leisurely of donut connoiseurs and their cruisers, even if they’re two days away from retirement?
Got it, reason would dictate an old toyota starlet, blend in, go unnoticed and have more than enough space for all my cargo and comforts i’d need on such an undertaking.
But then again, reason brings us nowhere except for the sofa-like seat of a computerized nannying crossover on a perfectly reasonable financing plan.
Obviously that’s not going to happen, throwing reason even further out the window to the point it lands harshly on the well-kept lawn of my next door neighbor with the grey crossover on the perfectly reasonable financing plan(sorry Steve).
i’d be looking for the most show at the previously limited amount of go.
It’s A U T O Z A M T I M E !
AZ-1 is the way to go. Rallies, much like camping and many other sports are a form of voluntary discomfort and cross country in a cramped wing doored glass house of a sports car with minimal airflow in the cabin is exactly what we need for the proper experience.
I’l paint mine in white-blue Mazda livery with a 935 style front bumper, big lights for the long nights, an f40 style wing on the back and hoshino impuls to complete the look.
1989 Mazda 323 hatchback. I think it had about 75 horsepower, but super fun to drive.
Considering most 1.6L Miatas probably don’t make 100hp stock anymore, that would be my vote. If that doesn’t count, I’d bring a Honda S800 if I were driving a roadster and an SOHC D-Series Civic if I wanted to absolutely make sure I crossed the line without a single failure. Those damn things WILL. NOT. DIE.
Probably a Tercel 4WD Wagon…like this one:
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3o2N0JNg/1985-toyota-tercel-sr5-4wd-wagon
Side note: someone got a ridiculous good deal.
Second generation (P60) Toyota Starlet hatchback. It was the last Starlet with rear wheel drive and a wheelbase of only 90 inches. It was always looking for a reason to spin on its axis which my friend did multiple times on the highway, in the rain, while I was a passenger (That was over 30 years ago and I still will not let him drive me anywhere). The 4K engine is practically Indestructible. We drove it over a mountain in Vermont once when we where camping and actually got out twice to pick up the back end to get out of a rut. It had no AC or any modern day safety stuff but I would drive it cross country with out a worry and know I could whip it around a track and still make it back to the motel that evening.
If wacky fun is the goal, rather than a competitive showing, then I think I want a Nissan Figaro. The amount of fun you’d have meeting people and explaining what the hell it is would make up for all the lost time leaving you at the bottom of the leaderboard.
There are a ton of great kei car choices though, and many great ones bigger than that, so really, you can’t got wrong.
The Pao would also be a good vote for the same reasons, lol
My #2 pick would be an FB Mazda RX7 (81-85). The 12A rotary is 100hp on the button. Low weight and a true sports car (AKA race car).
#1 would be a Datsun 510, 68-73, 96hp in a 1980lb car. With a few tweaks, it is just a way too awesome car for a cross country rally.
There’s 3 that spring to mind..
Suzuki Cappuccino for the driving LOLs – more comfortable than the AZ-1/Suzuki Cara sister car too which, which I think unless you’re quite short, you’d be screaming to get out of after an hour.
Suzuk Alto Works RSR AWD if I wanted to win – this car was why the 64bhp Kei gentlemens agreement was brought in and monstered its class in rallying.
For pure wackiness – Mitsubishi Minica Toppo with the 5 valve per cylinder (before Ferrari!) 3 cylinder turbo and AWD.
My final choice is a little un-JNC but an effective rally vehicle nonetheless. Peugeot 205 Rallye (perhaps pips the 100bhp just a little)
For sheer utility as well as fun it’d be hard to go wrong with a Nissan S-Cargo, especially if it’s decked out in the positively rad Memphis Design Group colors of the livery seen on the utility company’s S-Cargo in the 1991 film Zeiram 🙂
http://imcdb.org/i654750.jpg
http://imcdb.org/vehicle_654750-Nissan-S-Cargo-G20-1989.html
I’m going to lean on the heavy bias of owning one already, and confirming it made 79 horsepower at the wheels, is the RA24 Celica.
Though i do not have a trunk rack, this would be ideal for adding just that extra cargo.
