Jap Sports Cars

Thinking about the Geneva Motor Show and all the sports cars that have been revised, updated and rebodied makes me think about the Jap cars that have not. The greats of the 90's have yet to make a return in new forms.

From the Iconic RX-7, Supra, 200SX, to name a few, the noughties have brought nothing but disappointment. Ok, I maybe contradicting myself by saying that Nissan's GTR and the Lexus LFA are 2 models that have brought the Jap Manufacturers to light (the GTR being a Proper competitor to the Porsche's and M3's of today)(and the Lexus trying to be a supercar.)

But to be honest there isn't much else.

A few months ago I saw a rendering of a new 200SX on a website and it was totally wasted (for those of you who know me, I'm a real fan of the old 200SX's having owned one!) and the conversation that followed between myself and my brother-in-law wasn't exactly positive and one that said we would be looking forward to Nissan creating such a poor attempt at a 21st Century model.

Now many people may say that Nissans 350z and 370z, Mitsubishi's Lancer EVO and Subaru's Impreza are good cars. This I am not dismissing. What I do say is that we dont look towards the Land of the Rising Sun' for cars that you can take and spend a bit of money on and make them your own. The point I'm making is that there is no real modification scene for the Jap Manufacturers. Gone are the days where you would see a highly modified JAP sports car rumble past you with an exhaust note that made you know that it isn't what it sounded like when it left the production line.

So I ask, what is there for the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) tuners that destroyed the rulebook with their out-of-this-world, highly modified, borderline street and track legal cars?

In my opinion, there isn't. And won't be until resurrection of the likes of the Toyota Supra, Mazda RX-7 and Nissan's 200SX. Bring them back with the same (if not bigger) impact they left when they hit the roads during the 90's.

Do it manufacturers, make some great cars for the public, not cars tagged at prices that could buy you a house! Make some iconic, day-to-day cars that most can enjoy.