Greatest Sports Car Ever Made By Japan

[Egg Nog]

don't they have to build a few road legal cars to qualify for GT1? and if that's the case then it's possible to drive one on the streets, but very expensive at that.

Nope, definately not. The Audi R8, Bentley EXP8, and the Toyota GT-1 have never been street legal. There's an article here:

http://formen.ign.com/news/10687.html?fromint=1

[Nildo]

They may not have been strret legal everywhere, but they definitely built a road-going version of the car. It was mildly detuned (down about 38 kw) and weighed a bit more due to safety and other legal necessities.

[uk83]

They may not have been strret legal everywhere, but they definitely built a road-going version of the car. It was mildly detuned (down about 38 kw) and weighed a bit more due to safety and other legal necessities.

that would be something to find out. id like to know specificatons of that car.

[uk83]

reputation zero huh..... ow.

[Matra et Alpine]

Hey guys, what car do you think is the best sports car ever made by japan? and it should be judged best overall not just in speed or handling etc...

Honda Beat Mugen.

One of the crazy micro-sportscars the japanese made to take advantage of taxation loophole.

Great little car, handled like a dream and was fast even though acceleration wasn't sparkling.
Why ? Because it was sooo easy to keep speed up on twisty roads.
It's the closest I've ever got to the exhiliration of a motorbike on Scottish highland roads with no police around :-)

Better looking than the Capuccino from Suzuki IMHO.

Power isn't everything and this had a nice balance of everything it takes.

Peter

[Nildo]

I do agree with the point you are making, but the car...? The build quality in the Beat was pretty ordinary, and the panel gaps were as quirky as the styling.

Having said that, if it drove well who cares? I love the Lotus Elan for its panache at using it's 120 bhp, not because it can run 0-100 in sub 4 or whatever. My brother owns an SW11 MR2. It is modified and makes decent power....about 170bhp. Not much by todays standard, but weighing only 950 kg gives it a good start and the mid-mount engine embued it with superb handling. Honestly through corners nothing keeps with it, and it's sweet little four-pot sounds wonderful at 8500 rpm. Cornering G is every bit as exciting as accelerative G and is often much more exploitable.

[Egg Nog]

My brother owns an SW11 MR2. It is modified and makes decent power....about 170bhp. Not much by todays standard, but weighing only 950 kg gives it a good start and the mid-mount engine embued it with superb handling. Honestly through corners nothing keeps with it, and it's sweet little four-pot sounds wonderful at 8500 rpm. Cornering G is every bit as exciting as accelerative G and is often much more exploitable.

Yes! My friend owns a mk1 MR2 and it's awesome! Surprisingly quick, and very easy to kick the rear end out a little. Just a little wag of the tail coming out of sharp corners

[Nildo]

I really love the car. It's styling is very much an eighties equation, but the way it drives....really it is awesome, and still very safe most of the time. My brother (foolishly) had a street race with a honda 250 cc motorbike and after we got off the straight roads we murdered him!

[Batmobile_Turbo]

Honda Beat Mugen.

One of the crazy micro-sportscars the japanese made to take advantage of taxation loophole.

Great little car, handled like a dream and was fast even though acceleration wasn't sparkling.
Why ? Because it was sooo easy to keep speed up on twisty roads.
It's the closest I've ever got to the exhiliration of a motorbike on Scottish highland roads with no police around :-)

Better looking than the Capuccino from Suzuki IMHO.

Power isn't everything and this had a nice balance of everything it takes.

Peter

along the same lines of the honda beat, the mazda AZ-1 was neat too, and it is mid engined.

[Matra et Alpine]

along the same lines of the honda beat, the mazda AZ-1 was neat too, and it is mid engined.

Same as Beat.

[Batmobile_Turbo]

Same as Beat.

thank you for the info

[baddabang]

ehhhhh rich cars

[NoOne]

OK, looks like I'm gonna "cut across the grain".

I know most of the posts lately have been praising "great" handling cars, but for me great handling makes a car competent, not great.

For me, and hopefully I don't stand alone, a great car should be exciting to the point of being awe-inspiring .... for me thats acceleration.

I'm not saying that having a car that feels like "its riding on rails" isn't thrilling, what I am saying is a "great car" should put a big nervous grin on your face, a knot in your throat, makes your heart beat faster .... maybe even scares you a bit to the point where you back away from the car, shaking your head in disbelief, wondering if that kind of adrenaline rush should be illegal.

To me, thats what would make a car truly great .... unfortunately I have never been in a car that was "great" from the factory, at least not by my definition, I have been in several "great" cars, even owned one ... a '94 Ford Mustang 5.0 with a vortec supercharger - it accelerated awesome, had a decent topspeed (135+ mph, but pulled hard most of the way there), handled and braked really well ... even for an American car.

Everyone will have their own definition of a great car, for me it will definitely not be a Honda Beat, or as competent as it is, a MR2.

[Matra et Alpine]

OK, looks like I'm gonna "cut across the grain".

I know most of the posts lately have been praising "great" handling cars, but for me great handling makes a car competent, not great.

For me, and hopefully I don't stand alone, a great car should be exciting to the point of being awe-inspiring .... for me thats acceleration.

I'm not saying that having a car that feels like "its riding on rails" isn't thrilling, what I am saying is a "great car" should put a big nervous grin on your face, a knot in your throat, makes your heart beat faster .... maybe even scares you a bit to the point where you back away from the car, shaking your head in disbelief, wondering if that kind of adrenaline rush should be illegal.

To me, thats what would make a car truly great .... unfortunately I have never been in a car that was "great" from the factory, at least not by my definition, I have been in several "great" cars, even owned one ... a '94 Ford Mustang 5.0 with a vortec supercharger - it accelerated awesome, had a decent topspeed (135+ mph, but pulled hard most of the way there), handled and braked really well ... even for an American car.

Everyone will have their own definition of a great car, for me it will definitely not be a Honda Beat, or as competent as it is, a MR2.

Hmm, I agree with your comment about acceleration - a Honda Beat is great fun, a good car, great handling but loses on adrenalin.
Equally fast acceleration isn't a mathc to high LATERAL g-force - expecially in a car with great feedback.
I love my Bagheera and yet it is a NIGHTMARE to drive in wet conditions as when it lets go on the rear end it's godnight Vienna. It's almost impossibel to stop it from swapping ends. IT is a great adrenalin rush to race on circuit ( I woulnd't take a car to it's limits on public roads _ though because it is a real challenge to keep it on the limit and get it 4 wheel drifting without losing the rear and swapping ends.

Taking a curve at 160+mph is THE buzz.
It's the only time I've ever backed off in a car because I got scared.
The car just started drifting.
Now keeping it together at those speeds and lateral forces takes a GREAT car.

We have LOTS of "best cars" becuase each ends up at a different point on the handling v speed v acceleration v price curves and long may it remain.

Get a shot in a Lotus Elise and you'll experience something else.
With it, you're so close to the road in feel and physically that it heightens the rush.

[Falcon500]

I View thatexcitment in an automobile is where you can find it my personal fovarites would have to be acceleration, top speed and knowing your driving the car eg no power stearing fantasic feed back and a good raod feeling...hardly anything like it. And also a necisity for enjoying a carfully would have to be prescense and sound and it being an incredable effortless cruiser.