The Toyota Supra is a popular sports car that many people love for its speed and cool looks. It's known for being powerful and can be modified to go even faster, which makes it a favorite among car fans. People often talk about it because of its history and how it has influenced other cars.
JDM means Japanese Domestic Market. It refers to cars that are made for Japan and may have special features that you won't find in cars made for other countries.
The GR86 is a newer version of the Toyota 86 that has some upgrades to make it even better for driving. It keeps the same fun feel but adds some modern features.
Handling is how a car feels when you turn the steering wheel. A car with good handling is easy to control and feels stable when driving fast or around corners.
A spiritual successor is a new car that tries to be like an older, famous car. It might not be the same model, but it aims to give you a similar feeling when you drive it.
The Toyota Corolla is a small car that many people trust because it lasts a long time and gets good gas mileage. It's designed to be practical and easy to drive, making it a popular choice for everyday use. People often compare newer versions to older sporty models to see how they've changed.
The Ford Torino is a car made by Ford that was popular in the 1970s. It came in different versions, some of which were designed for better performance.
Car
Pontiac Torino
Pontiac was a car brand that made some really powerful and cool cars, especially in the past. They are known for models like the Firebird and GTO, which were popular for their speed and style. People often talk about Pontiac to remember those classic cars and their impact on American driving.
The Nissan Z is a sports car made by Nissan, known for being fast and fun to drive. The RZ34 is the latest version in a long line of Z cars that started with the 240Z.
The Nissan 300 ZX is a sporty car that was made in the 1980s and 1990s, known for being fast and having cool features. It came in different versions, some with more power than others, which makes it interesting to car fans. People talk about it because it was an important part of Nissan's history of making fun cars.
The Nissan 240Z is an older sports car that was popular in the 1970s. It's known for being stylish and fun to drive, and it helped Nissan become well-known for making good sports cars.
Twin turbo means the car has two turbochargers that help the engine produce more power. This makes the car faster and more efficient than if it had just one turbo.
The Mazda MX-5 Miata is a small sports car that seats two people. It's known for being fun to drive and has been made in different versions since it first came out in 1989.
Mazda is a car company that makes fun and sporty cars. One of their most famous models is the Miata, which is a small convertible that many people love to drive because it's light and quick. Mazda cars are often talked about because they focus on making driving enjoyable.
Drifting is when a driver makes a car slide sideways while going around a turn. It's a popular skill in racing and car shows because it looks cool and is fun to do.
The Honda Civic Type R is a sportier version of the regular Honda Civic. It's designed for better performance and handling, making it popular among car fans.
A raw sports car is one that feels very connected to the road and doesn't have a lot of fancy technology to make it easier to drive. It's all about the driving experience and feeling every bump and turn.
The Honda Civic Si is a sportier version of the regular Honda Civic, designed for better performance. It usually has a more powerful engine and sportier features compared to the standard model.
A 1.5 turbo engine is a 1.5-liter engine that uses a turbocharger to make it more powerful. Turbochargers help engines produce more power without making them much bigger.
The Nissan Skyline is a famous sports car, especially the GT-R version, which is loved for being fast and high-tech. The R34 model from the late 90s is particularly popular among car fans and is often talked about because of its racing history. It's a big part of car culture, especially in Japan.
The Nissan GT-R is a super-fast sports car that has been around since 2007 and is known for its amazing speed and technology. It has a special engine that helps it go really fast and handle well on the road. People often talk about it because it's one of the best in its class.
The Chevrolet Corvette is a fast and stylish sports car that many people admire. It's known for being powerful and has a unique design that makes it stand out. The newest versions have a special engine setup that helps it handle better and go even faster.
DCT means Dual-Clutch Transmission, which is a special kind of automatic transmission that helps cars shift gears faster and smoother. It's like having two clutches that work together to make driving easier and more fun.
The 2JZ engine is a powerful engine made by Toyota that many car fans love because it can be modified to go really fast. It's especially known for being in the older Supra models.
The BMW Z4 is a stylish sports car that you can get with a roof that goes down, making it fun to drive on nice days. It's known for being fast and handling well, which makes it enjoyable for people who love driving. Sometimes, people compare it to other cars to see how they stack up against each other.
