Which Car Is The ‘King’ Of JDM? - Garage Dreams (2024)

When it comes to great JDM cars, there are many excellent contenders for the throne.

From the Toyota Supra, to the Mazda RX-7, to the humble Mazda Roadster/MX-5 (Miata for our American readers) Japan has graced the world with some truly fantastic cars over the years – and continues to build some of the world’s finest vehicles to this day.

But just like the United Kingdom, there can be only one “JDM king” and in this article I’m going to share my take on which car I believe is the true, all-time-great, King of JDM.

This is very much an opinion piece, and I welcome your take – feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this article.

The Nissan Skyline GT-R Is The King

In my humble opinion, if there is one car that is “king of JDM” it is the Nissan Skyline GT-R.

Built across three distinct generations (R32, R33, R34) from the late 1980s to early 2000s, the Nissan Skyline GT-R was a game-changer.

The original ‘Godzilla’ – the R32 GT-R – launched in 1989 and took the world of Motorsport by storm.

Combining a powerful twin turbo six cylinder engine (that complied on paper with Japan’s 276hp gentleman’s agreement limit, but probably exceeded that figure in reality) with razor-sharp handling, strong AWD and a whole raft of other performance goodies, Godzilla caused as much carnage as its on-screen counterpart.

The subsequent R33 and R34 generations improved the formula, while adding additional modern luxuries and conveniences.

It is the final R34 generation that is perhaps the most desirable of all, with prices these days reflecting that, particularly for unmodified examples or limited edition models such as the V-Spec cars.

To be honest, the Nissan Skyline GT-R needs little introduction. You already know about it.

But why is it the King of JDM cars?

Here’s my take:

Why The Skyline GT-R Is The King Of JDM Cars

It’s A Proper JDM Car

Compared to the other JDM hero cars, the Skyline GT-R is the “most JDM” of them all.

Take the MK4 Toyota Supra, by way of comparison. The Supra was sold new in countries such as the United States (and if you buy an “American new” Supra then it isn’t really a JDM car – read my JDM meaning guide here for more information).

The same applies for the likes of the Mazda RX-7, Nissan 300ZX, Mitsubishi 3000GT and so on … all of these cars have JDM variants that Japanese buyers were able to purchase new (and many of which have found their way into other countries as used imports from Japan)

However, the Nissan Skyline GT-R was primarily a JDM-only car, with few examples being sold new outside of Japan.

A giveaway is that all Nissan Skylines are right hand drive from the factory, with the steering wheel on the “wrong” side for markets such as the United States and continental Europe.

Nissan wasn’t willing to compromise at all on the design and build of the Skyline GT-R; apparently the process of modifying for factory LHD to sell in the American and European markets would have required adjustments to the car that might have negatively impacted on its performance … so Nissan decided to keep the best for the home market.

It stands to reason that the King of JDM should be a true JDM car, right?

It Is Arguably The Best Performer

From the late 1980s to early 2000s (the ‘golden era’ of Japanese performance motoring) all of the major manufacturers were building cars with serious capabilities.

However, the Nissan Skyline GT-R – in all of its generations – is generally regarded as one of the best, if not the best, performer of all of the JDM hero cars.

It is more focused than the Toyota Supra MK4, and the AWD system adds capability and grip that the Mazda RX-7 can’t quite match.

Although I would be happy with any of these cars, if performance was the number one criteria I’d be looking for a Skyline GT-R.

The Skyline is also highly modifiable (although in some respects, with the way that prices are going these days and just how good these cars were from the factory, it is sacrilege to modify!) allowing you to dial up the performance even higher.

Rarity & Desirability

Of all of the JDM hero cars, the Nissan Skyline GT-R – even the basic models (before considering some of the even rarer and limited edition variants) is one of the rarest and most desirable.

Part of the reason for this desirability is that the Nissan Skyline GT-R has long been a ‘forbidden fruit’ in some markets such as the United States. Collectors and enthusiasts have had to compete over a small quantity of legally-permitted examples (until recently owing to the 25 year import rule) – you can learn here in my article about why the Nissan Skyline is illegal in the United States.

Prices for all of the JDM hero cars have been going crazy in recent years, but the Nissan Skyline GT-R has arguably seen some of the most aggressive price inflation and frenzied bidding, particularly for clean R34 examples which are the hardest to come by.

The Nissan Skyline GT-R is such an icon, such a legend, and its rarity, desirability and value all contribute to the argument for it being the King of JDM cars.

Conclusion – Long Live The (JDM) King

As mentioned in the intro to this article, you don’t have to look particularly far to find other ‘contenders’ to the JDM car throne.

A strong case could be made, for example, for the MK4 Toyota Supra being the greatest of all JDM cars, or perhaps the Mazda RX-7.

However, I believe the Nissan Skyline GT-R wins out because:

• It is the most “pure” JDM hero car (in the sense that it was only readily available in Japan as a new car, with most examples finding their way to other countries as used ‘grey’ imports).
• In the pantheon of top-performing Japanese cars of the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, it is arguably the best in terms of outright capability – that is before you get to tuning potential.
• The Skyline GT-R – particularly the R34 GT-R which represents the pinnacle of the marque – is rare, desirable and hard-to-acquire. The Nissan Skyline GT-R is illegal in the United States (for certain models, depending on age) in all but the rarest of circ*mstances which adds to its cachet.

That being said, I’m always open to reader feedback. What do YOU think is the King of all JDM cars? Feel free to leave a comment below and share your opinion.