Yahoo Autos Eight Obscure JDM Cars
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How many of these Japanese rides do you already know?
Japanese domestic market (JDM) cars are many, which is really something for a tiny island nation off the coast of the Asian continent. Thanks to several factors which lined up after the close of WWII, the Japanese became prolific at designing and building all kinds of vehicles. While we have seen a number of their cars in the United States, many more have never reached these shores, with the exception of a rare oddball imported by a diehard fan.
Some JDM cars are just bizarrely weird, especially the notoriously small Kei cars. Others are so cool you’ll be wondering why they’re not more widely-known here.
Just how many of the following obscure JDM cars did you already know about? Which one would you want to put in your garage?
Honda Beat
It’s not every day you run across a Honda that was designed by none other than Pininfarina, but that’s not the end of the uniqueness for the Honda Beat. This Kei car is of course tiny, and it has a mid-engine layout, which made it popular for Japanese wanting an economical yet fun roadster. During its production run from 1991 to 1996 Honda cranked out over 33,000 Beats
Suzuki Cappuccino
Apparently, the Japanese love their caffeine as much as they love their cars. Why else would there be the Suzuki Cappuccino? This little Kei car has a detachable hardtop and has been held up by some as an excellent alternative to the venerable Mazda Miata. Tipping the scale at a mere 1,598 pounds the thing uses a punch turbo three-cylinder engine. You’re not going to win any drag races with this Suzuki, but it’s a lot of fun on Tsukuba Circuit or a mountain road with plenty of chicanes.
Nissan Pao
One of the Nissan Pike cars, the Nissan Pao is nowhere as famous as the Figaro or others. Still, it has that retro-cool look that hearkens back to the 1950s even though this car was launched in the 1980s. The throwback details on this little Nissan are many, including those cute round headlights, exposed door hinges, huge speedometer centered over the steering wheel, body-color door panels/dash/steering wheel, interior switchgear, etc. One of the most bizarre features on the Pao is the rearview mirror, which Is five mirrors joined together, spanning from one side of the headliner to the other.
