The Top 7 JDM Cars of All Time

These are the most popular builds Super Street has featured from Japan over the years. They include Civics, Skylines, S-chassis, RX-7s, and AE86s.

What JDM list would be complete without noting the cars that have given us a boner over the years? Our top 7 JDM cars of all time (24; some stories double up on vehicles) list the most popular Japanese cars we’ve featured. They range from Civics and Skylines to S-chassis, RX-7s, AE86s, and others. We know there are many great modified rides for the top 100. But we had to limit this list to what we could find in our Super Street archives. So it only includes builds from Japan, ordered by visit count. We now present to you the top builds of the heap, our top 7 JDM cars of all time, with great humility.

JDM Cars of All Time

2008 HONDA CIVIC MUGEN RR – Double RR

The FD2 R was the first 4-door car. The limited edition Mugen double R version—only 300 made—dominated the USDM Mugen Si. In only Milano Red, the souped-up Type R was 2 seconds faster than its factory version at Tsukuba Circuit. We still think the RR is the Mugen Civic we wish Honda would have sold in the States.

Mods:

MUGEN EVERYTHING: camshafts, valve springs, ram air intake, and a large intake box. A 4-2-1 exhaust manifold, a high-flow cat, a straight middle silencer, dual exhaust, and a carbon intake manifold cover. Five-way adjustable suspension. Slotted rotors (320mm front/282mm rear), brake lines, and carbon air ducts for front brakes. 18-inch Mugen aluminum wheels. Bridgestone Potenza RE070 225/40R18 tires. An aluminum hood, a carbon front bumper, and grille. Fog lights, side skirts, fender trim, and a carbon adjustable rear wing with a gurney flap. A rear under spoiler with an air diffuser and rear fog lights. Mugen-edition carbon Recaro reclining seats, shifter, and shift knob. A tachometer, meter gauges (water temp, oil temp, oil pressure), and sport pedals and footrest.

1996 TOYOTA SUPRA RZ (JZA80) – The Joke’s on Us

Why We Love It

In a stunt to show its affordable Hurtling Solid & Joker aero, Varis proves it still has the magic touch. This demo A80, owned by Naohiro Yahagi, has subtle HS&J bodywork. It uses Ridox front fenders and BMW Lime Rock Grey paint. We prefer Naohiro’s narrow body project. It is better than the Varis Supreme Wide Body kit. Its aggressive look pushes out the fenders.

Mods:

HKS intercooler and intake. Amuse R1 Titan exhaust. HKS F-Con IS and boost controller. Blitz coilovers. Ikeya Formula front/rear upper and lower arms. Original Runduce front and rear big brake kits. 18×10.5-in. wheels. +24 Volk Racing TE37 Saga wheels; 275/35R18 Bridgestone Potenza RE71R tires. Hurtling Solid & Joker front bumper, side skirts, rear bumper, and rear spoiler. Varis front hood. Ridox front fenders. DoLuck side mirrors. Lime Rock grey custom paint. Recaro SPG GK seats. Nardi steering wheel. Laile shift knob. Saito roll cage. Eclipse head unit.

1996 NISSAN 180SX TYPE X (S13) – Happy Wife, Happy Life

Why We Love It

Someone meant this S13 to be a drift missile. But, owner Hitomi Ishikawa sweet-talked her hubby Masaru. A car enthusiast, he made it a driftable showpiece. Those 19-inch Rays NISMO rims from a Z34 17 years its junior are a nice touch, too.

Mods:

HKS GTSS turbo, intercooler; custom exhaust; Silk Road manifold; Trust gasket. Tubbed and shaved engine bay. NISMO diff, clutch, flywheel; A’PEXi Power FC; HKS shocks; Swift springs; NISMO arms; Alcon big front brakes; 19×9.5-in. wheels. wheels. wheels. wheels, front, 19×10.5-in. NISMO Z34 wheels. Nitto tires: 215/35R19 front, 255/30R19 rear. Custom metal fenders, 250 mm wider front and 400 mm rear. Bride seats, MOMO steering wheel, six-point roll cage, FET shift knob, S15 dash.

EF HONDA CIVICS – Unpopular Opinion

Why We Love Them

These EFs are about as grassroots JDM as they come. The No Good Racing crew’s Kazuma Tsujimoto and Tsuyoshi Okada are from Osaka. Their loyalty to the boxy Civic platform reminds us why we got into this stuff. It puts things in perspective as we chase that tuner life.