Even for 2 people, it would be a comfy cruiser, with the reliability of the 20r.
Parts are some how, seemingly common amongst most parts stores across the US.
Bonus points, that they are just stylish cars that get plenty of attention.
1995 Corolla. (by now it should be worn out enough to just be sub-100hp)
For a cross-country roadtrip like that, some things are necessary. I might be a fan of slow and small cars, but let’s be real here, QOTW is serious business after all!
We will need comfort, for driving for hours and hours; a long wheelbase, allowing reclining space for sleeping when the other driver is on duty; luggage space for food, auxiliary fuel tank, tool, spare parts and wheels, clothes and stuff; and of course, some flair! But the 100hp truly limits our ambitions, no Mazda 929 here without some heavy handicap.
I would like to show up in a Nissan Pulsar NX with the cargo canopy!
The base engine is way under 100hp!
It is a cool two-seater!
It has a T-Top for open air motoring!
It has pop-up headlights!
It is station-wagon-ish with plenty of room in the back!
It looks slow going fast during opposite day!
I would love to see one with the canopy, but will admit I never saw one when they were new. Pretty rare option.
I did not see much Pulsar NX Wagon either when I was young, people mostly bought the coupe hatch… And now they must be even rarer since those Pulsar NX are very uncommon 🙁
Same thing with the Isuzu Impulse and Geo Storm, though I do not know it these had an interchangeable canopy or if it was a different body style?
Are Geo considered JNC, since they were captive imports?
Calling back to last week’s I was pleased to see an Ivan Stewart throwback livery on one of the Xfinity Series cars. It was close enough that I thought I was psychic when I first caught glimpse of it.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQmuj4_hGeUdMcFyn2AVBkWvkgNRrAWhv9YIm1Xiuf6MQ&s
Secondly, Brad K did Tom’s proud and won the race in the subject piece of the qotw. Thanks to the amateur hour racing of Tyler Reddick taking himself and Chris Buescher out with less than 10 to go
For this week, this is easy. I’d pick the car will less than 100hp that I actively want the most anyway. You obviously want a drop top to experience the county in open air. So naturally you want a Suzuki Cappuccino. Granted my co-driver will need to be of slight proportions and we’ll need to pack lightly, but imagine driving through the mountains of West Virginia and The Rockies and feeling even tinitler that usually crossing the Great plains in a zippy little sports car I planned on doing just that with a newly acquired Miata if I found the right one. The farther from me the better. And of course I found the perfect one on a website that delivered it to my door. All the more reason to get my caffeine kick racing across the country.
Now would I want to drive it all the way back? Sure why not?! (glances around nervously)
For a cross-country roadtrip like that, some things are necessary. I might be a fan of slow and small cars, but let’s be real here, QOTW is serious business!
We will need comfort, for driving for hours and hours, a long wheelbase, allowing reclining space for sleeping when the other driver is on duty, luggage space for food, auxiliary fuel tank, tool, spare parts and wheels, clothes and stuff, and of course, some flair! But the 100hp truly limits our ambitions, no Mazda 929 here without some heavy handicap.
I would like to show up in a Nissan Pulsar NX with the cargo canopy!
The base engine is way under 100hp!
It is a cool two-seater!
It has a T-Top for open air motoring!
It has pop-up headlights!
It is station-wagon-ish with plenty of room in the back!
It looks slow going fast during opposite day!
I’d have to go with the Suzuki Cappucino. It seems like it would be the perfect candidate for some wacky fun – a cute little car that you can take the hardtop off of and cruise down some country roads. Plus, it would be a head turner since the thing’s so tiny.
When I bought my first new car in September, 1987, I wanted a Mazda 323 but I ended up with the Mercury Tracer 5 door hatchback (8.9% financing which was great in 1987). The Tracer was the Mazda 323 LX in an aero body with the nice interior. Making an exhilarating 82 horsepower and paired with a five speed, it would be the perfect car. The hatchback means there is plenty of room for any souvenirs and luggage and since it’s a five door, the dogs can come along too. My Tracer had air conditioning so all one would need to do is swap out the AM/FM cassette player with a bluetooth stereo to stream music and you be ready hit the road.
