15 quirky Japanese cars of the 1990s

Big (or small) in Japan

There are many words you could use to describe Japan. ‘Beautiful’ is one, with ‘exotic’ being another. Perhaps even ‘enigmatic’. One that definitely applies is ‘busy’, closely followed by ‘crowded’.

However, this sheer density of population, combined with some incredible ingenuity, has encouraged Japanese designers to come up with some of the most unusual cars ever seen, some of which have made it overseas, and others that haven’t.

Here’s our countdown of 15 of the most unusual classic cars to come out of Japan in the ’90s.

1. Subaru SVX (1991-’96)

Subaru was becoming known for making a success of the things it tried. So, it did well in the ‘funky farmer’ market with its Brat pick-up.

But that wasn’t enough, so it started to look at the world of rallying. Domination duly followed.

What’s next? The luxury coupé market. Blimey, that was surely a step too far.

So along came the SVX (Subaru Vehicle X, whatever that means) coupé, with a 3.3-litre flat-six engine and odd windows within windows that seemed perfect for being a) trickier to see out of, and b) more difficult to reach through at a car park ticket machine.

Subaru SVX (cont.)

Nevertheless, sales were helped by the fact that it was enormously well equipped and relaxing to drive. Sporty it was not, but comfortable it most certainly was.

However, European buyers wanted a manual gearbox, which the Subaru did not have. The company also reputedly lost money on every car.

2. Suzuki X-90 (1995-’97)

Some sports cars extol the fact that you feel like you’re in the middle of the car, as a way of feeling central to the action.

But with the Suzuki X-90 you really are in the middle of the car, because there’s pretty much the same distance between you and the front bumper as there is between you and the rear, and this just makes it look a bit odd.

Suzuki X-90 (cont.)

Indeed, if one set of lights wasn’t red, and the other white, it’d be hard to know which way it’s pointing.

Still, in reality, the X-90 handles neatly and is simple to manoeuvre and park.

It doesn’t do anything in a hurry, and there isn’t a huge amount of standard equipment, but that means there isn’t that much to go wrong.

3. Toyota Paseo Mk2 (1995-’99)

Ah, coupés. The sort of cars that are long, low, sensuous, and good at blending sports car enjoyment with the long-distance comfort of a GT. Properly desirable.

Unless, of course, that coupé is a Toyota Paseo, a car so nondescript that it would make ideal transport for a private detective. Or a spy. No one would ever pay attention to it, and they’d forget about it as soon as they were past.

Toyota Paseo Mk2 (cont.)

Still, the Mk2 Paseo was reasonably entertaining on a twisty road, even if the 1.5-litre engine struggled to get you up to any sort of speed where your adrenalin glands might be called into action.

It’s fair to say the Paseo was a relaxed companion and, as such, was actually pretty decent at doing the whole ground-covering GT part of its brief.

Just make sure you take careful note of where you park it, because it’s easy to forget.

4. Honda S2000 (1999-2009)

Back in 1999, Honda was turning 50 – and it was keen to make a song and dance about it.

But karaoke was not Honda’s way. Instead, it looked at the phenomenon that was the Mazda MX-5, and developed a two-seat convertible with a 2.0-litre engine.

It wasn’t any old 2.0-litre engine. Oh no. This one had Honda’s famous VTEC system and a redline at 9000rpm. Yes. Nine thousand. That’s the sort of speed you get from a dentist’s drill.

Honda S2000 (cont.)

Still, it developed a decent 237bhp, which gave the S2000 fine performance.

The engine was mounted entirely behind the front axle, giving the car 50:50 weight distribution, but handling was nevertheless best described as ‘tricky on the limit’. Later versions were more benign.

The cabin was leather-lined and simple, and ahead of the driver was a digital dashboard with a horizontal-bar rev counter featuring that stratospheric redline.

Honda was most definitely looking pretty nifty at 50.

5. Daihatsu Midget II (1996-2001)

The second-generation Daihatsu Midget was a cracking example of Japanese designers being clever and off the wall.

For starters, it had to be small enough to satisfy the kei-car regulations in Japan, which dictate a maximum length of 3.4 metres and a width of no more than 1.48 metres.

Power came courtesy of a 63bhp 660cc engine.