The Toyota GR Yaris is a small, sporty car made for racing, with a powerful engine and four-wheel drive. It's designed to be lightweight and fun to drive, which makes it special among small cars. People talk about it because it's built for performance and has a strong connection to racing.
The Acura NSX is a fancy sports car that many people think is really cool. It was designed to be lightweight and fun to drive, which makes it special among other cars. People talk about it because it changed how sports cars are made and is still admired today.
LIVE
Hey, and welcome back to the next episode of the Right Hand Drive Guys podcast, the podcast
for guys who like right hand drives.
I'm Bobby.
This is Aaron.
Yeah, yo.
And welcome back to episode 156.
And you know, today, we were like, all right, like, what is, you know, we've talked about
a bunch of, you know, old JDM cars we'd have episodes on 32, 33, 34, Supra episodes,
you know, just different things like this.
And, you know, a lot of what we have talked about here is like 90s, very early 2000s cars.
Right.
Of course, like the legends, the OGs, the, you know, all the names, right?
Right, right.
For those older cars.
The ones that we really didn't get over here.
The golden era, right?
We've talked about the golden era.
What we really haven't dove into is the more recent, I guess you could say, remakes
of these golden era cars that clearly created a name for these companies, right?
Like within a certain niche, right?
Like obviously the Skyline, the Supra, the RX7, right?
Like all of these, these hero cars that now manufacturers are coming back around because
they're like, oh shoot, like we had something there, you know, and, and so they're trying
to come out with modern remakes, right?
Or maybe, maybe not, they never even quit making them.
You know, maybe they just continued on using the same name.
Sure.
Yeah, yeah.
Over all the years.
Right.
Yeah.
For sure.
And so we said, why not just like kind of chat it up about how these cars came out?
Like how, you know, maybe what was so great about them then and then what is the remake
like?
Is the remake even keep up with that one?
Is it because of emissions?
Is it because of styling or price points?
Like what is it?
And so we figured, let's, let's kind of get, get to the nitty gritty of it.
Okay.
So, yeah, let's get started.
So let's talk about the remakes here.
Like what are, what do you think, you know, what are some of the best modern JDM remakes
and, you know, saying JDM just means pretty much within this, you know, is of course
maybe they had the model in Japan maybe they didn't.
But it's a Japanese based manufacturer who's creating the model is why we're
calling it JDM.
Right.
You know.
All right.
So why don't you start off?
What, what do you think is the best modern JDM remake?
Well, I think one of the better ones for sure is the Toyota 86 or the GR86.
You know, it's one of those cars that back in the day it was known for what?
Like not a lot of crazy power, balance.
Super light.
Super light, great, great handling and just an overall good balanced car.
Right.
And I think the modern version, the GR86, I think it carries on with that.
Yeah.
I mean, I would agree.
And, you know, according to, you know, our buddy TJ, he drives his to the track, drives
at home and doesn't have to do much as far as, you know, changing a lot of things.
He just keeps up with the maintenance, changes the oil.
And it's a car that you can take to the track with minimal mods and have tons of fun with.
And it's not overpowered.
It's not turbo or anything.
And I think that kind of, you know, definitely pays homage to the original.
Yeah.
I mean, I would agree it's, it's like, so I would agree 100% the original 86 created
a whole kind of group of enthusiasts, right?
That stuck with it, you know, to the point where like Alibaba's making like fake copy,
whole literal chassis of it.
And I think that that group of enthusiasts stuck with that car.
And yeah, I think some of them moved over to the new one, but I think the new one
created a literal whole new group of enthusiasts around that car.
I know that for sure, because when I was in Japan last, or the time before last,
I was at ours meeting and one of the parking lots of Fuji was rented out for a
drift event that was literal hundreds of those cars.
All those cars, it was only those cars.
It was like some event for a club, but I had never that opened my eyes up to
the car because I'm not really into the car.
It's cool, but like it's just not my thing.
And seeing all of those people like drifting with these cars like open my
mind to the fact that like, yeah, there's a huge following.
There's super multi-purpose like a really, I don't know, a really good car.
So I think that Toyota did hit the mark.
Right.
It is kind of weird though.