Mods:

’90 Honda Civic: B18C; Jun cams, springs, retainers, slide sprockets; TODA belt; Skunk2 fuel rail; SARD 380cc injectors, regulator; custom intake, ported head, exhaust; Spoon high-tension cord, radiator hoses; Mugen manifold; Rywire harness; Exedy Hyper Single VF clutch; ATS close ratio 3rd/4th/5th gears; 1.5-way LSD; A’PEXi Power FC; Mechadock coilovers; Cusco tower bar; seam welding; spot rivets; 15×7.5-in. wheels; +35 front, 15×7-in. +35 rear Volk Racing TE37 wheels; 225/50R15 front, 195/55R15 rear Yokohama ADVAN A050 tires. Custom blue paint; Exceed carbon-fiber hood. Custom headlight duct, fenders, and rear bumper; Fuel Safe fuel cell. Custom roll cage, fuse and relay box, and switch panel. Swirl pot. Shorai battery; Defi gauges; Bride seats; HKS Circuit Attack Counter lap timer.

’91 Honda Civic: B16A; Eikoh exhaust; 5Zigen header; Cusco catch can; Exedy clutch; 1.5-way LSD; Spoon Sports ECU; Mechadock coilovers; Skunk2 upper arms; EF9 rotors and calipers; 15×7-in. wheels. wheels. wheels. Desmond Regamaster wheels; 205/50R15 Toyo R1R tires; Custom Clubman Race theme paint; Chargespeed bucket seat. Rollcage. No Good Racing steering wheel; ASR hub.

Why We Love It

We are lucky to have a couple of live legends on this list. One of them is Isami Amemiya (of RE Amemiya fame). It’s about his FC3S for the 2017 Tokyo Auto Salon. The current-day refresh includes a Cosmo 20B tri-rotor engine swap for that wow factor. Mass appeal these mods are not, but then again, a car like this isn’t for the masses—and doesn’t need to be.

Mods:

Mazda Cosmo 20B tri-rotor engine conversion. RE Amemiya 45mm exhaust manifold, 70mm to 60mm custom exhaust. Mazda RX-8 six-speed transmission. Ogura Clutch metal single-plate clutch. OS Giken/RE Amemiya SPL differential. RE Amemiya Extreme Link ECU with a custom tune. Custom RE Amemiya-spec Endless coilovers with Swift springs. Endless brakes with six-piston front calipers. 17×9-in. wheels. +20 front, 17×9.5-in. +8 rear Enkei PF07 wheels. 245/40R17 front, 255/40R17 rear Yokohama ADVAN Sport V105 tires. Custom green paint. Bride EXAS III seats. Custom RE Amemiya quick-release. AIM Cluster MXL Strada meters.

1993 & 2000 MAZDA RX-7s – Let Your Soul Glow

Why We Love Them

One kind of street, one kind of track, both able to handle both. Lighting maker Car Shop Glow’s demo FDs might look similar. But the forms from Tokyo go in two distinct directions.

Mods:

’00 Mazda RX-7: TO4S turbo; V-mount intercooler; R33 Skyline fuel pump; Cusco Hyper single clutch; RE Amemiya quick shift kit; A’PEXi Power FC; HKS EVC 6 boost controller; Cusco ZERO-3 coilovers; Satoru Works knuckles; JIC reinforced tie rod; 18×10.5-in. wheels. +18 Volk Racing TE37 wheels; 265/35R18 Dunlop Direzza ZII Star Spec tires; Bride seats; Saito Racing roll cage; TCP Magic Type GT widebody fenders; RE Amemiya front bumper, GT wing, rear diffuser; Car Shop Glow LED front combo and tail lamps, rear ducktail; Scoot Sports hood; Mazioria Trapezium five-stage paint.

’93 Mazda RX-7: Balanced rotors; Fuji WPC-treated 3-piece Apex seals; HKS Racing Suction; V-mount intercooler with Knight Sports radiator; Zest Racing piping; Trust front pipe, air tank; R Magic mid-pipe; RE Amemiya Dolphin Tail rear pipe; Super Now pulleys, power steering cap; Car Shop Glow oil filler cap; Cusco catch tank; Sard fuel pump; 850cc injectors; OS Giken 5-speed cross mission; Exedy metal single clutch; 4.1 final gear; Mazdaspeed 2-way Zest Racing-spec LSD; Zest Racing reinforced plant frame; A’PEXi Power FC; HKS EVC 6 boost controller; Car Shop Glow GT Spec coilovers; Swift 16kg/mm front, 18kg/mm rear springs; Super Now upper and lower links, rear long arm, stabilizers, tie rods, front upper plate;

