Some of my JDM Retro Favourites

Toyota Corolla Sprinter Trueno Gt Apex - "Hachiroku"

Any JDM enthusiast will know this car, the legendary Eight-Six or Hachiroku as they are known in Japan. This car was primarily made famous through the Initial D anime. Still today, it is praised for it’s lightweight body coupled with a FR layout. Here are some of it’s specs:

Power: 128bhp
Weight: 950kg
0 - 62mph: 8.7 Sec
Top Speed: 195kmh

 The rear side of the Trueno GT Apex

Interior of the GT Apex

Toyota Celica 1600 GT

I love how Toyota designed this Celica, looking kind of like a small muscle car. Powered by the same engine as the AE86 Trueno it also produces 128bhp, but weighs 1095kg. Top speed is 180kmh (Limited I suppose) This car is quite famous among Celica enthusiast, as there are a lot of modified variants around. Definitely a JDM icon.

A rather premium looking interior

Nissan Skyline 2000 GTR - Hakosuka

Back to the days when the GTR was rear wheel drive and naturally aspirated. Powered by a 2.0 inline 6 engine using 3 carbs, producing 160bhp and 133-lb.ft and weighing only 1100kg It will go from 0 - 62mph in 8.3 sec and keep on going up until 125mph. When you find yourself on a damp road, kicking the rear end out is no struggle either, thus a lot of drifters love this car.

Datsun 1200 GX Coupe

A small engine with a punch and a lightweight body made these cars extremely famous in 70’s. Powered by a 1172cc (1.2) engine fed by two SU Carbs producing 82bhp to the rear wheels and weighing only 730kg. It came with a 4-speed transmission and went from 0 - 62mph in 12.5 seconds, going on to a top speed of 168kmh. In South Africa especially, these were rather cheap to buy and offered loads of fun. A lot of enthusiasts from the 70’s bought these and easily outran more powerful cars on acceleration. Due to it’s rear wheel drive layout, you could do a few donuts on a rainy day if you felt like it. It was also modified by many as the lightweight body offered a lot of potential.