Right. A thought that just crossed my mind. The S13, S14 & S15 are inconceivably popular drift/toy cars, but you rarely see the S12 even at grassroots events, yet they're practically free. The chassie is flawed compared to the newer models, but since the S platform is very Lego-y the possibilities are the same as any other S car. If you live in a country where engine swaps are legal, people should go nuts over it. I suspect the CA18ET (at least where I live) and its steep showroom price cemented an "all-show-no-go", yuppie-ish reputation, which makes it a perfect "ironic" car to mod. It has a big fanbase and is like a well-guarded secret, just like other hipster phenomena. Hell, even old Toyota Starlets in bad condition are getting way expensive now. The S12 is a headturner, people gather around it when I park... And it's not like we're starved for eye candy here (on top of my head there's an F40, no less than THREE Skyline GT-R R32, A Renault 5 Turbo, '69 Charger Hemi, Buick GSX, lots of random JDM imports, etc etc... these are some the rarer ones I see on the road from time to time...not bad for a town with 60.000 inhabitants). So I'm astonished that people come up to ME and ask what car my rustbucket is, and keep asking question for 10 minutes... So it flies well below the radar but consistently sparks interest in all its dented primer-blotched glory. The serious money-pit S12 builds are breathtaking, IMO much more original than most S13> monsters. That goes for the every-day S12 builds I've seen here as well. Contrary to most S13s there's a lot more creativity here despite (or thanks to?) the lack of bolt-on parts.
This got me thinking about the popular western take on "JDM" in general, found in the US, Aus/NZ and Europe. Tacky, ironic stickers everywhere, such as "Do you even drift, bro?", "U mad?" or (I'm actually sporting this myself), "Ballin' on a budget" *. Cheap knockoff SSR, Work and Volk wheels. Even though they originated in Japan; dazzling, fluorescent wheels could possibly be considered "ironic" too. Because they're quite ugly on plain cars tbh. Ugly, but cool if done right. Like Naoki Nakamura & Team Burst.
Now I'm not a hipster, I got my S12 cuz it was cheap, fast and I still love it to bits. But a while ago I worked with a group of these pretentious little rascals, and as a car guy I thought "what would they drive if they were interested in cars and wanted an affordable drifter/RWD racer that stand out?". It would be Japanese because authenticy is important for them. The Isuzu Piazza and Suzuki Cappuccino are a strong contenders, but parts are scarce. I pretty much narrowed it down** to 1970s Japanese family cars such as the Daihatsu Charmant and Toyota Corolla E70 but also the Mazda MX-5/Miata NA (because many have a prejudice towards them) AAAND the Nissan S12. Even the Z31 seem more popular.
Oh that's enough brainfarting for tonight. Thoughts? Additions to the list?
* = YEAH DUDE! UNEMPLOYMENT RACE CAR!
** = Based on cars that were sold in my part of the world. YMMV, obviously. RWD 1980s Volvos (200, 700 & 900 series) and older BMWs make up the bulk of drift/go-fast-toy-cars around here.