Most 86s that you see like carry on the same style.
Most of them are NA, you don't see a lot of turbo ones, right?
Because that's not what, that's not the experience they're looking for, I guess.
So yeah, anyways, I think they paid pretty good homage to it.
I think that was a win.
And okay, so this is a good one.
Is this the spiritual successor to the AE86?
Or is it like just a modern sports coupe borrowing the name
and trying to live off the hype?
No, no, it's not it's not trying to live off the hype.
I think it is.
It's a true successor to the original, especially the the later
GR versions, right?
The GR versions, for sure.
It makes sense.
That's a which we, you know, back then in late 80s, whatever,
you didn't get a sport version of the 86.
Did you like it was it was what it was.
There wasn't necessarily base in sport.
Well, yeah, they did.
But it wasn't like a sport.
It was the Torino or yeah, right, right.
There was an 85 and 86 85 had a smaller engine, you know, didn't
have didn't have the things like the LSD and a few other key parts.
But but yeah, there was a ton of them out there.
All right.
So OK, here's the next one, right?
The Nissan Z, AKA the RZ 34, you know, compared to
the original, which is the 240Z slash 300ZX.
Yeah.
I mean, I'm going to be real, the Z isn't my like most favorite car.
I do think that the retro design cues are on point.
You know, it's clean, simple, nostalgic, not too cheesy, right?
Like, you know, they didn't make it too much like the old one
or make it too future focused.
So like I haven't driven one, but I just I personally don't love them.
But I do think that they're paying homage to the original, you know,
it's real driving, get in a manual, it's twin turbo.
It's yeah, the modern performance with the heritage styling.
Right.
Price point, maybe not.
Yeah.
Maybe not, you know, especially compared to what we were just
talking to about with the 86.
Like price point on Nissan Zen and then, of course, the dealer gouging
maybe a little too much.
But I do think, I don't know, I wouldn't, I personally wouldn't
call this an accessible sports car.
I dude, how many have you seen?
Like, I mean, even in Japan, you don't see many.
Like I saw a couple of last time I went, but it's not like
they're all over the place.
No.
And same here.
I mean, I don't think I've seen a single one in Maine.
No, I mean, I'm only at the dealership for sale, but yeah,
yeah, way too, too, way too much for, right, that 18 to 28.
Yeah, dude, that's 60 grand.
Yeah, that's a lot of money, dude.
That's a lot of money, dude.
That's a lot of money.
Yeah.
I mean, I think they, they hit the mark with the styling on it.
Like if you look at the silhouette of your original 240 and
you see this one, it's pretty decent.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's cool.
And like you can see other little styling cues that kind of pay
homage to it.
And I think that's pretty cool.
Yeah.
But yeah, I don't know.
They, the, they're just so expensive.
I like, I don't know if they should have maybe just went with
an NA engine and maybe made it cheaper, made a little bit cheaper.
The 40s, 40s, 45 or like, you know, try to get it down to 30 something.
It would be like almost too cheap.
They couldn't put it.
I mean, I don't know.
I'm not an ESOM, but obviously it's not working for them anyways.
But I mean, I don't know.
Yeah.
Do you think the new Z feels like a driver's car or is it just like a
modern, like whatever kind of sports car with retro cues in a shell?
It's hard to say, man, because I mean, you really got to be able to drive it.
Right, right, right.
But I know, okay, well, one thing I do know is when they, they
originally came up with the Nismo Z, it was an automatic only.
Oh, well.
So that kind of leans towards the like, this is kind of like, what?
Come on.
That's not what the driver wants.
Yeah.
I like 99% sure.
I know it sounds crazy, but I was like, what?
I mean, I was hoping I saw a meme whenever I read it, but I'm just like,
why would you do that?
Like, how is that a driver's car when you take away like the one thing?
I don't know if they went back and revised it since, but I'm sure
because they sold probably none.
Yeah, they're like, dude.
And it was the old dudes, you know, that had a Z back in the day.
All right.
I know you got, I know you got one that's a little out of the, out of the
usual for us, out of the usual for sure.
I mean, these are spicy.
The MX five.
So what is that?
A Miata?
Yeah.
Our Roadster.
