Japanese cars are known and loved all over the world. Go to any corner of the globe; regardless of how remote it is, you’ll always find a JDM car being used in one way or another. Japanese cars may not be as fast or flashy as European cars, but their affordability and longevity have made them successful in all markets.
Most Japanese cars are instantly recognizable to gearheads. However, there are some that fly under the radar of most gearheads due to their rarity, being built by a little-known automaker, or the fact that they were never sold in the US market. Read on to learn about ten obscure Japanese cars you probably never knew existed.
10/10 Toyota Century
Every top automaker has a full-size luxury sedan on offer for gearheads who prefer being driven around by chauffeurs in pure luxury. Rolls-Royce has the Phantom, Mercedes-Benz has the S-Class, and BMW has the 7-Series. Toyota also has a premium full-size sedan that many have not heard of – the Century.
The Century has been around since the ’60, but we’ll focus on the second-generation model that became eligible for import into the US in 2022. The second-generation Century offers some of the best luxury features for a fraction of the price gearheads pay for similar European cars. Best of all, the second-generation Century is the only Japanese car ever equipped with a V12 engine.
9/10 Mazda MX-6
When naming the greatest Mazda sports cars from the ’90s, most gearheads immediately think of the RX-7 and MX-5. Not many remember the MX-6, even though it was in production at the same time as the first-generation MX-5 and RX-7.
The MX-5 was among the most affordable Japanese sports cars you could buy in the ’90s, but it still had an eye-catching design and a front-mounted V6 making 164 hp.
8/10 Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
If you’re a motorsports fan, you know that the Dakar Rally is one of the hardest competitions to win. For a vehicle to survive the gruesome conditions of the Dakar Rally and win, it must be pretty special. The Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution was that kind of vehicle, as it’s the most dominant Dakar Rally vehicle ever.
The best thing about the Pajero Evolution is that, to meet homologation requirements, Mitsubishi built around 2,500 road-legal examples. If you can find one, be thankful as it’s one of the best off-road SUVs ever made.
7/10 Mazda Eunos Cosmo
When Mazda introduced the Cosmo in 1967, every gearhead was impressed by the fact that it was the first production car with a Wankel rotary engine. Mazda’s other notable use of the engine was in the RX-7, but the company produced several other rotary-powered models that many have never heard of. The Eunos Cosmo is one of them.
Introduced in 1990, the Eunos Cosmo is a luxury coupe that was praised for advanced technologies like one of the first built-in navigation systems and a climate control touchscreen. Equipped with a triple-rotor engine making over 300 hp, the Eunos Cosmo was also a joy to drive.
6/10 Aspark Owl
The EV industry is growing faster than ever before, which is why both existing and new automakers are doing everything they can to get a share. There seems to be a new electric car concept every day, and we can’t wait to see which ones come to market. One electric supercar we’re looking forward to is the Aspark Owl, which is reportedly in production.
The Owl is built by a small Japanese EV automaker, but you’d never know by looking at it as it has one of the most beautiful designs we’ve seen in EVs. The Owl will also be among the fastest EVs in the world, as it’s powered by a quad-motor EV drivetrain making almost 2,000 hp.
5/10 Autozam AZ-1
The Japanese government introduced the Kei car market many decades ago to promote the production of tiny, fuel-efficient vehicles for poor people. Although Kei cars weren’t initially meant to be fun, their size and weight restrictions gave manufacturers a way to create some of the most affordable sports cars, including this masterpiece – the Autozam AZ-1.
The AZ-1 is unlike any other Kei car ever built. It has a wild design featuring gullwing doors and was quite fun to drive, thanks to a 653cc Suzuki engine and a five-speed manual transmission.
4/10 Mitsuoka Orochi
Mitsuoka is a little-known Japanese automaker that has been in business for over five decades. Mitsuoka is known for building cars with unconventional styling elements, and the Orochi is a perfect example of that.
The Orochi was named after a mythical Japanese dragon and had styling elements inspired by the same. Unfortunately, many believe it’s among the ugliest Japanese cars ever, and we can see why. To make matters worse, the Orochi was equipped with a Toyota V6 making just 233 hp – extremely underpowered for a car that cost well over $100,000.
3/10 Suzuki Cappuccino
Like the aforementioned Autozam AZ-1, the Suzuki Cappuccino is one of the greatest Kei cars of all time. The Cappuccino was a huge hit when it debuted in 1991, largely thanks to its beautiful design. It’s arguably the best-looking Kei car ever made.
The Cappuccino also didn’t disappoint under the hood, as it had a turbocharged three-cylinder engine producing just enough power to make the 1,598-lb car insanely fun to drive.
2/10 Tommykaira ZZ
Tommykaira is a Japanese company mostly known for making awesome custom cars. However, like many tuning houses, Tommykaira has always wanted to be a fully-fledged automaker selling its own cars, which is why it built the ZZ in the late ’90s.
Although Tommykaira had no prior experience in building a car from scratch, the ZZ turned out great. It had a decent design featuring a detachable roof, excellent driving dynamics, and a mid-mounted four-cylinder engine making 178 hp.
1/10 Mitsubishi FTO GPX
Mitsubishi had huge success in the ’90s with the 3000GT. However, for those who couldn’t afford the 3000GT, there was a cheaper sports car in Mitsubishi’s lineup that was also great – the FTO.
The FTO is a front-engined front-wheel-drive coupe that immediately won the Car of the Year Japan after its debut. The best performing version of the FTO – the GPX – had a 2.0-liter V6 making almost 200 hp paired with a five-speed manual transmission, giving it superb performance.