The Rising Fun

The Stereotype is practically graven in stone. Japanese cars are tiny miracles, flawlessly fabricated little sedans that can be bought and driven a lifetime for the price of a cheap suit. They never break, never complain and, sadly, never excite---perfect workaday machines capable of perpetual movement from pillar to post with no discernible increase in adrenal activity. Boring, even; the kind of car Consumer Reports would tell (continued on page 160) Rising•Fun (continued from page 85) your aunt to buy. And she'd comply. And even enjoy it. Not quite, bucky. To say the least, the mundane qualities of Japanese automobiles have been, like Mark Twain's obituary, somewhat exaggerated. To be sure, a vast majority of the millions of Japanese automobiles that have reached these shores since they began to arrive in 1958 have been on the prosaic side. During that year, the infant Datsun importing arm managed to sell 83 of the company's L-210 sedans in the United States. Toyota sold a similar piddling allotment of its boxy little Toyopet Crowns. They were most assuredly dumb little automobiles. A 1958 Sports Car Illustrated denounced the Toyota Tiara---yet another wobbly four-door based on prewar British designs---as "utterly lacking in technical novelty." And so it went.

In fact, it wasn't until 1970 that the Japanese really got it right. Enter the wondrous Z-car. Until that point, the American mid-priced-sports-car market had been dominated by the likes of the Porsche 914 (with its VW engine), the archaic British Triumph TR6 and MGB-GT, plus the remarkably ordinary Opel GT from G.M.'s German subsidiary. The Datsun 240Z hit this dreary collection of machinery like a runaway freight train. Styled in the idiom of the aggressive, long-nosed Ferrari Daytona coupe and possessed of sufficient horsepower (151) to run with the likes of the high-buck Porsche 911T in a straight line, the 240Z was a hit from the moment it landed on the beach in California. Unlike the Toyota 2000GT, the Datsun was affordable at $3600 and would accommodate Yankee-sized drivers. The first models were a bit noisy, tended to handle strangely (thanks in part to hard-compound Japanese tires) and contained a steering wheel that appeared to have been fabricated out of balsa wood.

But nothing stood in the way of immediate success. The 240Z would run 0 to 60 in 8.7 seconds (almost two seconds quicker than the Porsche 914---which was $300 more expensive) and top out at 125 mph. Its clean, Italianesque lines made the competition look as if it had been designed by the Baltimore & Ohio boxcar department; and that, coupled with the lusty performance of its 2.4-liter, 146-cubic-inch single-overhead-cam straight six, was enough to make the 240Z an instant winner. In its first six years, it sold an unprecedented 250,000 units. Now, a little more than 15 years later, 895,000 Z-cars have been built. America's beloved Corvette has sold only 760,000 units since its introduction more than 30 years ago.

The most recent permutation of the famed Z---the 300ZX---arrived in 1983. The aged, rather bulky in-line six was replaced with a slick overhead-cam V6 that came in both normally aspirated and turbocharged form. The 300ZX Turbo was the flagship and, therefore, should have gotten rave reviews from the critics. After all, it was now packing 200 turbo-charged horses under the hood and a flashy new body that featured everything from six-speaker stereo power to leather bucket seats and electrically adjustable shock absorbers. It was a fast car (135 mph; 0 to 60 in about 7.5 seconds), to be sure, but something had been lost on the climb to the top. For one, the 300ZX turned out to be a very busy styling exercise. Its rather bulbous shape was covered with spoilers, rub rails, trim strips, scoops and movable headlight eyelids. Moreover, it had gained more than 700 pounds since the first Z was introduced. Gone was its original lean, mean, sporting personality, replaced by a silky, rather suave demeanor---as if Conan the Barbarian had been doused with after-shave and duded up in a dinner jacket. Surely, this was a smart marketing move by Nissan (this new corporate identity, after an estimated nearly $200,000,000 in advertising and promotion, had replaced the Datsun label). The 300ZX was a more mainstream automobile than the old Z, to be sure---more Mark VI than MG by a long shot---and this seemed to add to its appeal. The car broke from its old, pure sports-car mold and drove straight into the market occupied by such favorites as the Corvette and the Thunderbird (which, ironically, at the same time were shedding their softer personal-car personalities for a much beefier, bolder highway presence). Moreover, the 300ZX was no longer a bargain-basement Porsche, a cheap high-performance alternative to the classier European marques. Priced in the $20,000 range, a Turbo 300ZX was (and is) light-years away from the orginal 240Z that hit the streets for about $3600.

