Custom Corner with Cliff Chambers explores the Japanese motor industry’s discovery that building cars which embodied enjoyment, was a good way to become established in the global vehicle market.
Japan began its two -door revolution with some tiny and quite quirky models including the Mazda 360 coupe and Honda S500. Sophistication came quickly though, with Mazda in 1967, building the company’s first production car with a rotary engine – the Cosmo 110S coupe – and Toyota its stunning but short-lived 2000GT.
Nissan with its Z Cars, Mazda the RX7, Toyota’s Celica and Honda with the Prelude eventually exerted a stranglehold on the global two-door market, which has continued into the 21st century.
Collectively the Japanese would dominate the Sports category in the USA, effectively wiping out British and European rivals. Today, US buyers who missed out on very early product can be seen stalking the Japanese domestic market in search of early rotary Mazdas and Nissan Zs that have remained undiscovered.
Our quest is to delve into the segment as it exists in Australia and find cars that will typically sell in good condition for less than $30,000. Some could be priced well below this level, which encourages potential buyers to seek out the reasons why.
Some vendors might just be in a hurry, while others know their car suffers some serious problems which will dash hopes of a sale unless the price is low enough to accommodate significant repairs.
NISSAN 300ZX TWIN TURBO
Nissan in 1984 reshaped its ZX Coupe into a bigger and more luxurious device, then waited another five years before taking the next step to serious performance.
Here in Australia, we didn’t see twin-turbo versions of the Z32 version as new cars. We had to wait five years until the first shipments of ‘grey import’ 300ZXs began appearing in specialist car yards, at prices pretty much line ball with locally sold non-turbo cars.
The differences in performance were spectacular. Even with four-speed automatic transmission, the Z32 twin-turbo would match the acceleration of more powerful HSV Commodores.
No one is exactly sure how much power was extracted from the Z32 twin-turbo engine. Japanese convention required manufacturers to advertise output from their performance engines at no more than 208kW but some sources say 220- 230kW.
Thirty years have flown by since the arrival of those first low volume import Z32s, yet survivors in excellent condition remain remarkably easy to find and not expensive.
Unlike Toyota’s twin-turbo Supra, or Nissan’s own R32 GTR, Z32s haven’t generated any great following amongst younger enthusiasts and very good cars sell for less than they did in the 1990s.
TOYOTA CELICA GT4
Toyota’s Celica arrived in 1971 and enjoyed 15 years of undistinguished dalliance before someone decided that a turbo version with all-wheel drive would make a damned fine rally car.
Australia didn’t see the GT4 in its earliest ST165 form, except when they showed up as part of the international contingent to Rally Australia, taking first and second outright in 1989.
Some months later and following a model update, Australian enthusiasts did gain access to ST185R versions of the AWD Celica which with 153kW from its turbocharged 2.0-litre engine, five speed manual transmission, power windows and steering were bargains at less than $45,000.
The Celica was and remains a brilliant choice for anyone wanting a car that looks smart in the city but can be demonically fast over treacherous rural roads. The engines can be tweaked to deliver more power, but most who have driven street-spec GT4s with any intent seem satisfied with the factory’s take on grip vs grunt.
Local deliveries ended in 1992 but two years later, in ST205 guise, came a limited production Group A Rally version. These were available for just a few months during 1994 and cost more than $80,000 so aren’t anywhere near as available or affordable, as the earlier car.
MAZDA RX7 SERIES 4-5 TURBO
There wasn’t much doubt as to the source of its inspiration when Mazda in 1986 revealed its completely restyled Series 4 RX7.
Porsche’s 944 had emerged in 1982, right about the time Japan’s proponent of rotary performance was devising its next generation of RX7 and the result was remarkably similar.
Extra weight and more equipment required more power and ‘atmospheric’ versions of the 13B Series 4 (1308cc) twin-rotor engine with 110kW barely managed the task. Far better but more expensive was the 13B turbo, which ex-factory delivered 146kW and could be tweaked to produce considerably more.
The penalty, then as now, was fuel consumption. Tested in 1986, a Series 4 Turbo with five-speed manual transmission used an average of 16.1L/100km and could send that past 20L/100km when being pushed hard. Series 4 and 5 RX7s are pleasant cars to drive, with improved steering and way better oversteer management than earlier versions.
Features included power windows, mirrors and sunroof, air-conditioning and cruise control. They did, in 1986, cost more than $45,000 though and only the very best Turbos will today sell for more than their original prices. One version we didn’t see new but which is available via the Low Volume Import market is the Series 4/5 convertible. At around $40,000 these cost marginally more than a Turbo coupe.
HONDA PRELUDE VTI-R
Honda’s fourth Generation Prelude launched in 1991 as a smart coupe desperately in need of performance to match its appearance.
Initial Si releases had 96kW from 2.2 litres increasing to 118kW in the SRS (Four Wheel Steer) version.
Wait until 1994 though and the range was enlivened by a VTi-R version, with variable valve timing that made the car feel like it was turbocharged. As engine speeds rose past 4000rpm, the VVT system kicked in and power surged to 142kW. Early cars were five-speed manual, with optional automatic transmission arriving in 1997 with the Gen 5 update.
These included a restyle with bigger headlights and new nose.
A sliding sunroof was standard, as were 16-inch alloys. Mild engine changes for 1998 produced an extra 5kW.
Prelude suspension uses competition-style double wishbones with gas dampers and needs regular maintenance but delivers sharp handling while dealing easily with challenging road surfaces.
Many owners seem to have kept their VTi-R Preludes in quite remarkable condition and outstanding cars sell at $25-30,000. That still remains around $20,000 less than they cost new and ignores the many thousands that will have been spent maintaining a complex engine.
MITSUBISHI STARION JB/JD
Just why Starions have failed to excite our market is a mystery.
Mitsubishi’s two door was arguably a better-looking car than Mazda’s Series 1-3 RX7, better appointed and with more power from its turbocharged engine.
That was just a starting point, with Starions demonstrating their prowess in rallying, Production Car and Touring Car race events here and in other countries.
The Starion at launch here in 1982 had 125kW from 2.0 litres, a five-speed gearbox and four-wheel disc brakes. Top speed was 218km/h, with 0-100km/h taking 7.6 seconds.
Starions weren’t expensive either, well not at first. Early cars were priced slightly above $20,000 – just $1800 more than an RX7 – but by late 1985 when the leaded fuel cars were being discontinued, the price had soared to almost $30,000 or $3000 more than an RX7 Limited.
Making things worse for Mitsubishi, the Starion engine didn’t take kindly to ULP (Unleaded) fuel and output from JD versions shrank to 110kW. That may have been countered to an extent when premium unleaded became generally available and allowed turbo boost to be increased.
Although rare in the Australian market, our Starions are generally cheaper than those remaining in Japan. Where a good local example can be bought at $30-35,000, similar cars are being sold through Japanese auctions at A$25-30,000 then have the added costs of transport, local taxes and preparation for sale.