Project JDM

Nissan Silvia S-Chassis: The Drift King Lineage A Quiet Sports Coupe That Changed Everything The Nissan Silvia S-chassis lineage S13, S14, S15 represents one of the most influential families of cars in JDM history — n

Updated 3w ago

The 9 JDM Legends: A Complete Guide to Japanese Sports Car Icons

The 9 JDM Legends: Japan's Greatest Sports Cars What Defines a JDM Legend? The term "JDM Legend" carries weight. To earn this title, a Japanese sports car must combine motorsport heritage, engineering significance, cu

Updated 3w ago

Subaru WRX STI Hawkeye: The Boxer Engine Rally Icon

Subaru WRX STI Hawkeye: The Final GD Generation Subaru's Rally Roots The Subaru Impreza WRX STI Hawkeye 2006-2007 represents the final generation of the iconic GD chassis Impreza. Built during Subaru's peak World Rall

Updated 3w ago

Toyota AE86 Trueno: The Touge King and Drift Origin

Toyota AE86 Trueno: The Touge King The Last Rear-Wheel-Drive Corolla The Toyota AE86 Corolla Levin and Sprinter Trueno 1983-1987 hold a unique position in JDM history. They were among the last rear-wheel-drive Corolla

Updated 3w ago

Mitsubishi Evo IX: The Final Pure Rally Warrior

Mitsubishi Evo IX: The Final Pure Rally Warrior WRC Heritage Born to Race The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX CT9A launched in March 2005 as the 9th generation of Mitsubishi's rally-bred sedan. By this point, the Evo h

Updated 3w ago

Toyota Supra MK4: The 2JZ Legend That Conquered the Tuning World

Toyota Supra MK4: The 2JZ-GTE Legend A Sports Car Born from Endurance Racing When Toyota launched the A80 Supra in 1993, the company was at the peak of its motorsport prowess. The Supra had earned legitimate racing cr

Updated 3w ago

Nissan Skyline GT-R R34: The Godzilla Legacy and Cultural Impact

The R34 GT-R: Godzilla's Final Form The Godzilla Legacy The Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 stands as the final and most celebrated entry in the original Skyline GT-R lineage. Born from Nissan's Group A racing dominance in th

Updated 3w ago

Mazda RX-7 FD3S: The Last Great Rotary Sports Car

Mazda RX-7 FD3S: The Last Rotary Sports Car A Different Kind of Legend While most JDM legends rely on conventional reciprocating engines, the Mazda RX-7 FD3S stands alone with its 13B-REW twin-turbo Wankel rotary engi

Updated 3w ago

Sportsland Sugo: The Northeastern Circuit

Sportsland Sugo is northern Japan's premier race circuit. 3.704 km of forested elevation changes, regular Super GT host, and culturally important to Tohoku region motorsport.

Updated 3w ago

JDM Year in Review: 2010 — The Modern Era Begins

2010 marks the beginning of the modern JDM era. Lexus LFA launches, R35 GT-R dominates Nürburgring, Instagram changes how JDM culture is documented and shared.

Updated 3w ago

Tsukuba Super Lap: Records Across Four Decades

Tsukuba Super Lap records have evolved from 60+ seconds in the 1980s to sub-50 seconds today. Four decades of Japanese tuning progress in one venue.

Updated 3w ago

Smokey Nagata's M3 Record Run

Smokey Nagata followed his famous Supra 197 mph run with a Top Secret-tuned BMW M3 reaching 196 mph in 2007. Cross-platform tuning legend.

Updated 3w ago

Isao Tsuzuki: The Supra MK4 Chief Engineer

Isao Tsuzuki led the Toyota Supra MK4 A80 program and made the critical decisions — the 2JZ-GTE design brief, the Getrag V160, the over-engineering philosophy — that defined the car.

Updated 3w ago

Masato Kawabata: The 5-Time D1 Champion

Masato Kawabata won 5 D1 Grand Prix championships between 2009 and 2015. He's statistically one of the most successful drift drivers in history, known for driving a drift R35 GT-R.