Despite the long-term success of the Datsun-cum-Nissan Z-car, archrival Toyota took a while to respond in kind. Once the 2000GT disappeared, Toyota contented itself with capturing the import market in the United States with a series of ironclad little Coronas and Corollas that were as cheap and as reliable as anvils. Not until the mid-Seventies did the Celica appear, and it was a tabby cat in comparison with the romping, stomping Z-car. Toyota finally made its move in 1979, calling its challenger the Celica Supra. It was a restyled Celica coupe, featuring a longer hood to house the 2.6-liter, overhead-camshaft straight six stolen from the big Cressida four-door.

Two years later, Toyota got serious. A lusty 2.8-liter, twin-cam version of the six was installed in the Supra, along with independent rear suspension. But the car still shared a strong familial link with the cheaper Celica. Now that is all changed. The Celica has become a distant cousin, thanks to a switch to front-wheel drive and a decidedly more tepid disposition. Conversely, the Supra has been turned into a distinct model line, preserving its rear-drive configuration and its sporty personality. At the heart of the matter is the same straight six, but with 200 hp and a 24-valve (four per cylinder), double-overhead-camshaft head and displacement increased to three liters (183 cubic inches), plus a new, fully independent suspension front and rear.

The new Supra also carries flashy body work in the current low-drag Corvette idiom, complete with hidden headlights, spoilers and skirts that reduce drag to an impressive 0.33 coefficient of drag (anything below 0.35 Cx qualifies a shape as among the slipperiest on the road). The car is available with both a smooth, five-speed manual gearbox and an electronically controlled four-speed automatic. Fitted with chunky 225/60HR-14 Good-year Gatorback tires, the Supra is a nimble handler, despite its rather prodigious weight. The new version, at 3500 pounds, is more than 400 pounds heavier than the old car, and one feels the bulk in the tight turns. No matter; the car, with its 0-to-60 time of about 7.3 seconds and a top speed nudging 130 mph, is in the same league as the rival 300ZX---and without the benefit of turbocharging.

In the meantime, Mazda, the marketing name of the giant Toyo Kogo conglomerate, has been running stride for stride with the big two. The little RX-7, introduced in 1978, has long been hailed as one of the biggest bargains in sports cars. After a near disaster with its line of Wankel rotary-powered passenger cars in the mid-Seventies, when the radical power plant got a bum rap for poor reliability and fuel mileage, Mazda switched much of its production to conventional internal-combustion engines. But the compact size and the light weight of the Wankel made it ideal for a downsized sports/GT car, and Mazda used it to perfection in the RX-7. For more than seven years, the car has remained a fixture on American roads, a reliable, thoroughly enjoyable entry-level sports car for thousands of young buyers.

Now, like Toyota, Mazda has stepped up to challenge Nissan and the fabled 300ZX. The new RX-7 Turbo is a great leap forward. It carries the first production-based turbocharged rotary to be sold in the United States. Moreover, the new RX-7 features a complex semitrailing-arm rear suspension that offers subtle toe-out under hard cornering to sharpen steering response.

The design feature is controversial but offers a peek at the future, when passenger-car suspensions will become increasingly variable to meet all manner of changing road conditions. Purists maintain, with some justification, that basic independent suspensions of the type found on the Porsche 944 (generally considered to be the best handling of the upscale sports/Gt genre) remain the optimum compromise and that the Mazda's fussy complication can hamper stability for an inexperienced driver. At just over $19,000, it falls into the same ball park as the Nissan and the Toyota, both of which hover near the $20,000 plateau, depending on option choices.

Mazda's other new car, the RX-7 GXL is lighter (2700 pounds) than much of its competition but, with only 146 hp, is also fractionally slower. Zero-to-60 times edge near eight seconds, and top speed is just over 125 mph---quick enough to impress your true love but hardly in the league with a Porsche 944 Turbo or a Corvette. A microprocessor-controlled Auto Adjusting Suspension that modifies shock-absorber settings according to the driver's speed and ride desires (Normal, Firm, Very Firm via a console control) places the Mazda in the vanguard of the rush toward high-tech, high-performance engineering. The RX-7 GXL is a neatly styled, highly aerodynamic two-plus-two that is sure to carry on the Mazda sales bonanza.

