The best cars I can't own.

"BenHowell" (benhowold) 07/20/2014 at 23:12 • Filed to: jdm euro usdm the best cars i cant own opposirelock jalopnik toyota honda mazda eunos accord type r ae86 ae92 ae101 ae111 cosmo amati

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It's a hard life for us Americans. We may have v8s, lenient inspections and a great variety of car culture, but we always want what we can't have. these are the cars I want the most that I can't have (yet).

1: AE101/AE111 Toyota Trueno/Levin

-Everybody knows about the famous AE86 Trueno/Levin twins, and the subsequent GT86 twins. To this day they are the stars of Anime, Drifting, and racing alike. We got a watered down version of this with the AE86 Corolla GTS, and later the AE92 Corolla GTS, which introduced fully independent suspension, and *Gasp* front wheel drive. This swap in drivetrain killed enthusiasm, and poor sales prompted toyota to drop the Corolla coupe in America. It's a shame, the AE101 and the AE111 were both great cars, with perhaps the best four cylinder engine ever. They used the same 4AGE block used in the AE86, but they gained a crazy 20 valve head with glorious Independent throttle bodies, before reserved for the likes of Ferrari and BMW M. Because of this, the 4AGE's used in the AE111 (or the "Black top", as the kids say) produced an incredible 163 of eargasm-inducing naturally aspirated horsepower, from an engine smaller than a large bottle of soda. These engine are popular swaps for the earlier models, which I respect, I just hope that these cars can live on with their own hearts, and not have them stolen prematurely.

2: Honda accord Type R

Now here's a weird one- a Japanese car not originally exclusive to japan, but to europe. You lucky bastards. While the normal accord was content servicing the business accounts, this one set out to prove that Honda could make anything fast. Equipped with the popular 2.2l H22A7 engine producing 217 hp at 7200rpm, it could waltz up to 60 mph in a quick 7.2 seconds. Its stiffened suspension, stiffened chassis, gutted interior, and recaro seats made it as fun to drive as you would expect a Type R to be. It was built for the European Touring Car Championship, winning both races in 2000. And to all you naysayers, the rear wing is functional. A JDM only version was produced between 2004-2007, with double wishbone suspension and the K20A1 engine, but it lacks the heritage of the original model. Now if only Honda would send its good cars here, instead of the face-numbingly boring Civic Si.

3: Eunos Cosmo

-This ones probably a bit better known, but it's still worth mentioning. This was the flagship luxury cruiser of Mazda's Eunos line, also featuring cars like our beloved Miata.Weighing in at 3200 lbs, and with the option of the RX7's 13B motor or a newfangled !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! this car was like the RX7's husky professional cousin. Interestingly, the car's body did not comply with the new JDM sizing rules. In America, this would mean that numerous bureaucrats would either axe the car completely, or send it back to the drawing board to become a horrible inflated mess. But, the car was allowed through on the condition that the owners would pay a small yearly tax. The car was planned to be taken to the U.S. through Mazda's Amati brand, but unfortunately it never came.

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Also, it had one bitchin' interior.

Well, that's all I want to write for now. I hope it wasn't too long winded and boring. The rest is up to you. No matter where you live, what are the cars you most desire that you can't have?

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > BenHowell 07/21/2014 at 09:26

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The shop I ordered my clutch through had 3 of those Eunos Cosmos parked in front and an Efini RX7 on the lift inside.

BenHowell > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. 07/21/2014 at 09:43

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That's sweet! where do you live?

briannutter1 > BenHowell 07/21/2014 at 09:49

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Excellent post. I think about Honda, Subaru, and Mitsu selling high powered variants of their cars in the UK, but not here. Honda (especially) used to bother me because I feel they intentionally turned their shoulder on their following among enthusiasts. BMW started gracing us with their better engines with the E46. Ford has brought over the ST and may bring over the RS. Nissan gave us the GTR. I guess I haven't felt as deprived lately with the availability of a lot of great new cars.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > BenHowell 07/21/2014 at 10:07

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Calgary, Alberta. I wasn't sure they were rotaries when I saw them but I figured they were, the clutch shop seemed to specialize in them so I'm not surprised. Do they only come in autotragic?

BenHowell > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. 07/21/2014 at 10:19

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Ah it must have been brought in under the 15 year law.

Sadly yes, they were marketed as luxury cars and japan saw the automatic as a luxury item.

Stuff > BenHowell 07/02/2018 at 00:34

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https://paultan.org/2014/04/20/ga llery-toyota-levin-chinese-market/