Updated 3w ago

Time Attack: From Tsukuba to Global Movement

Time attack started at Tsukuba in the 1980s as Japanese tuner shop competition. It became a global motorsport with championships in Japan, US, Australia, and Europe.

Updated 3w ago

Akio Toyoda: The CEO Who Saved Toyota's Soul

Akio Toyoda is the rare CEO who actually races. He personally competes at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. He made Toyota build the GR86, the new Supra, the GR Yaris — all against profit pressure.

Updated 3w ago

Nürburgring Records: The Green Hell Chapter

The Nürburgring Nordschleife is the ultimate test for a performance car. Japanese manufacturers have built their reputations there — from the R33 GT-R's sub-8 breakthrough onward.

Updated 3w ago

Shigeru Uehara: The Father of the Honda NSX

Shigeru Uehara led the Honda NSX development team through the first-generation launch. Without his vision, Honda might never have built the mid-engine supercar that changed the world.

Updated 3w ago

JDM Year in Review: 1990 — Godzilla Arrives

1990 is one of the most important years in JDM history. NSX launches, R32 GT-R debuts in Group A racing, Carlos Sainz wins WRC in Toyota Celica GT-Four.

Updated 3w ago

JDM Year in Review: 2005 — The Rise of D1 Grand Prix

2005 was the year drift went professional. Evo IX launches, Tokyo Drift in production, D1 Grand Prix drives drift competition mainstream, JGTC becomes Super GT.

Updated 3w ago

JDM Year in Review: 1985 — The Era Begins

1985 marks the start of the modern JDM enthusiast era. RX-7 FC launches, AE86 drift culture emerges, Japanese magazine and tuning industry takes off.

Updated 3w ago

Katsuhiro Ueo: The Team Orange AE86 Legend

Katsuhiro Ueo ran Team Orange and kept an AE86 Trueno competitive in D1 Grand Prix when everyone else had switched to the Silvia. His aggressive style was a crowd favorite.

Updated 3w ago

Pikes Peak: Japanese Cars at the Race to the Clouds

Pikes Peak is one of motorsport's oldest events. Japanese performance cars have competed for decades, with multiple class wins from R35 GT-Rs, WRX STIs, and Lancer Evos.

Updated 3w ago

Toyonori Tanahashi: The RX-7 and Rotary Program Architect

Toyonori Tanahashi shaped Mazda's rotary program from the Cosmo Sport through the SA22C RX-7. His engineering work established the template for every RX-7 generation.

Updated 3w ago

Naganori Ito: The R32 and R33 GT-R Engineer

Naganori Ito led the R32 GT-R chassis development — the car that became Godzilla through 52 consecutive wins in Group A racing. Without him, there's no modern GT-R lineage.

Updated 3w ago

Mine Circuit: The Underground Drift Mecca

Mine Circuit is Japan's underground drift and tuning track. 2.2 km of technical corners where grassroots racers and emerging tuners proved themselves.

Updated 3w ago

Fuji Speedway: The Long-Straight Classic

Fuji Speedway is Japan's high-speed circuit. 4.563 km with a 1.5 km main straight. Home to WEC, Super GT, and the famous 300R sweeping corner.

Updated 3w ago

Manabu Orido: The Versatile Japanese Racer

Manabu Orido is Japan's most versatile racing driver. JGTC, Super GT, D1 Grand Prix, Nürburgring 24h — he's raced in all of them. Decades of Japanese racing experience.

Updated 3w ago

Nobuteru Taniguchi: The Serial D1 Champion

Nobuteru Taniguchi won two D1 Grand Prix championships (2002, 2004) and competed in Super GT. He's one of the most technical drift drivers ever to compete.

Updated 3w ago

Keiichi Tsuchiya: The Drift King

Keiichi Tsuchiya is the most influential driver in drift history. Without his Pluspy footage, drifting as a discipline wouldn't exist. This is his complete story.

