Song played on my Personal BGM: 20th Century Boy by T-REX
From the Album: Lords of Dogtown OST
Well, I have to admit it that the 90's are the decade where Japanese sports cars rule the roads. It was a decade where audio CDs, walkmans, Betamax, and VHS rule. It was a time where PSX, Game Boy, and N64 rule the video game world and yes, the 90's are the most memorable decade in the hearts of kids. Even today, most car enthusiasts think that the Japanese 90's sports car are the most memorable rides because they are fun to drive and they can be modified into various uses. You would probably seen those either as a surplus at your neighborhood freeport zone or see them parking at the Daikoku Parking Area, which of course a favorite parking area for modified cars.
As of that, here are my top 9 favorite Japanese 90's sports cars that I find themselves memorable as much as using them on GT5's Japanese 90's Championship at the Seasonal Events section.
9) Honda Civic Type R EK9 - When the Honda Civic Type R broke cover on the August of 1997, this was become a favorite among Honda fans because of its handling, shape, and sporty packaging most Honda fans can't get enough of. It was also became the preferable car of Initial D 4th Stage's Todo Racing School aside from the Integra Type R DC2.
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| Modified EK9 in action! |
8) Subaru Impreza WRX STi - It maybe a familiar name to them because of its WRC heritage and its long-term rivalry with the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution but I gotta say that the first-generation WRX STi is the most memorable vehicle in Scooby history. This first-generation model has offered three body styles; a sedan, sport wagon, and a coupe. The most memorable was the coupe because this was used on the WRC. The most powerful WRX STi coupe to remember was the 22B STi because of its unique character lines.
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| Impreza 22B escapes the tunnels of Monaco |
7) Efini RX-7 - Most of them are already familiar about the FD3S Mazda Efini RX-7. What makes it so memorable is the 13B-REW engine, which became the most popular engine to the JDM enthusiasts because, the 13B-REW engine is the most powerful rotary engine in the past. Most prefer it rather than the RENESIS-powered RX-8 because of its raw power and the way it moves (or drifts). This rotary-powered FD is so good, it became the main weapon of Keisuke Takahashi from Initial D. Oh, and did I mentioned it was featured as an incidental car Vin Diesel used on The Fast and The Furious?
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| The Efini RX-7 tackles Fuji Speedway |
6) Mitsubishi GTO/3000GT - Appeared since 1990 and ended in 2001, gaining two facelifts and mechanical upgrades, the Mitsubishi GTO/3000GT is the most memorable 4WD sports coupe I have ever experienced in my whole life. It once said that this model is the fierce rival to the Toyota Supra but still I prefer the Supra because of its performance. One of my favorite GTO is the 1997MY facelift because of its unique styling that makes me smile when I'm driving this bonafide 4WD sports coupe. With its twin-turbo engine, the GTO rattles the competition.
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| Mitsubishi GTO in Monaco |
5) Honda Integra Type R DC2 - The Integra Type R was born in 1995 as a 1996 model and it was the first to introduce Honda's legendary "Type R" sub-brand, which gained popularity because of its unique VTEC engine, red Honda badge, and Championship White color. You could say this was the father of the Type R legend but to us, you're still the most memorable Honda I have ever driven in my whole life. This car was also a preferable weapon from Initial D 4th Stage's Todo Racing School aside from the two, souped-up EK9 models.
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| An impressive performance from the DC2 |
4) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III - Why this Evo is my favorite? Because I remember this model as Kyoichi Sudo's weapon of choice on Initial D 2nd Stage. Because it came from a group of powerful LanEvo drivers known as Emperor (with Kyoichi's head honcho, Seiji Iwaki, drove a Lancer Evolution IV with a Monster decal on the front), driving the Lancer Evolution III made me feel like the leader of the Emperor team. This was utterly the best Evo I have ever driven and this model was essentially based on a 6th generation Lancer (where in the Philippines, we nicknamed it Lancer Itlog because of its round shape).
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| Looks like the Emperor is going for a country drive... |
3) Toyota Supra JZA80 - The most memorable Toyota sports car in the 90's since the Sprinter Trueno and Corolla Levin. It was featured in Wangan Midnight as Kei Aizawa's weapon of choice and also in The Fast and the Furious movie as Brian O'Connor's main car that has its top pulled off to make it more convertible-like. It was even used and modified by TOP SECRET to create the most powerful Supra with a modified V12 engine sourced from the Toyota Century premium sedan. Why I love the Supra is because of its unique sportscar look, top-of-the-line engine, and impressive dynamics I'm surely remember it forever.
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| The true White Smoke Gang leader! |
2) Nissan Silvia S15 - the S15 is the best Silvia they have ever made not only because of its impressive design but also the dynamics, handling, and the impressive SR20DET engine that caters the Silvia S15 more performance figures than the S13 and S14 combined. Once tuned, you just can't get enough of its Silvia impression. It was seen on The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift as an incidental car tuned by Han when Sean meets face to face with DK but later Sean totaled Han's modified S15, resulting to a loss against DK's Z33 in a drift battle.
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| The Silvia S15's drive at Monaco |
1) Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 - You would asking why the R34 tops my "SUPER 90's" list and the reason is simple, the R34 GT-R is the most memorable Japanese 90's sportscar you could ever imagine. This was hugely gained a lot of fans when it was first introduced in Japan since 1999 but production ended in 2002. You could say that the R34 is the most awesome Skyline GT-R ever made because of its advanced 4WD layout and the RB26DETT engine that roar, giving the honorable nickname "Godzilla", named after the King of Monsters. If Godzilla is the King of Monsters, the Nissan Skyline GT-R is the King of Japanese Sports Cars because of its heritage.
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| Godzilla rattles Fuji Speedway! |
And these were my top 9 most memorable Japanese 90's sports cars that made them a favorite not just car enthusiasts but also tuners as well. It seems that the 90's are the best decade for these sportscars and now we're living in the age of hybrids, just remember that we still never forget the so-called "SUPER 90's" not only because they are fun to drive, they are also a part of our lives as a car enthusiast. Get out there and find your favorite Japanese 90's sports car that can fit best on GT5's Japanese 90's Challenge at the Seasonal Events section and be sure to tone it down a little to match the 450PP regulation.
