Sevendecades.

Small factories, rough roads and the first passenger cars built for Japanese families.

• Toyopet Crown (first generation) RS 1955–1962
• 360 Subaru 360 (1958–1971) 1958–1971

Expressways, a first generation of sports cars, and the confidence to look outward.

• Land Cruiser 40 Series J40 1960–1984
• Cedric (first generation) 30 1960–1965
• Patrol 60 Series 60 1960–1980
• S500 S500 (1963–1964) 1963–1964
• Sports 800 UP15 1965–1969
• President (first generation) H150 1965–1973

Long-nose coupés, compact economy cars and engineering shaped by emissions and oil.

• Celica (first generation) A20 1970–1977
• Colt Galant GTO A53C 1970–1977
• Jimny LJ10 LJ10 1970–1972
• Civic (first generation) SB1 1972–1979
• RX-7 (first generation) SA22C 1978–1985
• Delica (second generation) Second generation (1979), incl. Delica Star Wagon 1979–1986

Turbochargers, electronic control, four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering — engineering became the headline.

• Pajero (first generation) L040 1982–1991
• Corolla Levin / Sprinter Trueno (AE86) AE86 1983–1987
• MR2 (first generation) AW10 1984–1989
• Land Cruiser 70 Series J70 1984–
• Silvia (S13) S13 1988–1993
• LS 400 (first generation) XF10 1989–1994

An editorial name, not a verdict: the decade many enthusiasts associate with Japan's high-performance cars.

• NSX (first generation) NA1 1990–2005
• GTO (3000GT) Z15A 1990–2001
• Beat PP1 1991–1996
• RX-7 (third generation) FD3S 1991–2002
• 787B 787B Group C prototype (1991) 1991–
• Cappuccino Cappuccino (1991–1998) 1991–1998

Hybrids went mainstream, luxury marques matured, and production spread across the globe.

• Copen (first generation) L880K 2002–2012
• RX-8 SE3P 2003–2012
• GT-R (R35) R35 2007–2025
• i-MiEV i-MiEV (2009–2021) 2009–2021

Mass-market EVs, a carbon-fibre V10 and the return of compact sports cars.

• LFA LFA10 2010–2012
• Leaf (first generation) ZE0 2010–2017
• Jimny (fourth generation, JB64) JB64W 2018–

Electrification, software and heritage: the archive continues to be written.