“Why no moar horsepower?” is probably the most oft repeated and annoying gripe leveled at Japanese cars. If you’d like to see a video that answers why, here it is. Japan’s roads are mountainous, tight and a ton of fun in small, lightweight cars. Watch Drift King Keiichi Tsuchiya and Takyua Kurosawa drive a KP61 Toyota Starlet and a B110 Nissan Sunny — cars that had less than 100 horsepower when new but weighed about 1,600 pounds — drive them on the roads they were meant to be driven on.
Fun video!
“Why no moar horsepower?” That question gets old, don’t it? There’s only so much before the power overwhelms the chassis and becomes unusable, OR the car becomes a financial black hole for repairs ’cause things go boom.
This little bit of road-rippin’ is fun, without being all over the road.
I’d venture to say: Take a brand new Yaris (hatch) or Versa (sedan), put on wider tires, and stiffer springs and struts, and take it out doing what “the boys” were doing, and you’d probably have more fun than even in the GT-R, because you CAN get to the limits, and really DRIVE the thing.
I’ve only talked with a couple of people who own Miatas, but they never say: “Well, it’s underpowered…” They say it’s a lot of fun to drive.
It’s about USABLE power, as opposed to a self-immolating Lambo, or out-of-control Mustang.
IINE IINE!!!!!!!!!! 🙂
Can’t wait ’til WTAC this Friday & Saturday.
Tsuchiya-san behind the wheel of the Hot Version N2 AE86, Mazda 767B, Scorch Racing S15, Saito Daigo etc etc etc burnin’ up Sydney Motorsport Park.
Heaven, pure heaven!
Having watched the Sunny class racing at NISMO Fest, as well as driving a ’79 210 wagon as a teen, this video tickles my fancy.
Great video. Wasn’t aware of that generation of Sunny and predictably I now want one!
Play the lottery, my man! Start planning on where the new compound will be, and if the garages are attached, detached, or – my favorite option – BOTH!
As an owner of a 1973 b110 coupe, I can attest to how much fun they are!