The Most “japanese” Japanese Cars

We all know the automotive stereotypes in place today. German cars are expensive and tech-laden, the Americans think they can make cars whereas the reality is they are quite terrible at it, and the Italians build cars with “soul” and “passion”, yet they fall apart more frequently than an epilepsy patient at a David Guetta concert. This week, we list the cars that only the Japanese could've made, with their offensive school uniforms, unhealthy obsession with tentacles, and other creepy stuff. Long Live Japan.

Honda Cub

Okay, so it's not a car, but the Honda Cub brought mobility to the masses and the usual paint scheme it came with makes it utterly Japanese, as does it's variants: it could be used as a base for a tempo, a human hauler, a delivery truck, and so on.

Nissan Skyline R32 GTR

Only the Japanese can build a sedan based supercar killer and eventually launch a counter-culture tuner/street racer revolution. The R32 is a symbol of Japanese technical dominance in the early 90's, and was part of the “Made in Japan” mythos. It was so Japanese, journos called it the “Godzilla”, another famous import from Japan.

Honda NSX

Ayrton Senna was in love with Japan, having enjoyed some of his greatest successes in Japan, driving a McLaren equipped with a Honda engine. When it came to developing what would be the defining sports car from Japan, Ayrton's input helped the Honda to reach a status usually held by Ferraris and Maseratis.

Mazda Miata

The British were the pioneers of the small, sporty roadster, but it was the Japanese who perfected it. Mazda's Miata changed everything when it came out in the early 90's, and it signaled the death of the British roadster, since the last greats saw their demise in the mid-80's, unable to compete with the steady influx of more advanced machines.

Toyota HiAce

Long before Americans and Europeans caught on with the mini-van, Japanese microbuses offered the usability of a sedan, the space of cargo haulers, and car-pooling ability. The Toyota HiAce is the embodiment of all of that. There is the VW Bus, but the HiAce was more flexible, serving commercial and private usage equally well. 

Suzuki Wagon R

The Kei-car has caught the imagination of the world as it obsesses about personal urban mobility, and you have Japan's terribly overcrowded cities to thank for that. The Suzuki Wagon R, one of the countless Kei-cars sold in Japan, had everything you could want in a car if you define the automobile as a way to get from point A to B.

Toyota Probox

No other country in the world can make a car as unassuming, quietly efficient, and utterly boring as the Toyota Probox. Cheap to buy and maintain, the Probox has absolutely no aspirations and no desire to be more than it is: a box on wheels, carrying people and luggage. Its strangely refreshing, how utterly focused it is on being boring and useful.