Here are 10 retro Japanese performance cars we found this week for under £30k

Let’s get straight into it with this Evo 5. It’s been uprated to around 400bhp with a new fuel rail, blow-off valve and air intake, and since it’s only covered around 90,000 miles, there’s plenty of life in it yet. If you want something older, though, here’s an Evo 4 ‘Winfield Special Edition’ with the engine from an Evo 8. Both are properly proper. 

Here sits a quite delicious example of Toyota’s retro coupe, finished in ‘Caribbean Blue’ paint over black upholstery. It’s one of only 250 ‘10th Anniversary’ models released, and gets a removable targa roof, leather and wood steering wheel and a meaty gear stick. But it is the non-turbo, so a mere 173bhp from its 2.0-litre four-pot means 0-62mph in almost eight seconds. Still, looks fab.

It’s difficult to put together a list of Japanese sports cars without including some modified lots, like this wide-bodied S14-generation Nissan Silvia. It’s got a 180SX face swap and a ‘Midnight Purple’ jacket on, with Brembo brakes from an N1 Skyline and many items from the likes of HKS. Specific power outputs aren’t confirmed, but just by looking at this thing, you’d expect them to be… substantial.

Something a little more left-field, because it’s a rebuilt, lightweight, WRC-inspired version of the four-wheel drive Mazda 323 ‘GTA’. As standard, this one-of-300 example received a Torsen LSD and a short-ratio gearbox. But as part of a recent overhaul, the little hatch gets a tweaked suspension with fully adjustable coilovers, plus a restyled (and rewired) dashboard.

A Scooby without a blue body and gold alloys would seem like a sacrilege to WRX purists, but this Litchfield-tuned ‘Type 20’ looks menacing with the Java Black paint and red alloys. Upgrades include a wider track, stainless steel exhaust, forged pistons and a great big turbo. Power? That’d be up to 560bhp with the right propellant, plus 545lb ft torque. Yobboism done right.

From blob eye to bug eye, here’s a DC2 Integra Type R with that fantastical ‘B18’ inline-four. It’ll rev to your heart's content, and thanks to a sprinkling of VTEC, gets from 0-62mph in 6.7s en route to a Vmax of 145mph. It’s not fast, but it’s fun. The seller has also made a few subtle technical changes, including a Hytech exhaust and a cold air intake from Mugen, combining to improve low-speed torque.

One of the all-time Japanese greats, packed with the sensorial single-turbo rotary engine with a custom downpipe and larger intercooler, plus the five-speed manual from an RX-8. This RX-7 also gets bumpers from famed tuner RE Amemiya, which looks epic in that shade of hot red. And consider this: it’s up for a similar price to a brand-new, boggo-spec Volkswagen Golf.

Here’s a Nissan 300ZX with a targa roof and a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 boosted to 430bhp. Those tasteful aftermarket upgrades - including the sleek new body kit and padded red Recaro seats - are the culmination of an 11-year project from the seller. Would you just look at the size of those alloys? Good luck keeping those clean.

This is a sought-after twin-turbo ‘MR’ model. Sure, some of the exterior garnish is a little in-yer-face, like the bonnet vents and darkened headlight casing, but it’s still a genuine four-seat sports car from a time when Japan was churning them out by the day. Click here to read why the ‘GTO’ is one of our serial guilty pleasures.

Quite simply an 860bhp R32. The seller wants £38k for it, but at the time of writing, the highest bid still dips below this week’s price threshold. With a few days left to sell, this could be your chance to snag Godzilla for a bargain.