Daihatsu Midget II (cont.)

The Midget II was a two-seater, and the back end was available as either a pick-up or an enclosed van.

Space is at a premium, so the spare wheel was mounted in an unusual position on the front of the car. Presumably, Daihatsu never intended to put the car through a Euro NCAP crash test.

6. Toyota Sera (1990-’95)

Toyota properly got its funk on when designing the Sera, which had dihedral doors even before McLaren did likewise.

Under the bonnet lay a 108bhp 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine that was never going to set the world alight (it had also done service in the Paseo, Starlet and Tercel), but that wasn’t really the point.

The Sera was about looking cool and going slowly enough so that people could really take stock of just how radical the car was as it drove past.

Toyota Sera (cont.)

The substantial glass house, with those huge glass-topped dihedral doors, are the centrepiece of the show, although as with the Subaru SVX, they feature windows within windows that are awkward to use.

Still, they make the Sera easy to manoeuvre and park.

Just make sure all the standard-fit sunblinds are still present, or you’ll cook in summer.

7. Mitsubishi Minica Toppo (1990-’93)

Put together your list of desires for an MPV and it’ll probably comprise space, flexibility and cheap running costs.

The words ‘three doors’ are unlikely to appear on that list. But that’s what the Mitsubishi Minica Toppo is – a three-door MPV.

And if that’s not odd enough, the passenger-side door is longer than the one on the driver’s side, so that people can get into the back seat safely on the passenger side. Crafty.

Mitsubishi Minica Toppo (cont.)

And if that isn’t strange enough, you can have it with four-wheel drive. On a tiny car designed to spend its life in the city.

Still, it was well equipped, with standard kit such as electric windows, foglights, a spoiler at the top of the tailgate (vital downforce) and a six-disc CD changer.

8. Subaru Vivio Bistro (1995-’98)

In the middle of the 1990s, the Subaru brand was approaching its zenith. Its cars were cool, flame-spitting monsters most known for being driven by a laconic Scotsman whose “what if?” gene seemed completely absent.

So, what did it do? It built a car that looked like it had been designed in Birmingham. In 1956. That’s what the Vivio Bistro is, a modern kei car, complete with tiny dimensions and 660cc three-cylinder engine, but with the looks of an Austin 1100.

Subaru Vivio Bistro (cont.)

Indeed, Subaru took the theme even further, with a Club Bistro model that was designed to look like the world’s most impractical London black cab.

Still, at least Subaru saw fit to offer the Vivio model with supercharged or turbocharged versions of the 660cc motor, so it went a lot better than the UK cars it looked like.

9. Daihatsu Naked (1999-2004)

Maybe you’re an ex-soldier with a small garage. Maybe you’re a huge fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger and his vehicles. Maybe a Hummer is just a bit too much of a financial stretch.

Well worry ye not, because Daihatsu has the answer, in the shape of the Naked, which looks like the offspring of a coupling between the glitzy American army transport machine and an original Fiat Panda.

Daihatsu Naked (cont.)

Admittedly, it’s a bit smaller than a Hummer, but this makes it easy to park. It also has a 660cc three-cylinder engine, so it drinks a whole lot less than a Hummer, too.

You could also see the Naked as a bit of a pioneer, because it was a road-focused machine that rocked the off-road look long before such luminaries as the Rover Streetwise and Ford Fiesta Active.

10. Suzuki Cappuccino (1991-’98)

At the end of the 1980s, the Mazda MX-5 was a two-seat drop-top intent on taking over the world, but Suzuki spotted something Mazda was missing.

If you’re going to make a small two-seat roadster, why not make a really small two-seat roadster and use it to dominate the Japanese market.

And so the Suzuki Cappuccino was born. It conformed fully to kei-car regulations, so was only 3.3 metres long and had a turbocharged 660cc three-cylinder engine up front.

Suzuki Cappuccino (cont.)

The 50:50 weight distribution meant the handling was nimble and assured, and the tiny dimensions mean you have a huge amount of space to play with, even on a narrow and twisty road.

Indeed, the Cappuccino truly lives up to its name, because it gives you a raised pulse rate every time you get into it, akin to the one you get from a strong brew.

