Automobiles have become more than a means of transportation, embedding themselves as elemental instruments in popular culture and technology. Cars appear in almost every pop culture facet, from social media to books, video games, films, and mainstream television. As far as Hollywood motion pictures go, cars can become characters that propel the plot or feature as symbols for characters and settings.
In recent memory, you would be hard-pressed to find a movie franchise that boasts a more star-studded car collection than the legendary Fast and Furious series. With nine films under its belt, we noticed the various directors in the franchise did their homework and included a seriously impressive lineup of Japanese sports cars. We combed through the entire car cast and compiled a list of the coolest Japanese cars featured in the Fast and Furious franchise.
10/10 2003 Acura NSX-T
In Fast Five, a black 2003 Acura NSX-T features in the opening scene, driven by Mia Toretto. The scene involves Mia, Brian O’Connor, and Santos trying to free Dom from the prison transport bus after getting a 25-year sentence.
The heavily modified NSXT-T features NSX-R components such as suspension, wheels, brakes, and exterior upgrades. In addition, the stock C32B V-6 got upgraded to deliver over 300hp.
9/10 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII
Brian O’Connor drives the 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII in 2 Fast 2 Furious, rocking a lime-green color scheme and body kit inspired by the 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse featured in the first film. In addition to the DAMD body kit, other styling features include 18-inch Motegi FF5 wheels, Toyo tires, custom Genera TYC taillights and ARC rear wing GT2 style.
The interior boasts factory Recaro seats, a Sparco shift knob, an Apexi boost gauge, an Apexi tachometer, an Apexi temp gauge, and an Apexi oil pressure gauge. Under the hood sits a 276hp 2.0-liter 4G63 engine paired with an HKS Stage II transmission, with a top speed rated at 157mph.
8/10 1971 Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R
After breaking Dominic Toretto out of prison in Fast Five, Brian, Dom, and Mia must flee the United States as fugitives and head to South America. The trio split, with Dom taking a Dodge Charger to Ecuador while Brian and Mia procure a 1971 Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R and drive to Rio de Janeiro.
There are hardly any notable modifications, so the KPGC10 featured the stock 2.0-liter DOHC straight six with 160hp output. Admittedly, the legendary Hakosuka plays a minor role in the movie, but it’s one of the most coveted classic JDM sports cars and deserves a shout.
7/10 2020 Toyota GR Supra
Numerous plot twists shake up the Fast and Furious franchise, but one of the most interesting ones was discovering that Han somehow cheated death and survived the crash in Tokyo Drift. In Fast 9, Han drives a 2020 Toyota GR Supra with modifications that nod to the iconic Mazda RX-7 in Tokyo Drift.
Besides styling, the GR Supra used in the film features a massive electromagnet fitted in the back. In arguably one of the film’s biggest action scenes, Han attaches the GR Supra to an armored truck, which leads up to jaw-dropping carnage further along the movie plot.
6/10 2001 Honda S2000
The instantly recognizable pink-vinyl Honda S2000 in 2 Fast 2 Furious belonged to the all-female gang boss, Suki. The 2001 Honda S2000 earned street cred in the film after making a bridge jump to beat the 1993 Mazda RX-7 driven by Orange Julius.
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The 2001 Honda S2000 featured a 2.0-liter aluminum-alloy DOHC F20C1 inline-four fitted with a Comptech supercharger. Other specifications for Suki’s S2000 included a Veilside body kit, 18-inch Motegi Racing wheels, a bottle of Nitrous, and a Paxton Novi 1000 Toucan exhaust.
5/10 2002 Nissan Fairlady Z33 (350Z)
Sometimes the villain’s car is too good to ignore, and Takashi’s 2002 Nissan Fairlady Z33 in Tokyo Drift is seriously cool. The Z33 appears in several scenes, including the drifting race with Sean in the parking garage, a chase scene when Takashi confronts Han, and the legendary scene down Suicide Mountain when the car goes off a cliff.
JDM-heads will immediately notice the Z33’s full Veilside Version 3 wide-body aero kit, Magnaflow twin exhausts, Veilside Andrew Evolution wheels, Toyo Proxes T1R tires, and Brembo brakes. Nestled under the hood was a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 good for 460hp at the rear wheels.
4/10 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse
Brian O’Connor’s 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse from the first installment of the Fast and Furious series is undoubtedly one of the most revered and replicated sports cars from the entire franchise. Brian loses the pink slip to the Eclipse after losing to Dominic Toretto in his fast street race, and we see Johnny Tran destroy it later in the movie plot during a shootout.
The 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse featured a rebuilt 2.0-liter DOHC 420a four-cylinder engine rated at 165hp in non-turbo condition. The modifications list comprises RoboCar Aero Armor body kit, APR GT2-style rear wing, custom GT-style roof scoop, carbon fiber mirrors, Kawasaki green paint, green neon lights,18-inch Axis Model Se7en wheels, AEM cross-drilled front brake rotors, and Tanabe SS springs.
3/10 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34)
In 2 Fast 2 Furious, Brian O’Connor purchases a 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) and modifies it for racing, including the signature blue vinyl and decals. Brian uses the GT-R to win a street race against Suki’s Honda S2000, Slap Jack’s Toyota Supra, and Orange Julius’ Mazda RX-7.
The R34 in the film featured a 2.6-liter DOHC RB26DETT straight six, force-fed by twin turbos and paired with a six-speed Getrag transmission to deliver 330hp. Other notable features include a C-West body kit, carbon fiber under-car diffusers, HRE rims, a C-West spoiler wing, and an ATTESA all-wheel drive system.
2/10 1994 Veilside Mazda RX-7 FD
Han Seoul-Oh was an impressive character in Tokyo Drift, but so was his 1994 Veilside Mazda RX-7. Han uses the RX-7 to perform donuts around a Nissan Skyline GT-R R33, and the fatal scene when Takashi and Morimoto pursue him through Downtown Tokyo and Shibuya District.
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The RX-7 boasted a modified 13B rotary engine, equipped with an HKS turbocharger and a Veilside titanium exhaust system. Interestingly, the RX-7 started as a car show, built by Veilside to show off its Fortune wide-body kit.
1/10 1995 Toyota Supra Mk IV
Arguably the most badass Japanese sports car featured in Fast and Furious is the iconic orange Supra MK IV from the first movie. Besides smoking a Ferrari in a street race, Brian O’Connor uses the 1995 Toyota Supra Mk IV to race Dominic Toretto’s 1970 Dodge Charger R/T in one of the most memorable scenes in the film.
Styling cues included the distinctive Lamborghini Diablo Candy Pearl Orange paint, custom Troy Lee graphics, Bomex side/rear skirts, Bomex front spoiler, TRD composite hood, underhood neon lighting, 19-inch Yokohama AVS tires, Racing Hart wheels, and Bilstein coil-overs suspension. Most cars used in filming are usually all show with no go, but the orange Supra Mk IV featured a heavily modified engine with an impressive list of upgrades.