2024 Japanese Automotive Invitational: Highlights from Monterey Car Week's JDM Celebration
The classic Japanese cars, trucks, and SUVs we gathered this year were truly special.
This year marks the fifth that MotorTrend has hosted the Japanese Automotive Invitational (JAI), bringing some of the rarest, cleanest, most unique cars ever to come out of the land of the rising sun to Monterey Car Week. The bougie weekend tends to conjure images of extremely rare pre-war European cars, newer hypercars, classic muscle machines, and historic racers, many with seven-figure price tags, restoration budgets, or both.
While there aren’t very many million-dollar Japanese cars out there, we would argue that cars from the island nation still deserve stand, where they can park alongside other significant Japanese machinery. From the 1950s to modern day, Japanese cars have made an indelible mark on the automotive industry and car culture around the world, which is why we’re proud to show off the rare and exceptional vehicles we brought to JAI this year.
1969 Datsun 2000
The 1969 Datsun 2000 was among the first crop of Japanese cars that could legitimately compete with European convertibles from the likes of MG, Triumph, and FIAT back in the early '70s. It could be argued that while the 240Z may have blown up the Japanese sports car market in America, the Datsun 2000 lit the fuse.
1971 Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R Hakosuka
In the late 1960s, decades before the GT-R earned its “Godzilla” nickname, it had another name given to it by Japanese fans: Hakosuka. “Hakosuka” is a mashup of the Japanese word for box (hako) and the English transliteration for skyline (sukairain). In May 1970 the smaller, lighter Hakosuka coupe earned 20 racing victories in a row.
1972 Toyota LandCruiser FJ55
The FJ55 configuration of the Toyota Land Crusier started production in 1967 and was known as the “iron pig” due to its front fascia design. It had a longer wheelbase than what came before it and had American sensibilities in mind. This vehicle could mark the beginning of American car buyers' love affair with large Japanese SUVs.
1985 Toyota SR5 XTRA Cab
This wouldn’t be a proper Japanese Automotive Invitational if we didn’t have at least one mini truck in the lineup. Mini trucks were huge in the '80s and '90s and it's hard to think of a truck that personified those times better than the 1985 Toyota SR5 Xtra Cab. This specific example was built to be a replica of Marty McFly’s dream truck from the 1980s classic Back to the Future.
1991 Infiniti M30 convertible
In the early '90s Infiniti needed to make a splash as Nissan’s new luxury spin-off brand. The M30 was the brand’s first convertible and its way of trying to draw buyers away from BMW’s 3 Series, which was a very popular droptop at the time. Its boxy styling was a strong departure from the other vehicles in Infiniti’s lineup. Today, it’s getting increasingly rare to see an M30 convertible on the street.
1991 Nissan Figaro
The Nissan Figaro is a bit of an oddity that captures a specific moment in Japanese car history. Steeped in 1960s nostalgia, the small 2+2 Figaro convertible was only produced in 1991. It was initially meant to have a run of just 8,000 units but it was so popular that Nissan increased production to 12,000, which is still a very low run. Owning one of these is a key to instant JDM rarity.
1992 Mazda Autozam AZ-1
We wouldn’t blame you for taking one look at the Mazda Autozam AZ-1 and scratching your head in confusion. Born from a now defunct Japan-specific brand spin off of Mazda, the Autozam AZ-1 was an attempt to make the sportiest Kei car on the market (Japan's tiny, engine-size-regulated car class) and, well, regardless of its actual performance, it has gullwing doors! It’s also among the rarest at just 4,392 examples built.
1993 Toyota Celica Turbo All-Trac
The Toyota Celica All-Trac was a turbocharged, all-wheel-drive street-legal rally racer that became an instant unicorn. It was built as a homologation special so that Toyota could continue dominating the early '90s rally circuit. Fewer than 1,750 examples were sold in the United States and we doubt anyone who has one now is willing to let go of it.
