5 JAPANESE CARS THAT WERE AHEAD OF THE CURVE

Now a well-established part of the collector car market, Japanese vehicles experienced explosive value growth in 2021-2022. Prior to that point, enthusiast cars from Japan had for the most part been a cheap, cheerful, and reliable way to enter enthusiast car ownership. But while there still are quite a few Japanese classics at entry level prices, the ship has sailed on many of the most famous ones.

There are some models that were ahead of the curve, surging in the 2010s and settling into a rational price range as other Japanese classics are still finding their footing today. Looking back, here are a few cars that led the charge, coming to full maturity well before the emergence of Japanese cars as the next big thing in the public mind.

1993-98 Toyoya Supra Mk IV Turbo

Toyota’s Mk IV Supra is without a doubt a car that led the renaissance in Japanese car collecting. It has everything going for it. Great looks, phenomenal performance for the 1990s, massive power potential with bolt-on modifications, and massive cultural relevance thanks to appearances in video games and as the hero car for The Fast and the Furious. If you were into Japanese cars back in the 1990s and early 2000s, a Mk IV Supra Turbo was the car you aspired to own.

We can literally track the explosion of the Japanese market off of the Supra’s appreciation. Back in 2013 the best twin-turbo Supra in the world was still a sub-$50,000 car. Just six years later that same car was tickling the $100,000 mark. By the time of the pandemic boom in the early 2020s the best ones in the world were quarter-million-dollar cars, with anything in driver condition approaching six figures. Growth has slowed and flattened in the last few years, suggesting the Supra market is mature. Turbo Sport Roof models (with a removable roof panel) are currently worth $89,200 in #3 (good) condition, $163,000 in #2 (excellent) condition, and $262,000 in #1 (concours, or best in the world) condition. Standard Turbo Coupes are worth a decent chunk more at and even $100K in #3 condition, $177K in #2 condition, and $284K in #1 condition.

1997-2001 Acura Integra Type-R

Honda exported the Integra Type-R (ITR) under the Acura brand to North America for the 1997 model year. What makes this car so special is that the ITR is 79 pounds lighter the already sporty Integra GS-R model, with lowered suspension that’s fitted with better shocks. The chassis is greatly stiffened as well, and the drivetrain beefed up with improved gear ratios, a helical limited-slip differential and a Type-R-specific B18C engine producing 195 horsepower. They are fantastic drivers and punch well above their weight class in performance.

Honda enthusiasts knew how special this car was from the very beginning. However, not everyone watched Best Motoring or followed the likes of Peter Cunningham, so for these cars remained enticingly cheap for a long time. That all changed about a decade ago, when more and more stock, low-mile examples emerged on the market. These cars nearly doubled in value from 2015-20 reaching, a plateau and full maturity over the past three years. A car that once was $24,000 in excellent condition back in 2015 costs around $65,000 today. Extremely low mile cars and cars with exceptional provenance have cracked six figures, but when it comes to Japanese icons of the 1990s, the ITR is the closest thing to an attainable buy.

1991-2006 Acura NSX

The NSX is legitimate supercar to come out of Japan. The product of Honda’s desire to compete with the likes of Ferrari, it blended Honda’s thoughtful engineering, precision and design with race-proven engine technology and input of F1 World Champion Ayrton Senna. When the NSX emerged, it turned the performance world on its head. Not only did it perform like the Europeans, but it did so with a surprising amount of reliability and economy in a way that only a Honda could do.

Along with being a Ferrari beater, for many years after production ended, the NSX remained a somewhat affordable entry point to super car ownership. They remained sub-$60,000 cars until about 10 years ago. Then around the same time the Supra took off, values for the NSX quickly followed and went through a similar process of sharp appreciation followed by a gradual flattening. While not as pricey as its peer from Toyota, an NSX today in excellent condition will easily pass the $100,000 mark. The later, revised 1997-2005 models are worth a bit more on account of being sold in smaller numbers.

1999-2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34)

One of the most recognizable of the JDM icons, the R34-generation Skyline GT-R has an impressive reputation both on the track and as a grand tourer. Like the Supra, their draw also transcends just performance and looks. The R34 is a cultural icon. From video games to movies, it has captivated young enthusiasts since its introduction. Further fueling the fire in the United States was that they never sold here new, making them the ultimate automotive forbidden fruit.

Nowadays, getting your own R34 GT-R is going to run over $100,000 for any example that doesn’t need immediate mechanical or cosmetic attention. Less than 10 years, ago these cars could be purchased for under $40,000 quite readily, the catch being that most examples couldn’t be imported to the U.S. until turning 25 years old. Savvy buyers still purchased and arranged for storage in Japan. Then, as the 25-year mark loomed, values began to explode. The GT-R market is a global one already, but when you add throngs of eager American buyers, demand vastly outstripped the supply pumping prices up. As more cars have arrived on ships in the U.S., values have leveled out here. Unfortunately, these are still properly expensive cars and there is little reason to believe that they will ever be remotely attainable to the average collector, but it does appear that the market for them has matured.

1970-73 Datsun 240Z

Not all the leaders of the Japanese car boom are from the ’90s. .A generation before the NSX turned the exotic car world on its ear, the 240Z managed to look and perform like a European sports car, but it started every morning and cost less to buy.

The 240Z was the first car to make American enthusiasts aware of Japanese performance, at least on a large scale. Their large production numbers kept them on the affordable end of things for years, but about 10 years ago their values surged along with other sports cars of the era and ahead of their more modern Japanese peers. That surge quickly leveled out and values remained steady, before several high-profiled sales in 2020 resulted in another jump. Since then things have calmed somewhat, but it’s still wild to think that #1 values have increased by 200% for these cars over the past two decades.

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2025-11-13T18:08:48Z