7 Overlooked Legends Of The 90s JDM Scene!

The Nissan Silvia and Mazda RX7 have been hogging the JDM limelight for far too long, so we thought it was about time somebody shone a light on the other Japanese car heroes spawned from the 90s.

1. Autozam AZ-1 (1992 - 1995)

Let’s start with the kei car ABC; first up, it’s the Autozam AZ-1, which has a mildly confusing family tree. It was built by Suzuki, but sold by Mazda through its Autozam brand. It’s got a 657cc turbocharged Suzuki engine that sits in the middle of the chassis making a giddy 63bhp. 

You can’t help but fall for the miniature sports car styling, with its bonnet intake and rear wheel arch vents, but most exciting of all is the gullwing doors. A few sporty Mazdaspeed parts were made available, including a rear wing and a redesigned bonnet, as you can see in the picture above. 

Unfortunately, the AZ-1 was a sales failure due to the fact it was deemed too expensive compared to rivals, and therefore they’re a bit rarer than other sought-after kei cars, adding to the allure.

2. Honda Beat (1991 - 1996)

Next up, in the B corner, it’s the Honda Beat. As we all know, rear-wheel drive and mid-engined make the perfect sports car recipe, and the Beat proves that’s the case. It also holds great significance as the last car approved by Soichiro Honda before he died, and its design came from Pininfarina. 

The Beat’s 656cc engine made 63bhp at a screaming 8100rpm, and featured individual throttle bodies for each of the engine’s three cylinders.

3. Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 (1990 - 2001)

Thanks to its all-wheel drive system, the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 is an absolute beast off the line. The3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 makes an impressive 320bhp and 315lb ft of torque, making it one of the more powerful cars in its segment. 

Power was routed to the wheels via a Getrag manual transmission, and active aerodynamics were used to keep everything stable at high speeds, something that’s only just being mastered by supercar manufacturers today.