1989 Mitsubishi Minica Dangan ZZ

CRAZY JDM #7

This is the Mitsubishi Minica Dangan ZZ. It is a kei car, a Japanese specification of car with limited size and power. No rules on turbos though, resulting in this 'fast' Minica. It is the first production car to have a 5 valve per cylinder engine if you're interested. This is one of many crazy versions of the 6th generation Minica, there was a tall one called the 'Toppo' and an asymmetrical one called the 'Lettuce'. At least 'Dangan' means bullet.


IS IT TOO POWERFUL TO BE A KEI CAR THEN?
It may look like it but no. It still has a tiny enough engine with a fair amount less than 100hp, but it's turbo,  4WD and accelerates like a bullet compared to other kei cars. So it's still an official kei car.

HOW FAST?
It's a kei car made before regulations got a bit more lax so it won't be too fast.
63bhp
0-62 mph in 8.9 seconds
93mph

MORE PICTURES PLEASE!

Asymmetric grille almost exclusively found on kei cars.

Rear view.

Next up, the Minica Toppo. They should've called it the Minica Topple.

The adorable Minica that replaced the 1989 model had a retro trim, looks like a London taxi.

Now that I'm running out of Dangan ZZ pictures here is another weird Minica, the lettuce. That's its actual name. No joke.

CAN I BUY ONE?

It all looks quite good. Is it cheap? Yes (£2,000 to £6,000)! Is an older model past the US import cap? Yes! Is it very rare and thus almost impossible to find spare parts for? ...yes.

CRAZY JDM RATING

Silly styling? NO

Silly engineering? YES

Silly idea behind it? YES

●●◦2/3 Although it's not the most bonkers JDM, it's close.

1991 Subaru Alcyone SVX

CRAZY JDM #6

This is the Subaru SVX. Aka the SVX Alcyone. Alcyone is the star in the Subaru logo and this car was the 'star' in Subaru's car range at the time. Replacing the oddballish and boxy XT this car is one of a kind. It looks ugly, then it looks pretty. It looks luxurious, then tacky. It was even styled by Giugiaro. And its windows were huge. It reminds me of the Renault Avantime but even cooler.


WHY DO I RECOGNISE IT'S SHAPE?
A certain article I found has an answer and it's simple; they could have stolen it. Although not proven, they may have 'magpied' some of the design cues off of a Ford concept (see photos for more). Despite all that, I can still appreciate the car for what it is. A pinnacle of Subaru's creativity. If it were something like a BMW I'd guarantee it would sell - but this factor combined with the economy's collapse made it owe the company a loss equating to about 75 million (Ouch). Regardless, I prefer its styling to the Ford concept. And remember, you can't drive the Ford concept though, but you can drive this.

HOW FAST?
Not a Ferrari, but not a slouch either. Compare & contrast with the Eunos Cosmo.
230bhp
0-60 in 7.1 seconds
154mph

MORE PICTURES PLEASE!

This is how they showcased aerodynamics in the 90s

A whole load of meaty camera shots

Looks like this picture is from a brochure

Its predecessor, the Alcyone XT. I might cover this car in the future.

The comparison from the article I mentioned earlier.

CAN I BUY ONE?

Why, yes. they were sold in the US. They also depreciate a lot too so you decide if that's good or bad. If you're in the UK then you're in luck (if you're reading this once that car is sold then I'm very sorry). But regardless of where you are remember that this car is very rare even if not that pricey (£2,000 to £7,000).

CRAZY JDM RATING

Silly styling? YES

Silly engineering? NO

Silly idea behind it? YES

●●◦2/3 Although it's not the most bonkers JDM, it's close.

1990 Mazda Eunos Cosmo

CRAZY JDM #5

This is the Eunos Cosmo. It may look ordinary, but this is a car with a very special engine. A Twin Turbo 3 Rotor engine. 'Rotary Power' may as well be Mazda's slogan and this certainly has masses of the aforementioned 'rotary power'. Released under Mazda's ill fated luxury brand 'Eunos', this attempt at a GT car is really something special.


