There is a reason why car enthusiasts in my generation have such a strong connection to the Gran Turismo racing game series is that it opened our eyes.

Specifically, that there was a whole plethora of cars out there made by the brands we knew that we’ve never heard of because they weren’t sold in America.

Before Gran Turismo, I had never heard of the Mitsubishi FTO or the Honda City Turbo. That game opened my eyes to the bigger world of JDM cars that many of us would continue to obsess about.

In this article I’m going to talk about 5 JDM-only cars that should have been sold to a very appreciative customer-base right here in the U.S.A. I’m going to go in order from the more well known to the most obscure. I’m also going to ignore super obvious cars like the previous generations of GT-R.

5. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution II GSR

American or not, anyone who was a fan of the WRC in the 90s or Jackie Chan movies is likely well aware of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. A compact, four-door, AWD, turbo’d car with cutting edge tech, JDM fans in America were craving this car for years. The Lancer Evo II GSR in particular looked so cool with its iconic front air-dam and exclusive wheels. It was the track weapon we all wanted but never got.

4. Nissan Silvia S15

To American enthusiasts the story of the Silvia S15 model is especially sad. Why? Because the US actually did get the previous models of the Silvia, it was just re-named to the 240SX and we didn't get the potent SR20DET engine. Despite that, it was a popular platform with fans because it was a RWD sports car that was inexpensive and had loads of potential. Though Nissan saw fit to end sales in the U.S.A. with the S14 while selling the much more advanced S15 everywhere else in the world.

3. Toyota Chaser

What if Toyota decided to take a turbo-charged engine and put it in a comfortable, semi-luxury, rear-wheel-drive sedan? That scenario is not hypothetical. Toyota actually did this and it's called the Chaser. Toyota has produced the Chaser since 1977 but started turbocharging the sedan starting in 1988. In the '90s Toyota started dropping the same 1JZ-GTE turbo engines found in early Supras. In Japan, the Chaser is a popular drift car platform. That would probably true in America as well if Toyota ever sold it here.

2. Nissan Cima

Believe it or not, the Titan truck is not the first time Nissan has produced a V8. Starting back in the 90s, Nissan custom built a 4.1 liter V8 to place in their Cima sedan. The name "Cima" actually translates to "summit" in Spanish. This is likely a nod to the flagship, luxury nature of the Cima. This car was never meant to be performance-minded but with a big V8 under the hood, the possibilities to turn this car into a VIP-style, hot rod are all too obvious. Unfortunately, U.S.A. customers never got the chance.

1. Suzuki Cappuccino

Leaving the Cappuccino off this list would be a travesty. Fans of Initial D will already be familiar with this car. For those who aren’t, the Suzuki Cappuccino is a “kei car” made between 1991-1998. This tiny car could be converted to a hard-top, drop-top, t-top, or coupe. It has a 660cc turbocharged 3-cylinder engine under the hood. It also has tons of potential. It’s lightweight chassis makes it an easy platform for performance modifications. It is no wonder why this car has a huge cult following all over the world.

Top 5 JDM Cars That Should Have Been Sold In The USA