Most Popular JDM Honda Imports
2025 Buyer's Guide
VTEC legends, Type R icons, and Kei car gems — Honda's JDM lineup covers every enthusiast.
Honda's JDM lineup is as broad as it is iconic. From hand-built naturally aspirated engines screaming to 9,000 rpm to mid-engine Kei convertibles that weigh less than a modern motorcycle, few manufacturers covered as much ground in the 1990s and early 2000s. With more models crossing the 25-year import threshold every year, the window to buy clean examples before prices fully reflect their collectible status is closing.
Here are the five most popular JDM Hondas — what makes each one worth importing, and what you need to know before you do.
Widely considered one of the greatest front-wheel-drive cars ever built. The JDM DC2 produces 200 PS from its hand-built B18C — more than the USDM Acura version — thanks to a superior 4-2-1 exhaust manifold and smaller cat. The chassis was strengthened with extra spot welds and thicker metal at the shock towers. Sound deadening removed, glass thinned, weight stripped wherever Honda could find it. The result is a car that Evo magazine called "the greatest front-wheel-drive performance car ever made." That verdict has not aged.
The EK9 was the first Civic to receive the Type R badge — and it was JDM exclusive, never officially sold outside Japan. The B16B produced one of the highest power-per-litre outputs of any naturally aspirated production engine at the time: 185 PS from 1.6 litres, with maximum torque arriving at 7,500 rpm. It demands commitment — below 6,000 rpm little happens, above it the B16B transforms into something extraordinary. Seam-welded monocoque chassis, Recaro bucket seats, titanium shift knob. Exactly 16,000 units produced.
The F20C holds the record for the highest power output per litre of any naturally aspirated production engine ever built at the time of its release — 120 PS per litre. The S2000 was designed around this engine: a lightweight rear-wheel-drive roadster with a long-travel suspension, precise rack-and-pinion steering, and a six-speed manual matched to an engine that rewards being driven to its 9,000 rpm limit. JDM AP1s are often cleaner than US examples and carry JDM-specific features. Early cars are now crossing the import threshold — values are climbing.
The Beat is a genuine mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive roadster in a Kei car package — something that should not exist and absolutely does. Honda squeezed a 656cc three-cylinder VTEC engine behind the driver, kept weight under 700 kg, and produced something that corners like it has no right to at any speed. Designed by Pininfarina. Endorsed by Ayrton Senna, who reportedly kept one for personal use. The Beat is not fast by any objective measure — it is one of the most engaging cars ever made by any measure. All years are now import eligible.
The CL1 Accord Euro R is what Honda built when they asked the question: what if we gave the Accord the full Type R treatment? The H22A "Red Top" VTEC produces 220 PS at 7,200 rpm, paired with a helical LSD, twin-piston front brakes, stiffened chassis, Recaro seats, and a Momo leather steering wheel. It looks like an ordinary Accord. It is not. A genuine sleeper in the truest sense — the kind of car that surprises people who didn't read the badges.
As more models cross the 25-year threshold, now is one of the best windows to acquire a clean JDM Honda before prices fully reflect their collectible status. Setsu sources directly from Japanese auction — every car comes with full documentation.