One of the worst things about going through a global pandemic is locking yourself up at home with nowhere to go and nothing luxurious to buy. Property and car values have been on a downer since the quarantine started. However, we have found out that if you are owners of these 10 cars in the list, then you’re pretty secured. Not only did it go from zero to a hundred in a flash, but it’s certainly an investment that’s worth the money.
Toyota Supra MK4
This Japanese sports car was produced from the year 1978 to 2002 and went through four generations. The Supra also traces much of its roots back to the 2000GT owing to an inline-6 layout. In terms of how fast this car could go, the iconic 2JZ 3.0-litre engine produced at least 320 hp and 315 lb-ft of torque even though it may have arrived in the later generations.
Toyota AE86
This car is a series of the Toyota Corolla Levin and Toyota Sprinter and is known to be within the fifth-generation Corolla range. As it was launched in 1983, the Toyota AE86 (or Hachi-Roku as it’s colloquially known) was a small car that was not only affordable but was also easily modified. In terms of popularity, many would have seen this car in the famous Initial D film.
Honda NSX
As the Honda NSX was in production between the year 1990 to 2005, this first-generation model was known to be marketed as the Acura NSK in North America and Hong Kong. The car comes with a 2-seater and is a well-known mid-engined sports car. Fun fact though, the NSX was inspired by an F-16 fighter jet cockpit in terms of its styling and aerodynamics.
Honda S2000
Manufactured from 1999 to 2009, the Honda S2000 was first shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1995 as a concept car before becoming the real deal. This open-top sports car is named after its engine displacement of two litres hence S2000. Known for its exceptional power output, this naturally aspirated engined car had about 124 hp per litre.
Honda Integra Type R DC2
Equipped with a 1.8-litre DOHC VTEC, the Honda Integra Type R DC2 was first introduced into the market in the year 1995. If you didn’t know, the Type R turns out to set the standard for all fast Hondas. Also, it was known that Honda took its time to assemble these cars. With the enlarged throttle body and inlet valves and 187bhp at 8,000rpm, this is one car that’s worth coming from the Honda heritage fleet.
Honda EK9 Type R
The EK9 was also known as the 6th generation of Civic and was produced throughout the year 1997 to 2000. Turns out, this 3-door hatchback was the first Civic to receive the Type R badge during the first year of its production. One of the many things the Integra Type R DC2/JDM and the Civic shared was its B16B engine. At one time, the engine had one of the highest power output per litre of all time.
Nissan Skyline GTR32
When asked why is this particular is so special, car enthusiasts confirmed it was all because of its top-notch performance and tech. It’s worth noting that the GT-R name lived for a very long time even after a 16-year hiatus which was when the R32 was born. Fun fact: The R32 GT-R had success in the Australian Touring Car Championship by winning alone during the year 1991 and 1992.
Nissan Skyline GTR34
With an impressive 276 horsepower, the GTR34 was produced from 1998 to 2002 with at least 64,623 units sold. Not only was the car environmentally-friendly but it was the introduction of the fuel-efficient RB25DET NEO engine coupled with a five-speed gearbox. This impressive car came with a 4-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic-style manual controls.
Mitsubishi Evo VIII MR
For a very long time, the EVO was always known to be a beast and a great piece of kit on the race track. After taking eight generations and 10 years, Mitsubishi produced the VIII MR after the market’s request for a top-end torque which made them tinker the camshaft geometry and turbine to boost the torque from 392Nm to 400Nm at 3500rpm. With that, the power of the car still maintains at 206kW at 6500rpm.
Subaru 22B GC8
The 22B GC8 was produced during the year 1998 and had a facelift in 2000 with the Subaru Impreza P1. With 276 hp, this compact coupé comes with a turbocharged 2.2 Litre 16v Flat 4 petrol engine. The car comes with a 5-speed manual gearbox and can go up to 62 mph in 5.1 seconds, on to a maximum speed of 154 mph.
Conclusion
That said, those who have these cars in hand would be glad to know that it isn’t normal for the value to spike during a pandemic such as this. When asked why the interest, some car enthusiasts mentioned that by driving these cars, there’s just some sort of thrill to it. Not to mention, these cars are best driven manual. Plus, discontinued car models make it seem it’s worth having a limited-edition vehicle in their car collection.
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