It doesn’t seem that long ago that you could buy serious Japanese machinery for the price of a new Fiesta – cars like the legendary Nissan Skyline GT-R R34, Honda NSX and Mitsubishi Lancer Evos all could be had for as little as £20,000.

However, times have changed and the Japanese domestic market (JDM) is thriving across the world and these days the cars mentioned from above are now going for some eye-watering figures. Why? Well, there are several reasons and here’s my guide to what it means if you own a classic JDM car.

GRAN TURISMO GENERATION

If you’re a 90s or 00s kid growing up around cars you will know that this gaming series really set the mark for the JDM scene. The Nissan Skyline, which before the introduction of Gran Turismo in 1997 was an exclusive product to the Japanese market, became the flagship poster car for the franchise and was recognised almost entirely globally. The same could be said for many other Japanese hero cars which were not sold outside of Japan such as the Subaru Impreza 22B and Mitsubishi EVO 6.5 Tommi Makinen edition.

Rare exotic variants of otherwise mainstream vehicles were given the opportunity to also become mainstream. With only 44 produced globally from 1996 to 1998, this car would still remain relatively anonymous if it wasn’t for the Gran Turismo exposure. An example of the Nismo 400R recently sold for in-excess of £300,000.

SUPPLY DOES NOT MEET DEMAND

Recently this has become an issue in the USA where demand has literally gone through the roof. America is importing cars from Japan quicker than you can say ‘JDM’ and used examples elsewhere in the world are becoming thinner on the ground by the day. Part of the problem is American import laws whereby you could only import a car from another country if it is 25-years-old or older. That means cars built in 1997 or before mean higher demand for markets in America. Cars like the MK5 Honda Civic SIR-ll for example have recently been selling for up to £40,000 for pristine collector examples. Ten years ago, you could have picked one of these cars up for around £2000.

Even in the UK, examples of the 1991-1995 Honda Civic are beginning to increase with genuine low mileage examples exceeding £5,000, whereas ten years ago you could pick up good examples for around £1,000.

What was the car of choice in the scrappage scheme in the late 00s is now a real gem and is a truly sought-after classic.

INVESTORS

The avid car-collectors are now starting to catch on to the ever-growing bubble of Japanese cars. Purely for speculation, collectors with high disposable income are now ”investing” their money into these classics, as they know it will make them earn a profit in the long-run. These investors are willing to pay astronomical sums in order to obtain the best-of-the-best examples, ultimately making them impossible for them to find – let alone afford.

This drives the market up as well as demand and at the moment the bubble is growing and shows no sign of bursting.

WHAT IF YOU OWN A CLASSIC JDM CAR?

My advice would be to stick with your car because each day they are becoming harder to obtain, driving their values up. Japanese cars above any other are more than likely to hold on to their value due to their excellent quality, reliability, nostalgia factor and heritage that helps retain their values.

By Cameron Richards

The Civic Type R has been the benchmark when it comes to driver focused hot hatchbacks. Back in 2001, Honda released the first Civic Type R to British shores and it was an instant hit. Independent rear suspension, a six-speed manual gearbox and Honda’s legendary VTEC powertrain meant you had one of the finest handling and engaging hot hatchbacks around. The first Civic Type R to come to Europe was code named the EP3 and it demonstrated that even the most sedate hatchbacks could be fun, so when Honda announced in 2006 that the EP3 was going to be replaced by the next generation of Civic Type R’s, code name the FN2- it had some rather large boots to fill.

On paper things did not live up to its expectations, firstly it only produced 1bhp more than the old EP3 – producing 198bhp. It was also heavier making it actually slower than the old car and Honda ditched the independent rear suspension for a safer old fashioned torsion beam, which made the car cheaper to make and also not as good to drive. On top of that, the rear spoiler blocked your rear-view out of the back and the ride was like bouncing around on a space hopper.

But, on the flip side, Honda decided to keep its renowned K20A engine in the FN2 to give the driver the car’s track focused appeal and it certainly did not disappoint from an engine point, it may not have beaten its older brother around a track but it certainly gave an engaging experience. Added to that the FN2 had space-age looks and from a practicality point of view, it was vastly bigger for carrying items than its competitors at the time.