For some time now, Subaru has enjoyed a reputation for manufacturing cars that are practically bulletproof in terms of gutlevel reliability. Traditionally the vendors of workaday little sedans and station wagons beloved by the granola crunchers of Vermont and New Hampshire---where their vaunted four-wheel drive made them snow fighters of the first order---Subaru was a late arrival on the sporty car scene. Last year, it was the XT Turbo Coupe, a zany concoction of wedges and spaceship angles. But Outré styling is Subaru's stock in trade, and its increasing cadre of loyal owners loves it. Last year, the 30,000 XTs allotted were swept out of the showrooms like World War Two rationed meat. And now comes the XT with four-wheel drive.

Yes, for about $14,000, you can be the owner of a machine that---on paper, at least---rivals the exotic German-built Audi Quattro Turbo coupe available at more than twice the price. Consider that the Subaru XT has a 1.8-liter, flat four-cylinder, single-overhead-camshaft engine developing 110 hp, hooked to a five-speed manual gearbox. The suspension is independent all around and is adjustable for ride height. Brakes are four-wheel disc. In keeping with its external outrageousness, the Subaru XT features an all-electronic Space Invaders dashboard that lacks only a coin slot in which to feed quarters.

The engine is smaller than the competition's, and the weight, thanks to the 4wd system, is substantial (about 2700 pounds). This means that the Subaru XT is a modest performer compared with the aforementioned trio and will barely ooze past 115 mph on a long straight. Moreover, the 4wd setup lacks a center differential, which equalizes driving thrust to the wheels. The best mode for driving the Subaru is in the normal front-drive setup, using 4wd only for low-traction situations or in tight corners. Running straight ahead on icy or snowy surfaces is where this particular 4wd configuration is at its best; but under no circumstances should this basically under steering, modestly powered coupe be mistaken for a Quattro knockoff. There are strong compromises at work here, and the true value of the XT lies in its solid fabrication, its modest price and its wacky styling.

No one will ever mistake an Isuzu Impulse Turbo for anything else. It is that distinctive and that pretty. It ought to be; its creator is the most respected stylist currently doodling with a pencil---namely, Ital-Design's resident genius, Giorgio Giugiaro. The Impulse is perhaps one of the most perfectly integrated automobile shapes in the history of the industry. Every line and angle works in harmony, creating a subtle wedge-shaped, three-door sports coupe that is as aerodynamic and as aesthetically pleasing as it is functional. Many beautiful cars are like architecturally elegant houses---they are wonderful to behold but cavelike in raw hospitality. Not so with the Impulse. It is a genuine four-seater (truly the only one of this selection that is, despite the liberal two-plus-two claims of some others). The interior, by the way, is as tastefully elegant and as understated as the outside skin.

The first Impulses were every bit as pretty but were decidedly tepid in the performance department. That has been corrected with a 2.0-liter (121 cubic inches), four-cylinder engine featuring port fuel injection, a turbocharger and an intercooler that, simply put, reduces the temperatures and density of the fuel charge and in turn offers a bigger bang for the buck. Power output is 140 hp, which in the 2800-pound chassis delivers 0-to-60 times in the mid-eight-second range and a top speed of about 125 mph---not the fastest of the lot by any means but a very capable performer nonetheless. Sadly, because of the voluntary import quotas being observed by the Japanese industry, the Impulse, in either turbo or nonturbo form, is a rare bird. Only about 15,000 will reach these shores in 1986.