Oh, okay.
So they're on their fourth generation now.
And if you've seen Miata's throughout the years, they started with the NA,
which was, you know, the basic.
The, the one that started it all, right?
The one day they hit all their marks and super cool, right?
And cheap kind of, right?
The NB was a little bit of a more modern version.
They got rid of the pop-up headlights and whatnot.
Okay.
Then they went to the NC.
And that's the one that I always call like a boat.
Like that's the one that just ugly.
Yeah, it kind of, they look like, I don't know if you raised them
and put dirt tires on them.
They'd look like a doom buggy.
Yeah, they do.
They just, you know what I mean?
Yeah.
And so with the ND, they went back to their roots and, you know,
it's closer to the NA than any of the other models.
Oh, I see.
So they're getting back there.
Right, right.
And yeah, it's kind of funny.
I think they just dropped the one with the highest horsepower
and it's like barely around 200.
Yeah.
So, right.
That's the thing though, but they, that's their thing.
They're lighter, they're minimalist.
Like, you know, I took, I don't know, it's probably not the ND.
It's probably the one before that.
I took a, I got to test drive from Nick, a sports version
with Brembo brakes and like these different things.
And like, yeah, it's like a little goat cart.
It's like a analog driving feel and like a modern car.
It's more like the driving feel of what it used to be, but
with the gadgets and the, you know, the kind of quality of today.
Right.
Yeah.
I mean, this one, I mean, it kind of continued on with that as well.
Like, my dad had an ND for a short amount of time and I drove it.
And I also had an NA back in the day for a couple months.
And I don't know.
It literally felt like almost the same, except more modern on the inside.
You know, it has the carplay, but everything still feels tight.
Everything still feels like well proportioned.
Like, you know, they made good use of the space.
And yeah, I think I think they hit the mark.
I think they're going in the right direction with the ND.
And I mean, essentially they didn't chase numbers.
They chase the feel.
Yeah, absolutely.
They chase the driving experience over the horsepower.
For sure.
Which like isn't typical, yeah, necessarily today.
A lot of times it's like, oh, we get the highest number, you know, on this thing.
So that makes it the best, but it handles like trash.
Yeah.
Yeah, for sure.
And like a couple other things about it, like the convertibles, you can operate
them with one hand.
You can open and close it with one hand.
Like that's pretty cool.
Like figuring out things like that and just the experience of it makes it
like that much better.
And they also come with I've seen quite a few factory hardtops.
Yeah, that's cool.
They look pretty sick.
Yeah, it's not quite this 2000, but like, you know, maybe.
Well, I mean, you see what's still getting made, right?
Um, so, yeah, I mean, it's like, I don't know.
The one thing I've always liked about it is like, it's like, it's weird with
the, with the Miata's Mazda never chased looking the coolest either necessarily.
Right.
You know, I mean, like, they weren't like trying to be flashy with
like the biggest rims and the coolest, you know, it's like always kind
of stayed purposeful, you know, everything about it.
So, yeah, I, I mean, I'm not a Miata guy.
I think it was cool getting to drift Miata's at fat five land, you know,
Diego, but like that's about the coolest.
All right.
So this one I'm pumped about.
Oh yeah.
Honda boy.
Yeah.
So this one is the Honda Civic type R, you know, so we're kind of
comparing the FL five because I don't like the FK eight.
So like we're not talking about that against like the EK nine.
And you could say the FD two, if, if you wanted those two are, are
definitely Japan's most successful type ours, I would say the EK nine
and the FD two.
Yeah.
Um, so it's like, you know, for me, I've had both.
So this is the one beyond the next one that I can, I could really speak on.
Yeah.
Um, you know, so it's like the FL five is great because it's turbo now, you
know, with the K 20, it's like, that's a very awesome combination.
I think, I think that realistically, if I had to say that the best thing
about the FL five is that motor and that turbo setup, you know, everything
else about it is like, it's cool.
You know, it's got the new tech.
It's got, you know, data logging and like, you know, you can tune it much easier.
You know, there's a lot of those cool type of things, but if you're like
a haunted dude from back in the day, like if you're our age, if you're
between 30 and 40 and you're a haunted dude, like nothing can be like an
NAB series screaming, like this car, the FL five will be the EK nine on
the track every day of the week.