Updated 3w ago

Kazuyoshi Hoshino: The Nismo Racing Legend

Kazuyoshi Hoshino is Japan's most decorated touring car driver. He won 3 consecutive JTCC championships in the Group A R32 GT-R and 50+ consecutive races for Nismo.

Updated 3w ago

Youichi Imamura: The 2003 D1 Grand Prix Champion

Youichi Imamura won the 2003 D1 Grand Prix championship in a Nissan S15 Silvia. His clean, methodical driving style proved consistency could win at the highest level.

Updated 3w ago

Shinichiro Sakurai: The Godfather of Skyline

Shinichiro Sakurai is the engineer most responsible for the Nissan Skyline's identity. Over 40 years at Nissan, he shaped every major Skyline generation from the Hakosuka to the R33.

Updated 3w ago

Kazutoshi Mizuno: The Father of the R34 and R35 GT-R

Kazutoshi Mizuno is one of the most important automotive engineers of the last 30 years — and arguably the single most influential figure in Nissan's modern performance car history.

Updated 3w ago

Takao Kijima: Mazda MX-5 and RX-7 FD3S Engineer

Takao Kijima shaped two of Japan's most important sports cars: the Mazda MX-5 Miata and the RX-7 FD3S. His 'weight-first' philosophy defined a generation of Japanese engineering.

Updated 3w ago

JDM Year in Review: 2015 — The Modern Renaissance

2015 is when JDM culture became mainstream collectible. R32 GT-R import boom, Evo X Final Edition, Bring a Trailer dominance, prices for clean examples explode.

Updated 3w ago

Soichiro Honda: The Founder Whose Principles Guide Honda

Soichiro Honda founded Honda Motor Company in 1946. His racing philosophy, engineering culture, and founding principles still guide every Honda performance car built today.

Updated 3w ago

JDM Year in Review: 2000 — The Peak Era

2000 represents the absolute peak of the JDM era. R34 V-Spec II refresh, Honda S2000 US launch, RX-7 FD3S final years, peak Japanese magazine and tuning culture.

Updated 3w ago

JGTC / Super GT: Japan's Premier Touring Championship

JGTC and Super GT are Japan's premier touring championships. Since 1994, they've showcased race-specialized Nissan GT-R, Honda NSX, and Toyota Supra in GT500 class.

Updated 3w ago

JDM Year in Review: 1995 — Refinement and Initial D

1995 brought refinement to JDM culture. R33 GT-R breaks 8 minutes at Nürburgring, Integra Type R DC2 launches, Initial D manga begins its global influence.

Updated 3w ago

Ebisu Circuit: The Drift Paradise

Ebisu Circuit is the world's most famous drift track. Multiple layouts for every skill level, home of Drift Matsuri, and pilgrimage destination for international drifters.

Updated 3w ago

Tsukuba Circuit: Japan's Time Attack Temple

Tsukuba Circuit is Japan's time attack temple. 2,045 meters of technical corners where every JDM tuning shop tests their claims. The benchmark that matters.

Updated 3w ago

Suzuka Circuit: Japan's F1 Heritage Track

Suzuka Circuit is Japan's F1 heritage venue. 5.807 km figure-8 layout with the famous 130R corner. Host of the Japanese Grand Prix and Super GT finale.

Updated 3w ago

Datsun 240Z to 280Z: The Original JDM Sports Car

The complete story of the Datsun 240Z through 280Z. Covers history, each generation, buying tips, common issues, and popular modifications for the S30 Z.

Updated 3w ago

The Best JDM Cars Turning 25 in 2027

A guide to the most significant JDM cars becoming US import-eligible in 2027, covering the V-Spec II Nur, Spirit R, final S15, Evo VII, and more.

Updated 3w ago

Suzuki Cappuccino: The Tiny Turbo Roadster

Complete guide to the Suzuki Cappuccino EA11R and EA21R kei roadster, covering the F6A and K6A turbo engines, handling, buying tips, and mods.

