25 great Japanese classic cars

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20. Yamaha OX99-11 (1992)©Yamaha

Usually thought of as a motorcycle maker, Yamaha has had a hand in many great engines, but the OX99-11 was the first time the company took on a whole car.
It was a bid to make the most of the company’s involvement in Formula One with its V12 engine. For the OX99-11, the 3.5-litre motor was detuned to 400bhp for road use.
Unfortunately for Yamaha, its supercar met a global recession head-on and nobody fancied a tandem-seater machine from a firm with no previous form in this area. Only three OX99-11 prototypes were built, though all survive and one sold for £1m in 2020.

 

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21. Toyota Supra (1993)©Toyota

There had been Supras before, but the fourth-generation model showed a mass producer like Toyota could mix just as well with high-end sports car makers like Maserati or Porsche.
Its elegant lines were backed up by twin-turbo six-cylinder motor with 326bhp, giving 0-60mph in 5.1 secs and 156mph flat out.
A little overlooked when new because of its hefty £37,500 list price, the Mk4 Supra is now a prized Japanese sports car, if you can find one in standard specification, because many were modified beyond redemption.

 

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22. Daihatsu Cuore Avanzato TR-XX R4 (1995)©Daihatsu

Daihatsu didn’t hold back when it decided to come up with a left-field performance version of its Cuore city car. For starters, the turbocharged 660cc four-cylinder engine was tuned to 64bhp, which was plenty in a car stripped to weigh just 750kg.
The Avanzato TR-XX R4 would have been lighter still, but it came with permanent four-wheel drive, so it offered tenacious grip and good handling despite its tall-sided appearance.
Daihatsu imported 100 Avanzatos to the UK, with 20 destined for a one-make rally series, so this is a rare machine outside Japan.

 

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23. Honda Integra Type-R (1996)©Tony Baker/Classic & Sports Car

‘Astonishing’ is a word often attached to the Honda Integra Type-R and it’s easy to see why. It squeezed more than 100bhp per litre from its 1.8-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine, producing a maximum of 187bhp.
This was delivered to the front wheels only without tying the steering in knots in what is widely regarded as one of the best-handling front-wheel-drive cars ever made.
The pretty coupé shape helped the Integra find buyers, but it was the peak power at 8000rpm and engine that revved to 9000rpm that was the real draw.
Few cared about the choice of just three body colours or basic interior – this was a car to be driven with verve.

 

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24. Honda S2000 (1999)©Honda

A two-seat roadster might seem like a true mid-life-crisis treat at the beginning of your 50th year, but Honda’s half-century present to itself was far more that that.
Under the bonnet was a bespoke 2.0-litre engine with 237bhp that only gave its best when sizzling above 6000rpm.
Some found the chassis set-up a bit tricky in early S2000s, but Honda refined the car during its 10-year production span into a very able roadster.
As much an engineering tour de force as a sports car, the S2000 stands as one of Honda’s best ever road cars.

 

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25. Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI (1999)©Mitsubishi

Every Mitsubishi Lancer Evo is very desirable, but the Evo VI is arguably the best of the lot. It was the road car version of the rally machine that took Tommi Mäkinen to the fourth of his World Rally Championship titles and inspired the distinctive road car named in his honour.
The Evo VI deserves its classic status on its own merits, because it brought active yaw control to a production car. Mitsubishi also re-engineered the drivetrain so the engine became transversely mounted to improve weight distribution and handling.
With 276bhp in the compact all-wheel drive saloon, the Evo VI was a searingly quick car with 0-60mph in 4.8 secs and 140mph top speed.