Osimabu

iTrader: (2)

I've bought some of the official binders for my collection of 'Japanese Performance' magazine. Based on the ease with which I could fit twelve of them into each binder, it became clear that the early issues were quite thin, by the time they got up to around issue 60, they were very thick (172 pages some months), and nowadays they've tailed right off again to around 112 pages.

The gradual reduction in the number of pages coincided with the start of the recession, but having just bought the latest issue, it occurred to me that the publishers must be struggling to find much to write about each month because there are hardly any new Japanese performance cars being made any longer.

The manufacturers I can think of are Diahatsu, Honda, Lexus, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota.

After a look through the AutoTrader, I found the 370Z (are they still being made?), GT-R and Juke Nismo, the GT86/BRZ and MX-5, but other than those, what else is currently on the market that could be called a Japanese performance car?

This doesn't bode well for the longevity of the two remaining specialist magazines either.

Has Japan finally fallen out of love with high performance cars?

BULLITT

The Impreza is still there albeit for the next year or so it's JDM only.

Its not that they will be struggling for material its more a case that Magazines like that only usually feature or want to show tuning company demos or show cars where the owner has spent £10,000s on the car, in a recession, not many people have the money to invest in such a thing. Proper performance Tuning has always been expensive and in over the last few years, generally speaking, it'd be a pretty safe bet that people would be more interested in trying to keep their finances rather than spending money on tuning parts.

Another reason is natural progression. We see it a lot on here, natural progression from Japanese performance cars is to German performance cars. There are loads of members just on here that have changed from Impreza or Evo to a Porsche, BMW or fast Audi so there's less interest.

I personally don't like huge bodykits and shouty shouty paint schemes etc i dont see the point in spending £100,000 modifying a car and then the fastest it goes is 3mph while being moved onto a trailer. I'd rather see and read about a car with a sorted chassis and drivetrain but looks pretty much standard on the outside and most importantly, being actually used! I personally lost interest in JPC when it was either £100,000 "time attack" spec Skylines or a Honda fest that featured.

There are still plenty of Japanese Performance cars about, but yes they are older cars now, the problem is the magazine and what it wants to feature, not the lack of material.

Paben

iTrader: (5)

Well, you somehow forgot the Evo, and the 370Z is still going strong. But the majority of Japanese cars featured in the two specialist mags are far from new, as both publications are about modified cars not road tests on new vehicles.

But the number of pages in a magazine is directly related to the mag's advertisement revenue, and while the recession is undoubtedly responsible it has nothing to do with a lack of written material. Magazines go bust when the ads dry up. But as long as people like us continue to modify Skylines, Imprezas, Evos, Integras, Civics and the like there will always be plenty to write about.

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

They won't be able to keep writing much longer if the cars are getting older and aren't being replaced, though. All cars eventually rust, break or crash.

I don't doubt that we'll start to see some new stuff coming out of Japan when the economy finally recovers, but until then I agree that the performance car scene is looking pretty bleak. It's going the same way with bikes too; although you can still buy an R1, GSX-R or Fireblade, fewer and fewer people actually do.

Peedee

iTrader: (4)

This.

Why do I want to read a 500 page spread about a 237.whatever mph GTR that has had 1 trillion quid spent on it? I'd rather read about something that has been built by a 'normal' person on a 'normal' budget, a lot like most of the project threads on here.

Osimabu

iTrader: (2)

The latest edition of JP (October 2013, Issue 153) has a few pages comparing five modified Imprezas of all versions, so it's worth a look, but it's still only a shadow of its former self. I'd subscribe to it as they offer some great deals, but the shadow of 'Total Impreza' looms large and stops me doing so.

steve05wrx

Well, I recently purchased a brand new Infiniti G37S Coupe.
It has same engine as 37OZ but with 4 seats.
Spec is amazing:-
330 bhp
7 speed auto with magnesium flappy paddles
Limited slip diff
4 wheel steering
Full leather interior with proper sports seats front and rear.
Rear camera/ colour satnav and Bose sound system with hard drive.
Great performance and lovely rorty engine sound.
Only real downside is the rear end can be a bit untidy with fast takeoffs at roundabouts and t-junctions - and that is in the dry, with good, wide and new Bridgestone tyres!
Proper, powerful rear driven 2 door coupe!!
Cheers
Steve