Yeah.
How could it not?
Right.
Like the horsepower is like frigging double, like literally, you know,
and, but like also the weight is like frigging double.
Well, there's a hot version episode about this.
Yeah.
I hope that I hope there is cause like I would love to see it.
Yeah.
I mean, and it's like, you know, over the FKA, the FL five is in
my opinion, like way better.
It tracks like a sports car, but it's got four doors.
You can take it like kind of, you know, if you're a guy like DJ, you
can drive it to the track.
You can have your fun.
You can literally pick up your family on the way home and get dinner.
You know, like you're, everyone's going to fit comfortably.
Yeah.
Um, but like, you know, the real question about these cars and
through everything is like, has it become too refined?
Because in my opinion, the EK nine is a raw, like the EK nine
type R is a raw was made to be a raw, like sports car, right?
Whereas like now, you know, as we know, we drove the FL five down
to Tommy's in Connecticut and like, we weren't, we weren't in a
track sports car, you know, we were push of a button with it.
Yes, we were, but like, there was way too much comfort.
We were way too comfortable to be driving a car that's made to do
those things.
So like, it all depends on what you're looking for.
You know, it's like it is that age old thing, like turbo car
versus high revving NA car.
Right.
I personally, if I'm like on the track and driving it like
that, I would love to feel an NA high revving car over just
the turbo spooling and getting me where I want to go.
Like, I just feel like it's more like you're just more connected.
It's more raw and just like exhilarating in that sense,
running up to 9500 RPM, you know, yeah, so that is my opinion
on it.
I love the FL five.
I think it's great for somebody who does just want to be
able to take it to the track, pick up the family and get
some ice cream.
I think that's awesome.
Like, you don't have to have two separate cars, right?
EK nine, you're not picking up the family and going to get ice
cream.
The kids are bitching in the back because they're literally sitting
on the fuel tank.
Like, you know, it's just not, it's not the same.
So I think they both have their place, but me, I'll always be
like the EK nine guy.
Yeah, I mean, I, right.
I think Honda hit the mark on both of them.
They're just different things.
Yeah, different things.
And I don't think they did, did the name of this service.
The type R badge, they didn't, they didn't, they didn't do that
name dirty.
No, I agree.
I think they had no choice to do what, but to do what they did,
right?
Right.
Like realistically, you could not create an EK nine type R and
have that sell today, right?
Because it would not be able to keep up with all of these
other vehicles, the GR Corolla, the, you know, just these
different vehicles, they couldn't keep up with that.
But plus, I mean, you look at the SI, the SI is like a
1.5 turbo.
Yeah.
So like, how can you have the top model be an NA?
Yeah, for sure.
Yeah, it's just the way that they have been going the last few
years.
Yeah, right.
It had to be what it is.
Yeah.
I mean, I think they did, I think the FK, the FK is like
lame as hell.
If we were talking about that, I'd be downing it because
I just hate that car.
But I do agree that the FL five renewed it for them for sure.
Nice, dude.
So the next one's super obvious, right?
Yeah.
Like we like, how did they take us this long to get to this
one, right?
But it's the GTR.
It's the GTR.
It's the GTR.
How could we not?
Like, how could we not mention it?
Because, yeah, dude, the R34 GTR sick.
Like, oh, yeah, frigging sick.
Okay.
The R35 GTR, like trumpets.
I don't know.
Like what's your take on it?
Like you've obviously had both.
I've only driven both, but as far as owning, modifying,
driving full, full experience, what do you think about the two?
Well, like, where do you always see that?
What track do you always see the 35 on?
What track?
Like what style of track is the 35 always on?
Like a big one?
Like Durburgring or what?
The drag strip.
Right.
Oh, as far as that, like what style of racing?
Right.
It's, it's like, so.
In America, yes.
We in America.
Absolutely.
There's probably in Australia.
There's so many drag.
Oh, that's what it is.
35.
TX2K is 35.
35s and Lambos and R8s.
Dude, even GTR Festival is a drag festival.
Like so that, that's the thing, right?
Like this, the big difference I see between owning and just
everything is that the 35 was built for something different.
