It’s polling time. Step into the booth, draw the curtain and vote for your most iconic Japanese car!
I listed my five nominees a few days ago. They are:
- Datsun 260Z
- Honda NSX
- Subaru Impreza WRX
- Mazda MX-5 (Miata)
- Toyota Prius
From your nominations, I’ve added the following vehicles to the poll:
- Toyota LandCruiser – here in Australia, they used to say you’re either a Patrol man or a Cruiser man. That’s all marketing, of course, but the Cruiser has broken the back of every rough-terrain country in the world. Bernard said this in comments – “As an African friend explained to me in the 1980s, the 60 series wagon is the real-life equivalent of a Ferrari myth: the fastest way to get from point A to point B on four wheels.”
- Mazda RX-7 – I included the MX-5 over the RX-7 in my nomations because of the lasting impact it’s had over a prolonged period of time, virtually re-creating a type of car that could have been lost forever. There’s no doubting the appeal of the RX-7, however, and its role as the main user of the Wankel engine has confirmed its place as the car for the rotary anorak. I lusted after one of these in the 80’s. Metallic blue, thanks.
- Nissan GT-R – The biggest oversight of my nominations list and for that, I must apologise. I allowed my soft-spot for the 260Z to blind me. An obvious contender because it packs so much punch for the money, has endured for a long period of time and has always been a genuine supercar for the masses.
- Honda Civic – it was either this or the Toyota Corolla and Toyota have enough nominations 🙂 . I think Mallthus said it best in comments: “Like the Corolla, it’s become an icon of boredom and mediocrity, but, again like the Corolla, it transformed most peoples’ idea of what a car ought to deliver, day in and day out.”
- Toyota 2000GT – I was hesitant about adding this one. Still am. I’m not sure that it’s well known enough to be identified by the average punter as a Japanese car (an icon should be instantly identifiable). Regardless, it’s a magnificent machine and it gathered a lot of nominations, so it’s in.
Your poll is below. Please cast your vote!
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Our contenders in pictures:
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