Endless brake pads; Zest Racing brake lines; 18×9.5-in. wheels. wheels. +22 front, 18×10.5-in. +18 rear Volk Racing TE37SL wheels; 265/35R18 Yokohama Advan tires. RE Amemiya AD Facer N-1 ’05 front bumper; GT-AD widebody; headlights. Pro rear diffuser; AD carbon-fiber hood; side steps. Garage Kagotano front under panel. Car Show Glow: LED front combo amps, tail lamps, duck tail, diffuser, and 310mm wing end plates. Vortex 1700 mm GT wing; Zest Racing GT wing stands. Craft Square side mirrors; Super Now tow hook. Pearl Brown paint. RE Amemiya 300km speedometer; shift knob; HKS Circuit Attacker lap timer. Recaro SP-G seats; OMP Superturismo steering wheel.

1993 NISSAN S13 – Super Hiro

Why We Love It

Hiroki Koga’s Onevia is better than your average 180SX-nosed S13 Silvia. The VIP shop owner built a 600 hp, menacing sports car. It shows customers his top-notch work.

Mods:

2.2L SR20DET black-top engine. HKS H-beam rods and pistons. 91mm stroked, fully balanced crank. Power Enterprise 1.5mm head gasket. 272° cams; Tomei B Type valve springs; NAPREC valves; Hypertune 80mm throttle body; 265-lph SARD fuel pump; fuel pressure regulator; 800cc injectors; GCG 3076 turbo and wastegate; HPI High Spec intercooler;

WPC-treated oil pump; HPI air intake and radiator; Altrack 45mm exhaust manifold; custom exhaust, turbo outlet, and front pipe; HPI six-speed dog gearbox; NISMO Super Carbon twin-clutch, flywheel, and 4.1:1 GT limited-slip differential; Blitz Dual SBC boost controller; HKS HiperMax III special version coilovers; NISMO strut bar; Ikeya Formula control arms; spot-welded chassis; OE Skyline R33 Type M calipers; Dixcel rotors; Project Mu pads; 17×10.5-in. wheels. wheels. wheels.

Work Meister M1R wheels, 235/40R17 Federal 595RSR tires; KIS front lip, side skirts, rear canards, rear diffuser, over-fenders, and trunk spoiler; Nardi steering wheel; Bride Zeta III seats; Defi tachometer and gauges.

TOP SECRET’S V12 TWIN TURBO TOYOTA SUPRA

Why We Love It

This is the Supra Smoky Nagata wanted, instead of a BMW—a gold, widebody, 1,000 hp, twin-turbo V12-powered Mk IV. Your move, Toyota.

Mods:

1GZ-FE 5,000cc engine. HKS GT2540 turbos (x2), blow-off valves (x2), wastegates (x2). Top Secret custom intake plenum with twin 80mm throttles. ARC intercooler, radiator (with custom rear mount). JZA80 Getrag transmission. Cusco 1.5-way LSD. ORC clutch. Top Secret coilovers with Roberuta Cup kit. Volk Racing GT-F 19-inch wheels. Bridgestone Potenza RE050A: 245/35R19 front, 275/40R19 rear. GReddy GREX brakes: eight-piston 380mm front, four-piston 350mm rear.

Top Secret Super G-Force Wangan widebody kit (front and rear bumpers, side steps, 33mm front and 50mm rear fenders, HID headlight housings with IPF lights). Top Secret carbon aero bonnet with pins, Ganador aero mirrors with LEDs. GT rear wing. Top Secret Exclusive paint with Top Secret II paint and bodywork. MS-R graphics. Bride Gias leather seats. Takata harnesses. Top Secret steering wheel, shift knob. Defi Super Sports cluster. Carrozzeria Navigation.

Why We Love It

It’s an R35 GT-R-powered minivan—what’s not to love? Ju Sung Oh’s turbocharged box on wheels is our kind of buff relative hauler.

Mods:

VR38DETT engine swap. TRUST intercooler. 3.0L diesel manual transmission. OS Giken clutch, flywheel, differential. Link ECU. AiM MXS Strada tachometer. Final Konnexion coilovers. AP Racing Pro 5000+ six-piston calipers. 19×9-in. wheels. +20 T-Style X-Three wheels; 265/35R19 front, 275/35R19 rear Yokohama Advan Neova tires; KITZ-RACING bumpers; CRS hood, over-fenders; URAS rear spoiler; Recaro seats; Nardi steering wheel; red interior, reupholstered.