Like, yes, of course, fast car on a track like Fuji or the
Nurburgring, of course, you know what I mean?
You, dollar for dollar, you can get way more horsepower out
of a 35 than a 34 dollar for dollar.
You can get way more horsepower.
So the 35 was built for, I mean, granted, it was literally built
almost what 20 years ago it started.
So like, but it came in during the transition that now we see
a standard today.
Yeah.
High horsepower from the factory, these vehicles, you
know, whether you're talking about those frigging dodge
things or like whatever it is, these more and more horsepower
is coming out of vehicles from the factory.
Dude, the frigging Zora Corvette is like insane amount of
horsepower from the factory.
Yeah.
So like, it was almost a head of its time.
It almost started that coming out of the factory at almost
500 horsepower.
Right.
It almost started that trend of the upwards horsepower
between all of these cars, right?
Like, so to me, like, it was almost a head of its time
for that type of thing.
Right.
So when it came out in 2007 or seven was the first one in
Japan, right?
So like that's, yeah, that's the thing is like it was kind
of ahead of its time when you're looking when you're a
purist looking at the 34, you know, that supposedly came
with 272, like, of course, you're like, dude, what is
that thing?
It's like big body, like a frigging like v6, like what
the hell dude, they fuck this up, right?
That's like your thought from the pure standpoint, you
know, but like realistically, they did, the engineers did
know that this is what was coming.
Yeah, this more horsepower, this more capability, and
that frigging thing is capable as hell, like realistically
think about it.
Yeah, like I 100 Gs back in the day for that brand new.
Dude, less than and would keep up with Porsches, McLaren,
like all that.
Yeah, that's crazy.
Right off the showroom floor 2009 for us, right?
Like, yes, that's insane back then.
And I agree.
And I'm not going to down it.
Like, you know, I got one, I bought one for insanely
cheap off a dude that won it in a raffle.
Yeah.
And we fucked with it.
We like, neither of us had like that type of
experience opening up a DCT, dropping off the DCT,
replacing valves, like, but dude, like, we did, we
didn't, but we did.
And if frigging ran awesome.
And like it was, it was like, we have no clue how much
horsepower, but it was full bolt-ons, it would scare
the piss out of both of us with ball tires, dude.
Like it was pretty frigging intense.
I would say it was between five and 600 horsepower.
Like for sure, from what was done to it.
Like, yeah, whatever a full bolt-on tuned 35 is, is
whatever it made.
And I mean, for me, that's not what I'm trying to
necessarily do.
Like I don't need six, 700 horsepower, right?
Like, so it's not for me, but I do think that they
did a good job considering what everything turned
into as far as these factory cars coming with
more horsepower, tune ability, modifications are
just bolt-ons and you got a bunch of power.
Like, I think they did a good job.
Overall, for sure.
I mean, it's, it's, you know what it really is.
First of all, it's not a skyline.
Right.
It's not a skyline, it's a GTR.
It's a GTR.
And so it created like its own legend behind it, right?
I don't even consider it a part of the 32 to 34.
Right.
It's its own separate thing, in my opinion, you know.
That makes sense.
And, you know, I like, I like how Nissan keeps
the same shapes and like uses the same tail lights.
Yeah.
Like.
Yeah, yeah, that was smart.
That's pretty cool.
I think that's pretty cool, but I just wish they didn't
make it so damn big.
Yeah, I know.
But, but that car with that power almost needs to be
that size, I feel like, you know, like it's a, it's
a lot of power, dude.
And if it was a less of a car, would it be too much?
I don't know.
I just remember that picture from back in the day.
I mean, everyone's seen it, right?
It's the cars at Port.
Yeah.
And it's got the R34 parked in front of the R35.
And the R35 is just like towering.
So huge looking compared to the 34.
I don't know.
Um, okay.
So, you know, those I would say are the top five.
Let's blow through, like, you know, four or five that,
like they just didn't, didn't get it.
Yeah, dude.
This dude, the first one, come on.
Like the Supra, the A90, 91 versus the 80.
It's cool that they brought the name back.
You know, that's super cool.
But yeah, I am one of those guys that's like,
why don't you put a 2J in it?
