Because I am a millennial with limited time and limited funds and therefore there’s a ceiling on how creative I can afford to get with my vacation destinations, I’m going to Japan next month. As part of this trip, I’m going on a one-day driving tour with Drivers Lounge, a company that takes car enthusiasts on guided tours through rural Japan in a smorgasbord of JDM icons.
For 108,000 yen (about $735 at today’s exchange rates), I’ll be driving up the famous Hakone Turnpike, along the shores of Lake Ashi, and down Tsubaki Line, ending the day with a visit to the iconic Daikoku PA to drop in on a car meet. And full disclosure, I’m not going as a journalist trading seat time for publicity but as a tourist, paying my own way.
But I’ve found myself in a bit of a pickle I hope you all can help me out with. Because I’ll only be going with my partner (who enjoys a cool car but not enough to drop half the price of a small Chanel wallet to drive one for a day), I’m limited to two cars. Which ones should I pick?
In the order they appear on DL’s website, here’s what’s on the menu:
- Nissan GT-R R35 (Front end styling says it’s a “first facelift” car from 2011 to 2016. Mods include HKS coilovers and an HKS exhaust.)
- Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 (Tein coilovers, Fujitsubo exhaust, and unavailable until late October, so that’s out.)
- Mazda RX-7 FD3S (The engine is “freshly rebuilt” and uses a GReddy V-mount radiator for better cooling. Mods include AutoExe coilovers and an RE Amemiya exhaust.)
- Toyota GR Supra (Likely a first model year example, given it’s listed with 340 PS and the automatic. This one rides on Blitz coilovers.)
- Honda S660 (A “Spoon Complete Car” built entirely by the tuner running a Hondata ECU. One of three in the entire world, apparently.)
- Toyota GR Yaris (HKS coilovers. 5Zigen exhaust.)
- Suzuki Alto Works (A kei car turned up to 11 by Monster Sport, a tuner founded by legendary Japanese hillclimb racer Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima.)
- Honda Integra Type R DC5 (Ohlins coilovers, GP Sport exhaust, stripped out interior with roll cage.)
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI (Blitz coilovers. 5Zigen exhaust.)
Alright, here’s what I’m thinking. We can skip the Supra, Yaris, and R35 because if I want to drive a GR Supra, I can always email Toyota Canada and book a presser. If I want to drive the Yaris, I can email Toyota Canada, book a GR Corolla, and imagine it is smaller. And while it’d be nice to finally have a go in the R35 right as it’s finally going out of production, it isn’t nearly as legendary as some of the other names on here and may also be a bit too much car for tight Hakone backroads.
That Spoon S660 is mighty interesting and mighty enticing, but as someone who already owns an S2000, picking this feels a bit like flying all the way to Japan only to eat Wagyu hamburgers half the time. No, it’s not the same thing, and I’m sure it’s amazing, but it feels very much “we have shades of this at home.” Maybe next year. In a similar vein, I’m sure the DC5 Integra is an absolute riot, but Acura RSXs were a pretty common sight back in the day, so it isn’t inherently as exotic.
I would’ve absolutely gone for the R32 if it were still on the table, but it’s not, so this leaves the RX-7, the Suzuki, and the Evo.
Which ones would you pick?
Top graphic images: Drivers Lounge
I’d go with the RX7 and the Evo
I would have the same picks, other than swapping the Evo for the S660.
I would urge you to not write off the S660. I rented one on my own for a similar day in Hakone a couple years ago and found it to be a novel and immensely enjoyable experience. Even as a stock example. Even coming at it with a long history of other lightweight cars (Miata, FR-S, Exocet, Elise).
I mean come on, it’s a tiny, sub-1900 lb., mid-engined car with Honda inputs, a removable top, and constant turbo noises. If that formula with some extra Spoon magic sprinkled on top isn’t a guarantee of a good time in the mountains (especially on Tsubaki Line), I don’t know what else I can say.
It’s unfortunate the R32 isn’t available, as they do live up to the hype IMO, but but given the other options, I’d pick the RX-7 as my second, with the Evo as a very close runner-up.
My fianceé doesn’t like kei cars, but she saw the S660 and asked how long before we could import one. So hoping I have one somewhere down the line.
I’ve driven the GR Yaris, and it’s an absolute ball of fun.
But out of your selected trio, I’m inclined to go for the Evo simply because I’m have a soft spot for Mitsubishi.
RX-7 and the Evo. Those two were my picks even before I got to the paragraph where you narrowed down the choices.
Rx7 and Evo. Agreed, the R32 would be a given if available.
Rx-7 and Suzuki !
RX-7 and S660
Like Mercedes, I’d go for stuff that isn’t readily available here in the States. So, for me, it’s R32, Spoon and Suzuki.