11. Toyota WiLL Vi (1999-2001)

The day Toyota’s designers revealed the WiLL Vi to their bosses at the end of the 1990s, senior management must have engaged the services of their local water toxicity testing service, just to make sure that no one had been ‘enhancing’ the supply to the design office.

Talk about a break from the norm. The WiLL Vi looks a bit like a plastic garden storage box, with a coal and log bunker at either end. It has straight lines where you expect curves, and curves where you expect straight lines.

Toyota WiLL Vi (cont.)

And oddly, no matter how hard you look, you won’t find a Toyota badge anywhere on the car.

Under the skin are the oily bits and platform from the first-generation Toyota Yaris, so it has a 1.3-litre engine, which is linked to a four-speed automatic gearbox.

But it was also truly green, with recyclable materials used for the bumpers and interior plastics, and sound-deadening from scrapped vehicles.

12. Nissan Figaro (1991)

The Nissan Figaro is another of those cars that demonstrates the Japanese penchant for old stuff. So, it has an appearance based on that of a 1950s German convertible called the Gutbrod Superior.

The Figaro may have looked old school, but inside it was thoroughly modern, with niceties such as air-conditioning, electric windows and a CD player.

Still, the interior looked as classic as the exterior, with Bakelite-style switchgear and leather seats with contrasting piping.

Nissan Figaro (cont.)

A 75bhp 1.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine gave the Figaro reasonable zing, although the standard three-speed automatic transmission did its best to blunt performance.

Still, the Figaro was designed for a life in an urban environment, so an auto suited it just fine.

It wasn’t in any way exciting to drive, but hey, you could fold back the roof and look classically chic as you ambled past, which is exactly what the Figaro was all about.

And this quirky model has since gained a big, passionate and enthusiastic following in Japan and abroad, including here in the UK.

13. Honda Beat (1991-’96)

Honda has always been known for dancing to a different beat from its rivals, and when it entered the kei-car marketplace in 1991, naturally it did things differently.

So, the Beat is a mid-engine two-seater, where most rivals have the engine at the front or back.

Indeed, the Beat was the last car to be personally approved by company founder Soichiro Honda.

Honda Beat (cont.)

In another example of Honda ‘going its own way’, the 660cc engine had no turbocharger or supercharger, instead it had individual throttle bodies for each cylinder.

However, that mid-engined layout brought compromises, because there was next to no space for luggage.

Still, the Beat was so much fun to drive that you’d probably just do the return journey in one day instead of staying overnight.

14. Autozam AZ-1 (1992-’94)

It’s fair to say that the more Japanese authorities tried to restrict car designers with the tight kei-car regulations, which stipulated tiny dimensions and engines, the more ingenious those designers became.

And the Autozam AZ-1, the result of a collaboration between Mazda and Suzuki, was one of the most radical kei-car designs of all.

Okay, if you were to walk past one in the street, you might think ‘unusual’. But then if you saw someone getting in or out of it, your jaw would hit the floor. Why? gullwing doors, that’s why.

Autozam AZ-1 (cont.)

The doors on the Autozam AZ-1 are properly radical, taking all that’s good about the De Lorean DMC-12 or Mercedes-Benz SL, but putting it all on a hot wash and shrinking it to fit Japanese streets.

The AZ-1 was also lighter than an original Lotus Elise, so was huge fun when you got out on to some twisty roads.

15. Daihatsu Copen (1999-2012)

When the Daihatsu Copen Concept was unveiled at the 1999 Tokyo motor show, it was immediately obvious that the designers had taken inspiration from the Nissan Figaro that had been on sale for quite a few years, and given it a much more modern twist, with elements of the Audi TT Roadster thrown in for good measure.

So, under the bonnet lay the usual 660cc three-cylinder kei-car motor, which drove the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox.

A four-speed automatic transmission was also available in some markets.

Daihatsu Copen (cont.)

However, the super-cool aspect of a Copen, which was guaranteed to stop passers-by in their tracks, was that it had an electrically powered hardtop roof.

However, it was small. Really small – as in you could almost reach over and open the boot from the driver’s seat.

Still, Daihatsu crammed a lot of kit into that tiny space, including air conditioning, electric windows, a CD player and optional leather trim.