ISN'T THERE THAT REALLY OLD MAZDA COSMO THING TOO?
Well, yeah. The original Mazda Cosmo was the first ever mass produced car with a rotary engine and later models such as this one continue the legacy. Also according to Wikipedia, this was Mazda's top of the line 'halo model' and contained many revolutionary electronic features for its time including; a colour touch screen controlling climate control, analog TV, GPS navigation, radio, CD, and an actual mobile phone. That's luxurious even for today's standards!

HOW FAST?
Yeah, it's pretty fast.
296bhp
0-60 in 7.5 seconds
155mph

MORE PICTURES PLEASE!

Rear view.

Comparison with Mazda's more famed rotary car, the RX-7.

What I'd call a 'sleeper car', you wouldn't expect it to be much faster than it looks but it's very quick.

A very interesting interior.

The original Cosmo, looks like an antique... In a good way.

CAN I BUY ONE?

Though only sold in Japan it is imported to fair range of places. Almost new enough to pass the USA import cap so wait a few months if you want one over there, prices vary a lot. I've seen these go from just £6,000 to the £20,000!

CRAZY JDM RATING!

Silly styling? NO

Silly engineering? YES

Silly idea behind it? YES (an ambitious idea at least)

●●◦2/3 Although it's not the most bonkers JDM, it's close.

2008 Honda Vamos Hobio Travel Dog

CRAZY JDM #4

This is the Honda Vamos Hobio Travel Dog. And no, I'm not kidding. This is a kei car, one of those Japanese economy vehicles with limited size, power and no VTECs. In fact it's a trim level of the Honda Vamos 'kei van' based on the Honda Acty 'kei truck.' This is a trim level designed for (owners of) dogs.


WHAT WERE HONDA THINKING!?
Honda were thinking of Dog owners.
A tiny noddy van for very big dogs. JDM Logic. See the photos page for more info.

HOW FAST?
There are actually performance figures for this! Let's compare with an actual dog.
Travel Dog; 44bhp. Actual dog can't fit on a dyno, maybe it has 'Dog Power' instead of HP.
Travel Dog; 0-60 in 25.7 seconds. Actual dog can't make it to 60.
Travel Dog; 73mph.  World's fastest dog is 28mph slower. But the Honda is way too slow.

MORE PICTURES PLEASE!

Well, you asked for more pictures.

Wipeable and anti-bacterial interior.

Aww, look at the adorable carpet.

Honda's free (and maybe patented) Dog-Hammock.

And to end it all we have a Dog-Bag. Looks kinda cramped to me.

CAN I BUY ONE?

Well it's growing on me now a bit. Despite that I still don't have the desire to buy one and if you do tough, this is an exclusive 2008 model so it's very rare, a normal Vamos is very common in Japan but even then it's not past the US import cap.

CRAZY JDM RATING!

Silly styling? YES

Silly engineering? YES

Silly idea behind it? CERTAINLY

●●●3/3 A very silly car that also manages to be something really cool and unique.

2004 Toyota Porte

CRAZY JDM #3
This is the Toyota Porte. It is a sort of mini people carrier based on the Yaris but don't let that put you off. The Porte has a single sliding door on the left and rear seats that slide all the way back so you can stretch your legs without touching the front seats! (Doing that does nukes the boot space though). This car is aimed at people in wheelchairs due to its accessibility and because Toyota said so.


SO IT'S LIKE A PEUGEOT 1007 THEN?
Well it's based off a small car like the 1007. It has sliding doors like the 1007. It made its début in 2004 just like the 1007. But even though it may not seem that original, Toyota has improved over the 1007 in a very important way: it's quirkiness has a point as it is made to be useful for the disabled. In fact, it still manages to look cool and unlike the 1007, is continued being made today in 2014.
That's a lot of 4 digit numbers.

HOW FAST?
You asked that about this car? Fine, here's the specs for the '06 model with the 130i engine.
86bhp
No data for the rest though, try to look at a similar sized car with the same engine, I honestly don't know. Oh and don't look at a BMW 130i's engine. :)

MORE PHOTOS PLEASE!

Accessibility example. 