Updated 3w ago

The Best JDM Cars From Each Decade: 1970s to 2000s

From the Hakosuka to the Evo X, the definitive list of the most significant JDM cars from each era of Japanese automotive history.

Updated 3w ago

How to Build a Track-Ready JDM Car for Under $15K

Budget guide to building a track-ready JDM car under $15K including platform selection, safety gear, suspension, brakes, and tire recommendations.

Updated 3w ago

Kei Cars Explained: Japan's Tiny Performance Machines

Under 660cc and 64HP by law, kei cars are Japan's unique contribution to automotive culture. Why these tiny machines have a cult following.

Updated 3w ago

Right-Hand Drive Daily Driving: Tips From Owners Who Do It

Drive-throughs, highway merging, and parking — real-world tips from people who daily drive right-hand drive cars in the US.

Updated 3w ago

Budget JDM Builds: Best Platforms Under $10K

A guide to the best JDM car platforms you can still buy under $10,000 in 2026. Covers S-chassis, Miata, Civic, IS300, and more with build budgets.

Updated 3w ago

Best First JDM Car: 10 Options for Beginners

Starting your JDM journey? These 10 cars offer the best balance of affordability, reliability, and community support for first-time buyers.

Updated 3w ago

Understanding Kei Cars and Kei Trucks: Japan''s Micro Vehicle Revolution

A comprehensive introduction to Japanese kei cars and kei trucks, covering regulations, popular models, pricing, legal status, and practical applications.

Updated 3w ago

Best JDM Cars That Never Came to America

A ranked guide to the best JDM cars never sold in America. Covers the Skyline GT-R, Silvia S15, Integra Type R, kei sports cars, and more.

Updated 3w ago

Suzuki Cappuccino: The Kei Car with Supercar DNA

Rear-wheel drive, turbo 3-cylinder, and weighing less than 1,600 pounds. The Cappuccino proves you do not need power to have fun.

Updated 3w ago

Mazda RX-7 FD3S: Complete JDM Import and Ownership Guide

Complete guide to importing and owning a Mazda RX-7 FD3S: production history, Spirit R variants, what to inspect, reliability truth, rebuild costs, and current prices.

Updated 3w ago

Toyota Supra (JZA80) Import and Ownership Guide

JDM Toyota Supra JZA80 import guide: JDM vs USDM differences, trim levels, current prices, import eligibility by year, common issues, and ownership costs.

Updated 3w ago

Nissan Skyline GT-R Buyer's Guide: R32, R33, and R34 Compared

Complete buyer's guide comparing the Nissan Skyline GT-R R32, R33, and R34: specs, variants, current prices, common issues, and which generation is right for you.

Updated 3w ago

Best JDM Cars for Daily Driving in 2026

Our picks for the best JDM cars you can realistically daily drive in 2026, from the Honda Integra Type R to the Toyota Chaser JZX100.

Updated 3w ago

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before Buying

Complete buyer's guide to the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Generations breakdown (Evo I-X), performance specs, common issues, market values, ownership costs, and what to look for when buying your dream Evo.

Updated 3w ago

Best JDM Cars You Can Buy Right Now Under $30,000

You do not need six figures to own a proper JDM car. From the Honda S2000 to the Mitsubishi Evo VIII, here are the best options under $30K.

Updated 3w ago

Nissan Skyline GT-R Complete Buyer's Guide: R32, R33, R34 Comparison

Everything you need to know before buying a Nissan Skyline GT-R. Compare R32, R33, and R34 generations with specs, pricing, common issues, and import tips for your dream JDM legend.

Updated 3w ago

Best JDM Cars to Import in 2026: Complete Buyer's Guide

Discover the top JDM cars eligible for import in 2026 under the 25-year rule. From Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 to Toyota Supra, we cover performance specs, import costs, and buying tips.