100% the RX-7; they’re very few and far between… I haven’t seen one outside a large car meet in probably a decade.
I would pick a car that wasn’t sold in America and cannot be imported for a while. To me it would feel weird to fly all the way to Japan to drive an RX-7 or an R35 when both are pretty easily found here.
But I know of only two S660s in America and none of that newer Alto Works, so I’d go with one of those. Shoot, the oldest S660 won’t be legal for importation until 2040!
I’m not sure the S660 would feel the same as an S2000, either. The engine is in an entirely different place, the car is in an entirely different class, and who knows what you’ll get with the tuning. My old Honda Beat made me feel like I was driving a scale version of the old NSX, which I adored so much.
I’d do the RX-7 cause I’ve always wanted to drive one. Second choice is tougher, I think I’d be leaning towards one of the Kei cars (assuming I could fit, which is dubious) cause that would be a more Japanese experience that’d be hard to replicate in the US. But the Evo and Type R are tempting too…any way, have an absolute blast mate!
I’d go with the RX-7 for sure, just because I’ve never driven anything with a Wankel engine before. So that makes it Lancer vs. Alto. Personally I’d go with Lancer because I’m not really a tiny-car fan, but I think you ought to make this decision on your personal feelings about really small cars–if they are your thing, go for the Alto, after all, it’s your dime.
Drive the evo and pretend you’re driving everyone’s rally fantasy and report back.
Drive anything tuned by the man who built and raced the Escudo. I hope its absolutely bonkers, in a slow car fast kind of way. Report back on this as well.
Assuming you’ve already told Drivers Lounge what you’re looking for and asked them, right? Just saw a pristine RX-7, that and whichever modded car looked good that day and didn’t require substantially more insurance (hint danger!)
If I found myself driving in a foreign country, I would go out of my way to drive unique cars that never made it across the pond. That would ixnay stuff like the S2000 and RX-7. I would seek out the most bizarre.
To be fair, all of those look like fun choices.
Alto Works and the RX-7. My dream Alto Works build looks like a mini version of the Escudo that Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima built and was inmortalized in Gran Turismo… preferably with a 13B swapped in, but may end up being an Atkins Rotary single rotor because that will fit in a mid-engine layout and still be under 100 HP to still be kei-like. Which should make the RX-7 pick obvious.
I’m going to Japan next year, but the cost of doing a car thing while there isn’t something I can justify.
But the RX7 would be my choice. I had a couple of FCs, and an FD is a dream car for me.
If you have a lovely time please lie about it, so I don’t feel like I’ve wasted my one chance to do it myself.
Definitely the Alto Works 🙂 I genuinely think that a Kei car is the best vehicle for exploring Japan, and I had loads of fun hooning a rental Suzuki Every kei van down Mt Haruna. Too bad it wasn’t a manual, though the three-speed auto was responsive enough for me to go through the D-L1-L2 gears manually, and I even managed to do some rev matching!
Slow car fast > Fast car slow!
Agreed. Kei cars like this and the S660 are the most inaccessible for your North American audience. Plus, both of them look like a riot to drive. You can go all out, without getting into too much trouble with speed limits.
Honestly I’m going to say that you probably want to go with the platform that you’re most used to. You’ll be driving on the wrong side of the road (for you), on tight, technical roads where plenty can go wrong. Best to go with something you’re confident in.
If you’re intent on ignoring me then got he RX7, it’s lightweight, powerful and gives you a very unique experience. Plus a v mount and a re amemiya exhaust will mean it can make a decent bit more power and stay more than sufficiently cool (which can be a problem for rotaries)
These guys have been meticulously been restoring their r32 and when I was there which was awesome! The guys who run Drivers Lounge are awesome and happy to see them getting some recognition on the site! When you arrive to their location its like a candy store of all the JDM legends!
1)Definitely the S660 since it’s 1 of 3 in the world. Yeah, it’s like the S2000 but I think you may regret not driving it til next year
“Don’t let this distract you from the fact that Hector is going to be running three Honda civics with spoon engines, and on top of that, he just went into Harry’s and bought three t66 turbos with nos, and a motec exhaust system”
2)Lancer Evo
Drive the ones that speak to you.
Sticking with three you’ve outlined, I would recommend the Alto Works and the Evo, as neither were officially sold in the US.
Me personally, I would go for the R35 and Alto Works. How many people can say they drove a R35 in Japan, on the last year of its production? There’s a bit of unique history there to stash for trivia night.
And the Alto Works? A boxy little kei car tuned to 11? Hell yeah.
S660 or the Yaris. The Suzuki is going to get old quickly. And the other two you can drive in the US as well.
Rx7 and Suzuki.