Right.
Why the hell is there a B58?
Why is it?
Like, why did you, like, what's the deal with the collab?
Dude, you guys didn't even come out with a goddamn manual at first.
I know.
Like, you guys are like, what were you trying to do?
I mean, I think they, I've, I've came around on them.
I think they're a little bit cooler now.
Now that you can get them into six feet or whatever it is.
Like, that's cool.
But I mean, I don't know.
Why did you collab with BMW on it?
Yeah.
Like, is it a rebadged Z4 or is it a Supra?
That's the joke, right?
But we've all seen the jokes about it.
Like, and, and I mean, it performs well, right?
You see guys doing stuff with them.
They can look kind of cool, but like the heritage portion of it is much more
than just like being able to burn the tires, right?
Like, like the tunability of the 2JZ and like the legend that came
with that to produce a model that literally doesn't even have a Toyota
engine is is realistically a slap in the face to the enthusiasts that have supported that.
Yeah.
You know, it just it's like, oh, shoot, you're giving us a BMW engine
with not even a six speed.
Like, what the hell?
So yeah, I mean, I agree there.
That's just like a, come on, dude.
Like, but I do see the next generation they're collabing with.
Yes.
What is a Mazda?
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, OK.
I mean, cool.
Like, at least it's a collab and like, hopefully they're doing no, I doubt it,
but like an engine that will go in both of their models that they both put in on.
And it's not just a Mazda engine going in a Toyota.
Yeah.
And why the hell, dude, Toyota created a fricking five or four cylinder
that can put out like 600 horsepower, literally just three cylinders.
Was it three?
A three.
I know they got motors, dude.
Why the frick aren't they using the GR Yaris and the GR Corolla?
No, it's a new one.
And then the right.
It's like that a new one.
Yeah, they're new tech.
Like, what, why are you collabing with Mazda?
That makes like, right, you already have two days.
Like, well, Mazda doesn't even really make a sports car anymore.
Other than the Miata, but like, Mazda doesn't make a sports car anymore.
So I'm just saying, like, you know, so you you're collabing with them
on your flagship sports car.
Yeah, I don't know.
At least it's a Japanese company.
True.
That's why I'm at with.
Yeah, it's not BMW.
All right.
So the NC1 NSX, I personally haven't driven one.
I would like to you brought up a good point.
How many do you really see, especially where we're at?
Yeah, very few.
I didn't realize they made them for like six years.
Yeah.
And like when they first came out, everybody was super hype on it.
You know, the original NSX was light, simple driver focused.
Of course, we're expecting same with the Supra.
And maybe this is biased on a JDM golden era guy's opinion, right?
These two cars, the Supra and the NSX, there's probably guys
that are like, dude, what, you guys are fucking crazy.
But like, you know, the NC1 became like the new hybrid
all wheel drive supercar, yeah, which is like impressive.
Right.
But is it cool?
It's like, yeah, I do know the JGTC ones look sick.
Of course.
I think we saw the garage one.
Yeah, dude, frigging.
That looked cool.
Yeah, with the artist, the artist or whatever, the orange one.
Dude, yeah, they're they're sick, but like so expensive and like
put into the supercar category where you're overshadowed
by your competitors.
It's like they built a tech masterpiece, not like an NSX revival.
They built a whole new thing.
It just has the motor in the rear.
Right.
You know, like that's how I kind of feel about it.
Yeah, I mean, yeah.
Yeah, go you can go ahead with the I would maybe the I got I got
one off list.
I just thought of OK, let's hit it.
The four hundred are why did they do that?
The four hundred are.
Yeah, they made a new one.
The four hundred are like, why dude, you're going to that's
the problem is this is a reach here.
Like you got like what I mean, it is a high horsepower
like car by come on four hundred.
Where's the two seventy are then, right?
And it's a four door.
What's that going to be a leaf or something?
Yeah, like I agree.
I'm not sure why they were doing that.
And we don't see it over here.
But as we're in Japan, we saw it.
We were behind a four hundred.
Are it was an infinity.
Right, right.
It's like the whatever the V V chassis is.
I think they're up to thirty seven.
Seven. Yeah, yeah.
V 36, V 37.