1995 Honda NSX-R
Any 1990s kid who played Gran Turismo on their PlayStation for more than 10 minutes knows about the legendary Honda NSX-R. It’s the ultimate expression of Honda’s (Acura in the states) NSX flagship. At the time this was the lightest and fastest version of the NSX money could buy. That is, unless you lived in the United States where this car couldn’t be officially bought—only played on PlayStation.
1996 Mitsubishi Pajero Evo
This is one of the wildest SUVs you probably didn’t know existed. Like some of its competitors, Mitsubishi loved to go rally racing in the early 1990s. That meant that it had to produce the occasional homologation special to keep racing. With its massive fender flares, 275-hp 3.5-liter V-6 engine, and AWD drivetrain, the Pajero is one of the coolest Japanese SUV’s that the United States never got.
1997 Nissan Stagea 260RS Autech
What happens when you take the legendary RB26DETT engine from the Nissan Skyline GT-R and put it in a station wagon? You get the Nissan Stagea 260RS Autech, one of the greatest sleeper vehicles ever conceived by humans. Virtually all the performance of an R34 GT-R but with so much room for activities? Sign us up!
1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 Built by Legends
The R34 Nissan GT-R Skyline is one of the most iconic Japanese sports cars ever made. Japanese tuner Built by Legends has teamed up with another legendary tuner Mine’s to restore R34 GT-R’s to a condition that is virtually factory floor fresh. This specific example is the first of its kind to touch American soil. If you got to see it in person at JAI, count yourself as lucky and buy a lottery ticket.
2003 Infiniti FX45
Familiarity may breed apathy, but consider how the 2003 Infiniti FX45 was an absolutely bonkers SUV for its time. Underneath its sleek, concept-car looks was a 315-hp V-8 engine that could send power to all four wheels, a rear-drive-based chassis, and that available orange paint you see here. It took the performance luxury SUV fight straight to the likes of BMW and didn’t flinch.
2012 Lexus LF-A
The legend of the Lexus LF-A will be told for generations. It’s regarded as one of the best sounding cars cars ever made, thanks to its V-10 engine. It was also one of the most complicated sports cars ever produced. Toyota had to invent a special loom to weave together carbon fiber strands to construct its body panels. Because of the complicated manufacturing process, Lexus only produced 500 examples.
Andrew Beckford’s passion for cars started as a middle schooler when his friend Richie explained how an internal combustion engine works. He was bitten by the bug and the rest, as they say, is history. He dug deep into the tuner scene and eventually wrote for Turbo Magazine, Import Tuner, Super Street. He covered car shows, feature builds, and reviewed racing games for those magazines in addition to covering motorsports including Formula Drift, Indy Car, and F1 for his personal blog. Eventually Beckford joined MotorTrend to cover the daily automotive news beat. Besides being a gearhead, Beckford has been a gamer since the ’80s and is a huge fan of the arcade racing games of the ’90s like Daytona USA, SEGA Rally, and Ridge Racer. Beckford’s a movie buff as well, especially comic book films from DC and Marvel. When car culture crosses over with gaming and entertainment, rest assured Beckford is aware of it. In addition to serving as a consultant on a “triple A” racing titles, he’s reviewed major racing games such as Forza Motorsport, Need for Speed, Gran Turismo, F1, and more. He’s also interviewed blockbuster directors including Steven Caple Jr. (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and Neill Blomkamp (Gran Turismo). His biggest profile to date was with Robert Downey Jr. on his love affair with cars and his show Downey’s Dream Cars on MAX. Beckford’s profile of Downey Jr. was the first print cover story written by an African American in MotorTrend’s history. Along with KJ Jones, Andrew Beckford also heads up MotorTrend’s celebration of Black History Month by spotlighting diverse voices in the automotive industry and motorsports. Beckford’s first car was a 1982 Nissan Stanza affectionately named “Stanley” by his late mother.
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