Like Isuzu, Mitsubishi is a late-comer in the American market; therefore, its share of the 2,200,000 car-import pie is limited. However, there is a back-door option for the manufacturing giant that few others enjoy. Mitsubishi is owned, to the tune of 24 percent, by Chrysler Corporation, which has a deal to market under private label three of its models through its Dodge and Chrysler-Plymouth dealerships. One such machine is the very neat Mitsubishi Starion---Cum---Dodge and Plymouth Conquest. Like the Impulse, it has been around for several years, powered by a 2.6-liter, four-cylinder, single-overhead-camengine of the type that is optionally available in the Dodge and Plymouth front-drive Voyager and Caravan minivans. In a sports coupe as heavy as the Starion (about 3000 pounds), the performance was hardly enough to cause chronic whiplash among the passengers. This was corrected with the introduction of the ESI-R (Euro-Sports Intercooled Rally). This piece is also available at selected Dodge and Plymouth dealers (but hurry; only 7500 will be imported), where it will be called the Conquest TSi (Turbo Sports Intercooled). Regardless of these some-what convoluted designations, the Starion ESI-R and the Conquest TSi are identical. Both carry 2.6-liter, four-cylinder, fuel-injected, intercooled power plants developing a lusty 176 horsepower. Both have fully independent suspensions, front-and rear-vented disc brakes on all four corners and an antilock braking system on the rear pair. These are very nice front-engine, rear-drive sports coupes in the Porsche 944, Supra, 300ZX idiom. Their styling is conventional and can be confused at a glance with that of the Porsche, the RX-7 and the Supra; but they are fine machines, if a bit gadget-ridden, with the optional video-parlor electronic instrument package. (Someone has referred to this breed of Japanese sports cars in their most optionladen permutations as "four-wheeled Swiss army knives.") No matter; at about $17,000, the Starion/Conquest/ESI-R/TSi, etc., is a value of the first order. Sadly, like the Impulse Turbo, it will be in short supply; therefore, a well-kept secret.

Not so with the Honda Acura Legend. This new car line from Honda has hit the American market like a four-wheeled Refrigerator. Set up as a separate car line by the crafty marketeers at Honda, the Acuras come in two flavors: the upscale Legend four-door luxury sedan, aimed at the Audi/BMW/Saab/Volvo market, and the smaller, cheaper Integra---a three-or five-door sports sedan in the $10,000-to-$12,000 price range. The Integra will fall into line just ahead of the popular, thrill-packed superskate, the Honda CRXsi. But it is the Legend that marks the breakthrough for Honda and serves as a harbinger for the future. The car is a high-quality machine (as if the present Hondas weren't high quality) that is almost a perfect duplication, sizewise, of the five series BMW sedans. But unlike the rest of the cars treated here---except the Subaru XT---the Acura is not a front-engine, rear-drive design. Its all-new four-valve-percylinder, fuel-injected, 2.5-liter engine is front-mounted; but it drives, via five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic, through the front wheels. The engine is transversely mounted and develops a lusty, nonturbocharged 151 horsepower. Packed in a sleek, if rather ordinarily styled, four-door body/chassis weighing just over 3000 pounds, the Legend is a creditable, if not dazzling, performer. Honda claims a 0-to-60 time of about nine seconds and a top speed in the 125-mph range. However, the long suit of the automobile is its superb fabrication, which many feel rivals anything from Europe in the same price range.

The Legend might have better been called the Gambit. It is exactly that: a deft opening maneuver to break into the upscale import market now dominated by the Europeans. The Nissan 300ZX and other sports machines are far from cheap, but the Acura marks the first bold step by the Japanese into the heady realms of the truly exotic. The rise of the 300ZX, etc., has been evolutionary, based on steady development of known concepts. But the Acura is a quick, premeditated step into the supercar field heretofore occupied by only BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and their European counterparts.

Consider Acura only the beginning. There is already serious talk of an Acura sports car, in 1988, that will feature a 24-valve V6 with an intercooler and a turbocharger. Considering that the present engine is capable of an easy 151 hp, there is little question that the new version will punch out more than 200 hp, which, in a lighter chassis, may qualify it as one of the fastest road cars in the world.

But Nissan is hardly resigned to its fate. It's rumored that a new 300ZX is due in the fall, and already Nissan is showing the press its wild new MID4, a mid-engine, 4wd, four-wheel-steering, four-cam, four-valve, V6-powered mighty mite that will run faster than 150 mph and reach 60 in six seconds. And that's without a turbocharger! Toyota will not stand idle, either, with a four-wheel-drive Supra on the way and several prototype mid-engine machines being tested. They will surely rival the Hondas and Nissans in raw performance and state-of-the-art technology.

No doubt, the Japanese will continue to supply the American market with small, tightly built economy machines that will run forever on gas fumes; but, as they are nudged from the bottom by the cheaper stuff coming from South Korea and Taiwan, they will move upward. The trend is clear, and you can be sure that legions of engineers in places such as Munich and Stuttgart are now looking to the East. Toward the Rising Sun. And the war whoop of the powerful engines. Made in Japan.

"The 300ZX was a more mainstream automobile than the old Z, to be sure---more Mark VI than MG."