THE GREATEST CARS NEVER OFFERED IN THE UK: TOYOTA

Japanese cars are immensely popular with enthusiasts all over the world. Toyota, the country’s largest car maker, has been a kingpin of performance cars for decades - though some of its rarest and most exciting models were never offered outside of the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM).

As Footman James explores the most interesting cars never officially offered to us Brits, we turn to Toyota for another celebration of the best we never had…

Read our first edition featuring General Motors.

Toyota Sera

The ‘90s was a great decade for Japanese coupes. Almost every manufacturer had skin in the game – Toyota alone offered a series of names to rival a Craig David hit, with a coupe range which included the Celica, Paseo, Levin, Sera, Soarer and Supra…

It’s understandable, then, why Toyota might have wanted the Sera to stand out from the crowd during its 1990 debut. Those wild butterfly doors certainly did the trick, encouraging customers to look past the humble underpinnings. The Sera even attracted the attention of a certain Gordon Murray, who brought one into the workshop while developing the fabled McLaren F1. Recognise those doors?

Toyota Century V12 (G50)

It’s easy to underestimate the Century’s conservative, three-box styling and write it off as the tool of a Tokyo taxi driver - do not be deceived. This top-flight executive saloon car has been described as Japan’s answer to the Rolls Royce, with an emphasis on ensuring its elite rear seat passengers remain as comfortable as possible. Air suspension, soft close doors and reclining rear seats are just the beginning… The Century even has an onboard tape recorder for making voice notes on the move.

That subtle appearance was no accident, remaining largely unchanged during a twenty-year production run. If ever there was a car designed to fly under the radar, this V12-powered luxury flagship is it.

Toyota MR2 Turbo (Mk2)

UK buyers were offered a series of naturally aspirated second-gen MR2s throughout the 1990s – in fact, we bought over 130,000 of them. The pretty, mid-engine two-seater was a great performer but, back home, Toyota was busy building a giant-killer.

Using the Celica GT4’s 2.0-litre engine, Toyota created a lightweight, rear-drive sportscar that could sprint to 60mph in well under six seconds. Despite the company overlooking European buyers in period, many examples of the most potent MR2 have found their way to the UK since. It’s not hard to see why; the MR2 Turbo still offers enthusiasts the same intoxicating mix of good looks, great handling and outstanding build quality.

Toyota Starlet Glanza

The fifth-gen Starlet was a popular choice at launch, but a typical owner had more interest in their destination than the journey there. Not so in Japan, where Toyota was busy turning its staid little supermini into a turbocharged screamer.

The Glanza realised its true potential on the modified car scene, thanks to an immensely tunable 1.3-litre engine that could almost double its power output after a few choice upgrades. Thanks to featherweight packaging and rock-solid reliability, the Glanza Turbo remains a legend in tuning circles to this day.

Toyota 2000GT

In March 2022, a new record was set for the most expensive Japanese car ever sold at auction – an example of Toyota’s 2000GT. Built to take on the E-Type in the 1960s, it was developed in collaboration with Yamaha, unapologetically following Jaguar’s recipe of long nose, fastback rear and powerful six-cylinder engine.

Just 350 were sold in the final three years of the decade. Toyota managed to export around 60 examples to the USA, where it served to demonstrate the upwards trajectory of the Japanese car manufacturing industry. Though comparatively few were produced, the 2000GT was just as important as the car that influenced it, paving the road for the sensational Japanese cars that followed.

Are you lucky enough to own an example of one of the JDM Toyotas on our list? Let us know in the comments below…