Its not the theme of this site but I would run a current Suzuki Jimny. Its new, right at 100 hp, reliable and has good mpg and decent size gas tank for less frequent fill-ups. I would make it overlanding-ish and have extra gas tanks mounted on the size windows. It has hill ascent and descent so I would taking shortcuts through the mountains. Jimny FTW!!
Fun question. I love the Kei car mentions, however my long legs need a little more room for driving all day and night. For quick, just under 100hp, comfortable interstate cruiser I am jumping right in an SA/FB RX7 with an NA 12a with recently recharged AC. I was always shocked how comfy of a mile muncher mine was.
Looking it up, depending where you measure the horsepowers early 12a may have made just over 100. If we exclude the RX7, a handful of 80s German cars come to mind, but after those I would take an 85 CRX. Comfy, light enough to be quick, loves some twisty roads, good gearbox and economy to boot.
If we are excluding my first option
Interesting question and with an answer out of context for the American market: Daihatsu move 2000 with a 1000 cc engine with a manual transmission. Comfortable enough to sleep inside (almost a kei car and at 1.80 I can lie down!) Decent consumption and can cruise at 55 miles without problems. Perhaps the most logical choice would be secondary roads due to their size.
The Musketball Kei van is on display at the Miles Through Time museum in Clarkesville, GA.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C0h78RDI_Bu/
My ae86 sr5, that had literally every important gts part swapped over except the engine. Had good spring/shock/sway setup. Nothing extreme but a blast to drive. That would be my pick, the one car I still regret getting rid of
Another vote for the Mk1 or 2 CRX. Most versions were under 100hp for the US, and even the Si with SOHC D16 is only slightly over that figure. It would be easy to detune to exactly 100.
Alternately, the mid-spec DX could be tickled up to comply.
Really depends whether the rules stipulate <=100hp when new, or as presented to scrutineering.
The internet was (maybe still is) awash with tales of college freshmen driving to their new lives on campus, having some fun and driving home for holidays…in a CRX!
For a modern car, I think the Mazda2 would be a pretty fun car for this. It’s right at 100HP, and the 5-speed should get you going pretty quickly. It’s probably not geared to tall, so the jaunts through the mid-west might be a bit tiring.
If so, then maybe a 1994 Civic VX hatchback might be better. 92HP, I believe, and VTEC-E along with some super tall transmission gearing, I think this car will be pushing 50MPG, provided I drive as intended. 30years old, it’s definitely a JNC. The hatchback means it’ll cram a lot of stuff for the cross-country jaunt. Maybe not enough to throw a sleeping bag and crash for the night.
For that, I’d need a 1997 Passat TDi wagon. 90HP, 149lb-ft, 20gallon fuel tank, and enough wheelbase to call it a limo. A bulletproof engine will get me over the Rockies, and nicely-spaced gears will help me cover the plains with no sweat. But maybe sweating from the bladder-busting fuel range. My old 2011 Jetta TDi wagen was able to cover 600 miles on a tank during my cross-country drive; the Wendy’s restroom was occupied by me for a solid 2.5 minutes straight.
I think the most fun can be had in any of those Kei cars with Turbos and maybe 4wd. You can have a lot of fun without breaking the speed limit. I wouldnt necessarily look at the likes of Copen / Beet / Cappucino as they will be a bit uncomfortable in the long run with the harder springs etc, but a big yes to cars like the Alto Works and the Old Mitsubishi’s.
How could I forget my boring old Baleno with a 97hp free revving 1.6l engine, was a quick car in stock form. Its one of the cars I enjoyed the most.
With the power limit there’ll be no super-ultra-illegal cruising speeds so this becimes a race of keeping on the road and moving with the flow of traffic as much as possible.
Easiest way to lose time is by breaking down, especially if you have to wait for parts or improvise, so nothing too old or not originally sold new in the US goes out the window.
In that case I would go for the newest manual Chevy Spark I could find and it gets the nod over a Mitsubishi Mirage for being by all reports better to drive as well as having better dealer support.