"The Broken Bunny"

Talk about a sleeper!  Yes, yes I hear your cries “what about the FD?” Well, this little Tasmanian devil would rip its front tires apart while spraining your wrist!  

With an underrated F2T 2.2 liter SOHC 12-value inline-four iron block with aluminum head, the IHI turbocharger with an air-to-air intercooler produced 145 hp and 203 lbs of torque rumored at the wheels.  This beast would rip so hard that it was the co-creator to the term torque steer.

Weighing in at 2860 lbs. Almost 200 lbs. Heavier than an equivalent Honda Prelude Si, it was a little porky but had the refined chassis of the 626 with a tighter 3-way adjustable suspension and 4 wheel steering for great aggressive driving in tight turns.

The interior was 1980’s Mazda amazing, light, tight and clean with all the top of the line equipment expected of a GT. The exterior wasn’t gorgeous like the OG Mitsubishi Eclipse however the beauty that lies within this coupe is that it had no sex appeal to PoPo.  They would think it was a 2 door Mercury Topaz with a slapped-on wing in the back but boy could it Kung-Fu hustle.

So how fast was she Vinny! ?

0-60 in 7.0 (sec)

0 - ¼ mile 15.3 (sec)

Top Speed:  133 mph (unrestricted)

More like handling by Lotus this wall porn of a forgotten JDM gem was introduced in 1979 as a rear-wheel-drive econo-hatch. Isuzu at the time was looking to compete with the Mitsubishi Starion’s and 300ZX’s of the day but without the R&D budget.

After many years of massaging the aging platform Isuzu rolled out its Lotus version for 1988 and it was at its pinnacle. Gone where the semi pop up headlamps in favor of a sleek wedge-shaped Delorean inspired front grill, and omg those alloy wheels.

The interior for a while took a page out of the 80′s digital dash theme and was a delight at “Tokyo” night but of little use during the day due to washout, replaced for 88 with an everything is standard options list that better complimented the jet fighter styled stalk controls.

For power, it had a 2.0 liter SOHC 8-valve air to air-cooled IHI-turbocharged 4ZC1-T engine with 6.7 psi to bursts of up 8.5 psi.  Developing 140 hp and 166lbs of torque it was quick and had the badges to match.  

So how fast was she Vinny ! ?

0-60 in 9.0 (sec)

0 - ¼ mile 16.8 (sec)

Top Speed:  128 mph (unrestricted)

Hands down one of the sexiest, unique and rare breeds of Mazda sport sedans.  The Speed Six was herald as one of the most technologically advanced of its time fondly it has been an underdog of the JDM community.  

Boosted?  Hell Yeah!  Producing 274 hp the 2.3 liter DOHC Direct Injection Turbocharged top-mounted intercooled engine could pump up to 15.6 psi from its Borg-Warner KKK K0422-882 single-scroll turbo. 

It had all-wheel drive coupled to a 6psd manual however Evo’s and STi’s of the day would bully the MSP into races knowing well they could out rally it.

So how fast was she Vinny ! ? (Fast I own one)

0-60 in 5.7 (sec)

0 - ¼ mile 14.1 (sec)

Top Speed:  149 mph (restricted)

With a screaming 8400 rpm redline, the modified B18C DC2 pumped out an astonishing 195 hp out of 1.8 liters stunning for its time.  Revered as one of the best sports coupes of the 90′s it could hang with GT-R’s of the day. 

Handcrafted to an extent every unit produced was of utmost quality, designed in the interest of weight savings and the JDM version was even 33lbs. Lighter.  

Driving was like riding a motorcycle.  The free-revving DOHC V-TEC coupled to a short-throw 5-speed manual made for quick work to 100 mph and weighing in at 2300 lbs a double-wishbone delight in the switchbacks.

These JDM gems are fetching over $60,000 for pristine examples and are worth every dime.

So how fast was she Vinny ! ?

0-60 in 6.2 (sec)

0 - 1/4 mile 14.8 (sec)

Top Speed:  149 mph (unrestricted)

Rabbit’s Hat:  The only other competing engine capable of over 8000 plus rpm redline at the time was the infamous Renesis 13B “Type S” JDM trim RX-8.

One of my favorite drift machines of all time . The 1987 Nissan Silvia Turbo  (S12) was featured in hatch and coupe form from 1983 - 1989 in the US market as the 200sx. The hatch featured a 1.8 liter SOHC Garrett T25 non intercooled Turbo (yep that’s right) engine (CA18ET) that produced 133 hp and 142 ft-lb. 

With a curb weight just shy of 2600 lbs (200 lbs less than an FRS) and a chassis that just delights in corners, this mini Godzilla would forever live to battle its mortal enemy the infamous 1986 Toyota Corolla GT-S (AE86) on the roads of Akina Pass.  

So how fast was she Vinny ! ?

0-60 in 8.2 (sec)

0 - 1/4 mile 16.3 (sec)

Top Speed:  131 mph (unrestricted)