Even though it was slower than an EP3, it was still great fun which a lot of people did not believe after the media slated it for not being as good as the previous generation. The handling was still quick and very precise, the pedals were positioned perfectly for heel and toe gear changes and the VTEC engine was just as impressive as in the EP3 with a lot of torque at the top end of the rev range whilst retaining on a motorway run of around 40mpg.

It also had value on its side, with a fully loaded GT version being around £5000 less than the equivalent Volkswagen Golf GTi.

Then we had the small matter of depreciation, FN2’s have held onto their money well and used examples now with under 60,000 miles can be bought from around £5,500 -£7,000 depending on condition and specification. The model shown in the pictures is a limited edition model that ran in 2010 called Mugen 200 and low mileage examples of those can vary from £13,000- £18,000 due to their rarity.

Back in 2006 when this car was first launched, peoples assumptions meant that this car had tripped up before it had reached the ring and after spending some time with one and driving one, it still deserves the Type R badge because not only was it a rewarding hot hatch to drive, it was the last naturally aspirated Civic Type R before Turbos arrived to boost power for the next Civic Type R in 2015 the FK2. So, was the FN2 the worst Type R? Well… no, there has never been a bad Type R and I don’t think there will ever be.

It wasn’t that long ago that Toyota had a reputation for making rather forgetful vehicles, and with the surge of electrification and hybrid technology, enthusiast derived performance cars have been put on the back foot – until now!

The GR Yaris is Toyota’s flagship hot hatchback and with the recent hattrick of victories from WRC, WEC and BTCC, Toyota are on a role with motorsport. It makes sense then for the company to give us the customers a little taste of the race/rally track. GR Yaris is an homologation special, which for many will know that this is a rule set by manufacturers’ to sell a certain amount of road going versions of the rally/race spec car. Cars like the Lancia Delta Integrale and Ford Escort RS Cosworth were all examples of what I mean – they gave the customer a rally car for the road.

GR stands for ‘Gazoo Racing’ and for the keen Toyota enthusiasts out there, this badge means business. GR branded cars first came over to Europe in 2018 with the extremely exciting yet very exclusive Yaris GRMN. Followed by this was the Yaris and Corolla GR Sport, which were normal version of the popular hatchbacks with sports suspension and some cosmetic tweaks. In 2019 a comeback from one of the most famous names in the Japanese car fan book was reborn – the GR Supra, which had been off sale for over two decades in the UK.

So, what does this mean machine have to offer? Well, it comes equipped with a 1.6-litre three cylinder turbocharged engine that produces a rather healthy 257bhp. 0-62mph in 5.5 seconds and a electronic top speed of 143mph. Toyota claim that this new engine is the worlds lightest and most powerful three cylinder engine (engine name G16E-GTS).

What lurks beneath that wild body makes you forget that this is still a Toyota Yaris. Four-wheel-drive, dual exhausts and a limited-slip differential make the GR Yaris behave very much like its rallying father and will give the driver full reassurance and confidence in the slipperier trouser clenching moments!

When the car is released, there will be two versions – GR Yaris and GR Yaris Circuit pack. The standard car starts at £29,995 and comes with, auto lights and wipers, auto dimming rear view mirror, electric heated and folding mirrors, keyless entry and push-button start, dual-zone climate control, sat-nav, Bluetooth, Apple carplay and Android auto, DAB radio, USB, rear-view camera and a selection of solid, pearlescent and metallic paints (Pure white (Solid) shown in pictures), Platinum white pearl, Scarlet flare and Precious black).

The Circuit pack is a bit more costly at £33,495 and adds 18 inch forged lightweight alloy wheels, Michelin pilot sport 4s tyres, two torsen limited-slip differentials, red brake callipers and GR circuit suspension – this version will attract the track day enthusiast.

As this is pre-production I couldn’t drive it, but after spending a good hour with the car I can tell you that this is going to be Toyota’s diamond. You sit low down and have three aluminium pedals, whilst you have something called a manual gearbox and a manual handbrake! Unheard of in modern cars these days.

The only nagging gripe I had was due to the sloping roof line, taller passengers may struggle to get comfortable and the visibility out of the back window is like looking through a letter box.

GR Yaris goes out to its first customers next month and the Circuit packs are set to be released in January 2021.

My conclusion on this car is, this is just the beginning of a very exciting journey for Toyota indeed!