Hemmings once again turns their gaze to J-tin, this time choosing 10 cars that provide “Cheap Fun under the Rising Sun” (subscription required). The bravest pick is a tie between the Isuzu Impulse (shown above) and the Nissan NX2000, which we heartily applaud.
The rest of the list includes old favorites like the SA/FB RX-7, toyotageek’s Celica Liftback, expressway barges like the Datsun 280ZX and MA70 Toyota Supra, alternative drivetrained demons like the AW11 Toyota MR2 and AWD Mitsubishi Eclipse/Eagle Talon, and modern classics like the Mazda MX-5 Miata and Honda CR-X. What do you think?
Meanwhile in the JNC Forums, now that 1984 is under the 25-year umbrella, we ask, “What is the most significant car to debut in 1984?”
Thanks for the tip, toyotageek!
the AE86, no question about it 🙂 but i may be a little biased
is the Mitsubishi eclipse even a true japanese car? I have never seen any except in america. never seen one in RHD before, if they had Im sure I would of seen one in Australia by now.
5 good ones for you. A couple already mentioned:
Mazda Miata. Nissan NX2000 (Sentra SE-R). 85 Toyota Celica notch back (or hatch I suppose). Mitsubishi Starquest twins. Isuzu Impulse RS.
MKII Supra.. always loved the lines of those cars. Had an 86 1/2 MKIII. You can usually find them pretty cheap as well.
Could someone indicate the specific issue this article is found in? I spent the last hour in Borders Bookstore paging from cover to cover in June issue of “Hemming’s Classic and Sports Car”, only to return home and see this article is apparently in “Hemming’s Sports and Exotic Car”, without a good indication of the specific issue. The link shows the July issue cover, but that issue does not list any similar stories in the contents on the website. Meanwhile, the June issue of that title lists a similar title “Ten for Five and Fewer: Our hints for finding fun Japanese sports cars and GTs on the cheap”, but that is not the same title name cited above.
I need to buy three copies, but at $7 each, I need to make sure it’s the right issue.