It’s a trope to explain Japanese present Greatest Motoring as Gran Turismo in actual life, however on this occasion, it truly is. In a 1992 battle between front- and rear-wheel drive automobiles, the crew put collectively a lineup that’s merely great.

From Mazda, we get an FC RX-7 and an NA Miata; Toyota offers a Corolla Levin AE86 and a Starlet GT; Honda brings each Civic and CR-X SiR; and rounding issues out are two Kei automobiles, a Subaru Vivio RX-R and a Suzuki Cappuccino. It is a lineup straight out of a lower-level race from the sooner editions of Gran Turismo, and in addition a really convincing argument for the excellence of early-Nineties Japanese automobiles.

The video encompasses the same old Greatest Motoring battery of assessments, together with a slalom and an autocross, but it surely’s the observe battle midway by means of we’re most concerned about. It is at Tsukuba, naturally, and it is a ton of enjoyable.

Regardless of all of the legends on this take a look at, it is one of many extra obscure automobiles that is quickest, the Toyota Starlet GT. This was a 130-horsepower, turbocharged scorching hatch that, astonishingly for 1992, featured adaptive suspension. It weighed underneath 2,000 kilos, too, so no marvel it was fast. The CR-X and RX-7 have been simply two tenths behind when it comes to lap time, however the rotary Mazda completed the race first.

Frankly, although, we might take any considered one of these automobiles. They’re easy and comparatively low-powered, however every is from a excessive level within the historical past of Japanese automobiles.