And so they're calling it a four hundred are it is twin turbo.
Like it is like a right, but it's not.
It's not that dude look at like the four hundred are.
It's like you guys are biting to you guys are reaching.
Yeah, I agree there.
And so on that straight to no, you know, the Skyline V 36 to V 37
compared to the last Skyline we remember, which is the thirty four.
Right.
Non GTR, non GTR, you know, is very hard.
They went from yeah.
I mean, the Skyline name, they tried to continue it, but it became that luxury
sedan coupe, you know, basically infinity 35.
Yeah.
But I mean, that's kind of where those base models were.
Sure.
The GTs and the GTs like or whatever the GTSTs were that type of car.
Yeah, I feel like I mean, they hit their marks, right?
And well, yeah.
And also the issue and they didn't use the GTR.
They didn't use they didn't have a GTR version, right?
It moved to the separate platform.
Correct.
Yeah.
So which I get it, you know, like, right?
Like you kind of made it its own class with the big body 35 and like then
you take the Skyline name into like a just the next generation luxury
market kind of as opposed to because before it wasn't like this car from
the factory was not like in the luxury category.
Right.
So it feels like they did move to more of like a the Skyline was more
of I don't want to overuse the word luxury, but that style car like a sports
sedan, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
As opposed to like a little more raw and like, right?
You know, but yeah, I mean, it's I don't know.
It do you think they made the right choice on that?
It is what it is.
I mean, they they did the same thing, right?
They if you look at them at the silhouette, they have the same shape.
You know, the tail lights, they tried, right?
The tail lights, all of them have if, you know, you turn them on, you can see
the circles like yeah, there's still the styling cues.
And I think that's cool that they, you know, kind of kept that throughout.
But I don't know.
I mean, I had to do something.
I have a G 35.
So sedan, yeah, and I have an R 32 and right.
Yeah.
It it definitely is just it's a level up on the right.
It came with leather, like just nicer stuff, more styling, less performance,
which I guess, like, again, makes sense because they put all the performance
into the 35, they kept, I mean, that's still a styling and like, I mean,
the seats in that thing are nice.
Let alone, you know, I mean, so it's like, but yeah, I mean, all right.
So we we did it up.
We did the we did some JDM remakes.
Some some hit, some didn't, you know what I mean?
That's that's always how it's going to be.
Hit us up in the comments.
Hit us up in the DM.
Let us know what we forgot.
Yeah.
What we forgot.
Why we're wrong.
Cuss us out for talking shit about the G 35.
Like that's totally yeah.
Yeah.
Hit us up.
Hey, if you got an FK8 and you want to fight, hit me up.
All right.
Because I don't like your car, but regardless.
Regardless.
Hey, I like you as a person.
I just don't like your car.
But yeah, no, we appreciate you guys listening.
You can always find us on YouTube, on Instagram, all the goods at
our HD GUIS.
Look in the show notes.
Find us in our Facebook group.
Participate.
But for episode 156 JDM remakes, I'm Bobby.
This is Aaron.
See ya.
Peace.
About this episode
Exploring the resurgence of iconic JDM cars, this episode dives into modern remakes of legendary models like the Toyota 86, Nissan Z, and Honda Civic Type R. Bobby and Aaron debate whether these new iterations live up to their predecessors or fall short. They discuss the balance of nostalgia and modern performance, touching on key features, pricing, and driving experiences. The conversation also critiques some remakes that missed the mark, including the A90 Supra and the NC1 NSX, providing a comprehensive look at how these beloved cars have evolved.
In this episode of the Right Hand Drive Guys Podcast, we dive deep into the revival era of Japan’s greatest hits — from the legendary 90s icons to their modern-day counterparts. Are the new versions of the NSX, Supra, and GT-R worthy successors to their golden-age roots, or are they watered-down nostalgia plays wrapped in tech and marketing?
We share our honest takes on what each brand got right (and wrong), debate whether modern engineering kills soul or saves performance, and talk about which cars actually carry the torch of that raw 90s spirit. Expect passionate opinions, plenty of laughs, and a few unpopular takes along the way.
🎙️ From analog heroes to digital titans — are the reborn JDM legends still legends? Tune in and find out.
