By Brad Bannach
Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) vehicles are produced in Japan specifically for sale in Japan. However, some Hot Wheels collectors – from novices to long-time fans – use the acronym “JDM” in a broader sense, for vehicles manufactured by Japanese automakers. This can create a bit of confusion when discussing JDM castings.
For example, one of the most popular Japanese vehicles of all time among Hot Wheels collectors is the ‘71 Datsun 510. Collectors often refer to this casting as a JDM car, but the casting is based on the North American version of the car. The actual JDM version of the 510 is commonly known by another name entirely: the “Bluebird” 1600.
This idea of Japanese vehicles not being JDM vehicles can be mystifying, if JDM vehicles aren’t your thing. There’s a way to circumvent the semantics, however – provided you can see the car’s interior. Take a peek inside the real car (or the Hot Wheels one) and look to see if the steering wheel is on the left or right side. If it’s a left-hand drive (LHD) vehicle, then it’s not a JDM vehicle. A true JDM vehicle is right-hand drive (RHD).
Why is it important to know this? It’ll help you understand why some of your favorite Hot Wheels vehicles (i.e., the ‘71 Datsun 510) didn’t make the “Top 5 Classic JDMs Made Into Hot Wheels.” Now that I’ve drawn the distinction, let's dive into the list.
1. Toyota 2000 GT
The Toyota 2000 GT was (and continues to be) unlike anything Toyota has ever produced. By design, the real car draws more comparisons to European cars than it does to other Toyotas. That's because the car served as Toyota’s halo car, in hopes of better establishing the Japanese automaker in European markets. Only 350 or so were produced from 1967 to 1970, making this a pretty rare vehicle.
The Hot Wheels Toyota 2000 GT debuted in 2013 for nostalgic JDM collectors. It’s one of only a few Hot Wheels cars to make its debut as a Super Treasure Hunt car, and later appeared in the very first Hot Wheels Car Culture series: Japan Historics. Its most limited release came as a Red Line Club exclusive in 2015, with a production run of only 3,000 pieces.
2. Nissan Skyline H/T 2000 GT-X & ‘72 Nissan Skyline H/T GT-R (Hakosuka)
The “Hakosuka” nickname of the Nissan Skyline is derived from the Japanese words “hako” (box) and “suka” (skyline). Produced from 1968 to 1972, the third generation (C10) Skyline is a JDM legend because it offered the first GT-R (Gran Turismo-Racing) of the Skyline in 1969, after drawing inspiration from the Nissan R380 race car. It was also among the first vehicles to use the art of drifting to win a race. Between the sedan and the 2-door coupe, the Skyline GT-R was ahead of its time, dominating the Japanese Grand Prix from 1970 to 1972.
As you can infer from the title of this section, there are two Hot Wheels Hakosuka castings: the Nissan Skyline H/T 2000 GT-X and the ‘72 Nissan Skyline H/T GT-R. Both castings are based on the sportier 2-door-coupe design. The GT-X was first released in the Hot Wheels basics line (mainline) as part of the 2011 New Models series. It wasn’t immediately popular among Hot Wheels collectors, but it’s evolved into an all-time favorite. 10 years after the GT-X's initial casting release, the ultra-premium ‘72 Nissan Skyline H/T GT-R was tooled up for use in the Red Line Club and at Hot Wheels conventions. It even comes with an opening hood, so you can see the legendary straight-six engine that debuted in the first GT-Rs.
3. Mazda RX-7
The car that ended the Hakosuka’s racing win streak at the Japanese Grand Prix was the Mazda RX-3, becoming the GT-R’s main rival in 1971. Seven years later, the Mazda RX-7 was born from the same racing DNA that made the RX-3 famous. Powered by a Wankel rotary engine, the first-generation RX-7 was produced between 1978 and 1985, and actually sold more units outside of Japan.
The Hot Wheels Mazda RX-7 is a true JDM vehicle, complete with RHD, However, this is far from the stock RX-7 that was actually sold in Japan. The Hot Wheels casting features an IMSA-inspired widebody kit, just like the one found in Mattel’s parking lot. That 1:1 version belongs to creative designer Brandon Ozaki – hence the “B. Ozaki” found on the doors of some of the original 1:64 editions. Since its debut in 2012, the car has seen quite a few releases, with the most popular being the Super Treasure Hunt variant from the 2020 Speed Blur series in Spectraflame dark orange!
4.Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno
So much can be said about the ol’ “Hachi-Roku,” which means “eight-six” in Japanese. It was deeply rooted within drift culture when the “OG Drift King” Keiichi Tsuchiya drove it in some of the first drifting events. It was also the hero car in Initial D – a Japanese anime & manga rumored to be loosely based on Tsuchiya’s upbringing. The AE86 came at a time when big engines within lightweight frames weren’t as heavily regulated, making this very-well balanced vehicle one of the best natural drift cars. The AE86 has become a legend in the drift world, and its influence there has made a lasting impact on its nostalgic value.
While the closer-to-scale version of the Hot Wheels Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno came out in 2020, an AE86 debuted more than a decade earlier. The Hot Wheels Toyota AE-86 Corolla arrived in the 2006 First Editions segment. Both castings are still used today, but it's the Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno that currently has collectors filled with excitement.
5. ‘90 Honda Civic EF
We end this list with the newest car on it: the ‘90 Honda Civic EF. This fourth generation Honda Civic was produced from 1987 to 1991 and is considered by some to be the Civic that launched the popular boom of the car model in the late ‘90s. In Japan, the Civic has been celebrated as a motorsport champion – it's common to see these racing among the GT-Rs and RX-7s of the world despite the difference in power. The Civic that “started it all” definitely deserves a spot among the Top 5 Classic JDMs Made into Hot Wheels!
The Hot Wheels ‘90 Honda Civic EF first appeared in 2014 in basics in the HW City / Nightburnerz segment. Some of its more popular releases include a Walmart-exclusive ZAMAC edition, a Kmart Collectors Day event exclusive, and a Super Treasure Hunt variant with a GReddy livery. It’s one of several Hot Wheels Honda Civic castings but could end up being one of the more popular ones as time goes on.
What does your list of “Top 5” look like? Please share in the comments!
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