Interior view shown in a very weird commercial for it.

Sister model called the 'Spade' (above) and newer Porte (below).

New model in detail.

Modified one because... it exists!

CAN I BUY ONE?

If you're in the USA then its too new to be imported otherwise you can import one for £2,000 to 12,000. Alternatively go and buy a 1007.

CRAZY JDM RATING!

Silly styling? NO

Silly engineering? YES

Silly idea behind it? YES

●●◦2/3 Although it's not the most bonkers JDM, it's close.

1998 Nissan Sileighty

CRAZY JDM #2

This is the Nissan Sileighty. While Nissan is known for their legendary Skyline GTR & Z cars. They also made 2 coupes, the Silvia & the 180SX. These were popular with the youth; who were more likely to crash, especially if they were drifters. 180SXs With damaged front ends would use parts from the '89 Silvia as they fitted perfectly and were cheaper. Thus the Sil(Silvia)eighty(180SX) was born.


SO IT'S NOT AN OFFICIAL MODEL?
Wrong, the Sileighty fad grew so popular that Nissan even made a few models from their factories. Some tuners would even made an Onevia. The One(180SX)via(Silvia) was the same thing in reverse (a Silvia with a 180SX front end) but this was not as popular as the car and front end parts were more expensive.

HOW FAST?
Same stats as 180SX.
205bhp
0-62 in 7.1 seconds
145mph

MORE PHOTOS PLEASE!

Modified

180SX

1989 Silvia

Sileighty Front

Sileighty Rear

CAN I BUY ONE?

Well the Silvia and 240SX were both made in 1989 so an early one is past the US import cap. In other areas they are relatively hard to find but not that expensive. Alternatively you could just get a 180/200/240SX and crash it then replace the front though I wouldn't recommend that. :)

CRAZY JDM RATING!

Silly styling? NO

Silly engineering? NO

Silly idea behind it? YES

●◦◦1/3 A mostly sober car with a couple of cool and different features.

1992 Mazda Autozam AZ-1

CRAZY JDM #1

This is the Autozam AZ-1, It is a Kei Car, a Japanese car specification that has a limited size, engine capacity, horsepower and a special number plate  in exchange for cheaper tax and stuff. Luckily, there's no limit for 0-60 time so we get this, a Kei Car which tries to be sporty. It already looks cool and has all sorts of funky features like gullwing doors (pictured), plenty of standard aero parts and a two-tone scheme. So what else is so special about the AZ1?


WHAT IS AUTOZAM?
One of the many sub-brands of Mazda formed and later abandoned. This one, Autozam was a joint effort with Suzuki to produce a sub-brand specialising in Kei Cars. So most Autozams (including this one) were sold as Suzukis. And just like Autozam itself, this car was discontinued quickly despite its popularity.

HOW FAST?
Even though it may look sporty it's still a 660cc Kei Car so the stats are quite low.
63bhp
0-60 in... nobody knows but it's definitely under 10 seconds.
87mph

MORE PHOTOS PLEASE!

Mazdaspeed Model

Rear View

Side View Modified & Opened. Look at those sweet doors.

Size Comparison

Size Comparison 2... Now it looks like a RC car.

CAN I BUY ONE?

The 25 year import tax in the USA will prevent you from getting one if you live there. If you live somewhere else without the ban you can get one though it would be very difficult and quite pricey as these cars are very rare. If you do manage find one they can be from £6,000 to £16,000. Expensive for a kei car but cheap for gullwing doors. :)

CRAZY JDM RATING!

Silly styling? YES YES YES

Silly engineering? YES

Silly idea behind it? YES

●●●3/3 A very silly car that also manages to be something really cool and unique.

Welcome to CrazyJDMs

This website about all sorts of wacky JDM cars. Every car guy knows their Supras, Skylines, RX7s & NSXs but few have heard of all the wacky JDM cars that have every right to be known.

Or at least, have some acknowledgement :P

I will usually go over each car individually listing the car's purpose, performance figures, some other cool stuff and if the car is available to buy where you are.
So get ready for the ride...

...It's gonna be a fun one.