6 Cool Japanese Cars That Were Never Sold In The United States

In my previous take, I talked about European cars that America never got. This time, we're talking about Japan. Japan is known for making some of the best vehicles in the world, and they like to keep a lot of them for themselves. Here are 6 great examples:

1. Toyota Century

The Century might look like a big and boring sedan, but it isn't. It's one of Japan's finest luxury cars, rivaling Rolls-Royces and Bentleys in both comfort and quality. And it's made by Toyota, so it's basically bulletproof in terms of reliability. Unfortunately, It wasn't sold anywhere except Japan. Production started in 1967. It's called the Century, because it was released on the 100th anniversary of Sakichi Toyoda's birthday, who was the founder of Toyota Industries. At first it was available with a 3.0 liter naturally aspirated V8 engine, in 1973 the displacement was bumped up to 3.4 liters, and in 1982 to 4.0 liters. 1997 saw the introduction of the second generation Century, which featured Toyota's famous 5.0 liter V12, code named the 1GZ-FE. In 2006 the Century Royal was released, which is Japan's official state car, used by the Emperor of Japan. The second generation ended in 2016. At the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota introduced the third generation Century. It's now powered by Toyota's 5.0 V8 with a hybrid electric system, the same which is used in the Lexus LS600h. The design is heavily influenced by the Century Royal. The third generation really brought the Century into the 21st century, with LED lights, reclining rear seats, a 20 speaker audio system, an LCD screen for rear passengers and a modern infotainment system. The Century is an overall great luxury car, that only the Japanese could experience.

First generation Century:

6 Cool Japanese Cars That Were Never Sold In The United States

Second generation Century:

Century Royal:

Third generation Century:

2. Autozam AZ-1

The AZ-1 is a cute little mid engined kei car, that was designed and manufactured by Suzuki, but sold by Mazda, under it's Autozam brand. It was famous for having DeLorean style gullwing doors. It's powered by a Suzuki-sourced high revving 657 cc turbocharged inline three-cylinder engine, which produces 64 horsepower and redlines at 9000 RMP. There was also a Mazdaspeed version of the AZ-1, which featured a special body kit, stiffer springs, strut bars in the front and rear, a mechanical limited slip differential, a high performance air filer, a stainless steel and ceramic muffler and special alloy wheels. Sadly, poor sales figures gave the AZ-1 a short life, only sold from 1992 to 1994.

Autozam AZ-1:

AZ-1 Mazdaspeed:

3. Suzuki Cappuccino

The Cappuccino was the front engined sibling of the Autozam AZ-1. It used the same engine as the AZ-1, with the same power output, but it was slightly better handling because of it's perfect 50/50 weight distribution. Production started in 1991 and ceased in 1997. It also featured four-wheel disc brakes. Later models also had speed-sensing electric power steering and aluminum double wishbone suspension. These features were unusual on a kei car at the time. It had a hard top, with three removable roof panels. It could be used as a coupe, a T-top, a Targa, and by removing the rear window and the roll bar, a full convertible. The Cappuccino gained a massive popularity by being featured on the famous manga and anime series Initial D, written and animated by Shuichi Shinego. It was also sold in the United Kingdom and some parts of Europe too. 1500 cars were planned to be sold in Europe, but because of it's success in Japan and tight import quota of Japanese products to the UK the number of Cappuccinos imported to Europe was cut to 1182. A total of 1110 cars were sold in the UK, the rest of them in other European countries.

Suzuki Cappuccino:

4. Honda Beat

The Beat is a special car in Honda's history, because it was the last car to be approved by the company's founder, Soichiro Honda, before he died in 1991. It was powered by a 656 cc naturally aspirated inline-three, that was modified with an MTREC (Multi Throttle Responsive Engine Control) system, with individual throttle bodies for each of the three cylinders, to produce 64 horsepower. The top speed was limited to 135 km/h (84 mph). The Beat was only available with a manual transmission. The design of the car originated from Pininfarina, who then sold the design plan to Honda.

Honda Beat:

5. Nissan Silvia S15

The S15, the last generation of the Nissan Silvia lineup is arguably the best S-chassis car ever, but for some reason Nissan decided to only sell it in Japan, Australia and New Zealand. First released in 1999, it was available with two different engines, the naturally aspirated SR20DE, and the turbocharged SR20DET, both of which are 2.0 liter four-cylinders. The turbocharged model now had 250 horsepower, thanks to a ball-bearing turbo. Compared to the previous generations, the styling got a lot more aggressive and sporty. It still looks modern, even though it's now 19 years old. There were two trim levels, the Spec-S and the top level Spec-R. Both trim levels had an "Aero" variant, which featured a different body kit and a rear spoiler. The Spec-R model was available with a six-speed manual gearbox, strut bracing, larger anti-roll bars and a helical limited slip differential. Those features were not available on the Spec-S. Nissan also offered in Japan a retractable hardtop convertible version, called the Silvia Varietta.

S15 Silvia:

Silvia Aero:

Silvia Varietta:

6. Nissan Skyline GT-R

There is no "Cool Japanese Cars" list without mentioning the almighty Skyline GT-R, Nissan's flagship car since the late 60s. The first Skyline GT-R, code named the KPGC10 was released in Japan in 1969. It was powered by a 2.0 liter inline six-cylinder engine producing 160 horsepower. Power was delivered to the rear wheels by a five-speed manual gearbox. It got the nickname "Hakosuka", which basically means "Boxy Skyline".

In 1973 Nissan Introduced the second generation Skyline GT-R, codenamed the KPGC110. It had a 2.0 liter inline-six and a five-speed manual, just like the predecessor, but it had also new features like four-wheel disc brakes. It god the nickname "Kenmeri" from it's commercials, which featured a young couple, Ken and Mary. Unfortunately it was unsuccessful, thanks to the gas crisis of the early 70s. Only 197 examples were produced in 1973. There was no Skyline GT-R for a decade and a half. In 1989 the third generation GT-R, the BNR32 (R32 for short) was introduced. The R32 was the first all-wheel drive Skyline.

It was powered by the legendary RB26DETT engine, which is a 2.6 liter twin-turbocharged inline-six. The only available transmission was a five-speed manual. It got the famous nickname "Godzilla" for absolutely dominating the competition on the race track. In 1995 Nissan released the BCNR33 (R33) which had barely any changes compared to the R32. It got a bit longer and got a new design. The R33 also corrected some of the R32's common problems, like the weak oil pump drive collar. In 1999 they released the final generation of the Skyline GT-R, the BNR34 (R34). It's main features were a six-speed gearbox and an LCD display in the center of the dash, which showed live data of engine statistics, such as boost pressure, oil and water temperature and many other things. It can also be used as a lap timer. Nissan also made the R34 shorter, because some customers were complaining that the R33 was bulky. Production ended in 2002. The Skyline GT-R Also gained popularity thanks to The Fast and The Furious movies and Initial D.

"Hakosuka" Skyline GT-R:

"Kenmeri" Skyline GT-R:

R32 Skyline GT-R:

R33 Skyline GT-R:

R34 Skyline GT-R:

Than you for reading.