Top 10 Amazing JDM Cars We Missed Out On - AutoGuide.com
Dodge Vipers, BMW 850is and Toyota Supras were available for mass consumption. It was the tail end of an economic boom and the Japanese automotive industry was pumping out an endless stream of high performance, specialized automobiles. A few of these made their way to our shores, like the Toyota Supra, Acura NSX and Mazda RX-7. But many more never made the journey across the Pacific and we were worse off for it. If only we could change history, here are 10 Japanese cars, in no... 1996 Mitsubishi Legnum VR-4 The Mitsubishi Galant that was sold in Japan may have looked similar to the one available in North America, but under the skin, it was actually very different. Fitted with a 2. 5-liter turbocharged V6 engine, the VR-4 made 276 hp and 271 lb-ft. It sent power to all four wheels through a five-speed manual transmission or optional five-speed semi-automatic. 1992 Mazda Autozam AZ-1 In Japan, there is a special city car category of automobiles called Kei cars that are exempt from certain tax and insurance regulations. Designed to be affordable commuter cars, some manufacturers took the Kei car specifications and made serious sports cars. Powered by a class-regulated 657-cc three-cylinder engine, the tiny turbocharged powerplant produced 63 hp and 63 lb-ft of torque. Source: www.autoguide.com
