Over the years, Japanese automakers have built some truly revolutionary engines.

At the time, the Japanese domestic market was known for making fast, reliable, and inexpensive cars. Their technology is superb, and their design has always been simple and clear, but very effective. Because of this, they actually dominated the U.S. market during the oil crisis in the 1970s because they were more practical and fuel-efficient than American-made cars that focused on large engines.

After Japanese cars were sold worldwide, it became easy to participate in international motorsports and proved their value to American and European cars. Even today, they continue to flourish, creating a culture that is also evolving. With the help of popular cultures such as Initial D, Wangan Midnight, and The Fast and Furious, enthusiasts have been exposed to this culture from a very young age and aim to own these legendary cars. But what makes these legendary cars run? Well, the legendary engine made their mark. So we are here to show you some of the most legendary JDM engines that gave these cars their status today.

Let's start with the B series engine. The engine is a four-cylinder DOHC VTEC engine launched by Honda in 1988, with different displacements, cylinder blocks and internal structures. Honda's VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Electronic Control) is such an ingenious technology. With a separate camshaft profile, it enables their engines to have better fuel efficiency at low RPM and better performance in the higher RPM range.

Learn more about the B16b, which is the Type-R engine installed in the Honda Civic EK9. It has a power output of 182 hp and a torque of 118 lb-ft, providing one of the highest power outputs per liter for a naturally aspirated engine. The Civic Type-R has a stronger chassis, a front screw limited-slip differential and a tight gear ratio. The interior is decorated with red Recaro SR-3 bucket seats, red door panels, red Type-R foot pads, titanium shift knobs and Momo leather-wrapped steering wheel. This car was also selected by the famous Japanese tuner SPOONsports as the base for their car to participate in the tour.

F20C is another legendary engine developed by Honda. The F20C engine is a high-speed inline 4 VTEC DOHC. The engine is designed to be placed longitudinally and used in the rear-wheel drive for Honda S2000. The engine is designed for high engine speed capability. 240 hp power output and 161 lb-ft torque speed up to 8,900 RPM, make this engine scream beautifully.

Almost every Honda fan knows how fun it is to own and drive the S2000. This is a light and ultra-compact 2-seater convertible RWD with a weight distribution of 50/50. The adjustability of this engine is also great. This engine has many off-the-shelf after-sales parts, and due to the use of forged pistons and aluminum blocks, it can withstand heavy-duty pressurization, so that it can safely reach the 300-400 horsepower range, up to 600-700 horsepower. The internal output of the inventory .

Related: This Honda S2000 is a 900-horsepower road and drag monster with Powerglide gearbox

2JZ-GTE is part of Toyota JZ engine series. This is an in-line 6 24 valve DOHC engine. 2JZ-GTE is equipped with an inter-cooled twin-turbocharged engine, which provides 276 horsepower and 333 pound-feet of torque for the Japanese market and 320 horsepower for the European and American markets. The difference in power is due to restrictions or what they call a "gentleman agreement."

This engine is dedicated to Toyota Supra MKIV and uses excellent materials such as a durable cast iron closed cylinder block, aluminum cylinder head and very strong cylinder head gasket. These combinations make it easy for 2JZ to use inventory internals to easily produce absurd power data. It is another reason why this engine is the most popular among tuners all over the world.

3SGTE is another legendary engine, more worthy of adoration than the one currently acquired. This is indeed an underrated engine, only real Toyota enthusiasts know about it. 3SGTE is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine. 3SGTE produced many generations from 1986 to 2007. Most of these are changes in turbine, intake and intercooler settings.

3SGTE is such an excellent engine that it is used in many cars, such as Toyota Celica GT-4, Toyota MR2, and even Supra, which dominates the TOM of the Japan Tour Championship (JGTC). Since the engine is lighter, more efficient, and can be adjusted to match the power of an inline six-cylinder engine, TOM’s Supra takes full advantage of this, because JGTC regulations stipulate that the car can run on any engine, as long as the engine will be used in the original Within the range of the manufacturer. TOM's Supra then became a symbol.

Related: Check out this Mean Green TOM'S Custom 2020 Toyota Supra

1UZ-FE is part of Lexus UZ series engines, which have been in production for 24 years. This is a 4.0-liter V8 32-valve four-cam engine. The power output is more conservative, it has 256 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque. Although power and performance are not the main goals of this engine, it is still a legendary engine due to the extreme smoothness, reliability and comfort it provides.

However, it is still sufficient to propel the Lexus LS400 UCF10, which weighs more than 3,500 pounds. This is a full-size luxury sedan that Lexus sells as its flagship model and competes with Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan and BMW 7 Series. Due to the status of 1UZ, neither of these two competitors can match the Lexus LS400 in terms of quietness and comfort. Lexus even showed a stack of champagne glasses on the top of the engine and accelerated it as an advertisement to show the actual stability of the engine. Over time, the reliability has been proven, because there is also a privately owned Lexus LS400 that has driven 1,000,000 miles. In addition, the engine is now becoming more and more popular because many enthusiasts have used it as a platform for drift cars.

SR20DET is part of Nissan's SR engine series, which is a four-cylinder 2.0-liter DOHC turbocharged engine. The engine also has many applications in the Nissan product line, but it is mainly known for being installed in the Nissan Silvia product line (called the S chassis).

With proper care and maintenance, the engine is durable and highly reliable. It has a timing chain that lasts approximately 150,000 miles. This also provides a large selection of after-sales parts, and because of its versatility, it is widely used for drifting.

The RB26DETT is a 2.6-liter inline-6 ​​twin-turbocharged engine manufactured by Nissan, which directly competes with the Toyota 2JZ engine discussed earlier. Going back to the "gentleman agreement" between manufacturers, this engine was also rated at 276 horsepower and 260 pound-feet when it was first released, and was later rated at 316 horsepower at the end of production.

There are many versions and developments of the RB26DETT along the way because it is also used in the Nissan Skyline GT-R lineup. Many Nissan tuner also use it as a platform, such as Mines Motorsports, NISMO Z-Tune, Blitz Autobahn, Garage Kagotani. The longest debate that seems to never end is to decide which one is the more advantageous engine. Toyota's 2JZ, or Nissan's RB26?

Related: These are the coolest Nissan cars of all time

Subaru's EJ25 Turbo design takes a different approach. They used unconventional methods. This is a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged horizontally opposed engine. The pistons do not move vertically up and down, but move horizontally relative to each other. Due to the way the pistons are positioned, the height of these engines is actually shorter, which makes the car's center of gravity lower.

There are many versions of the EJ25, depending on the market and year, but the power ranges from 260 to 300 horsepower. It is installed on Subaru's performance rally car Subaru Impreza STI. Although it was flawed, the EJ25 was still a powerful engine and was a success, so Subaru continued to improve the boxer's design for use in their entire lineup.

4G63T is another four-cylinder legend that has entered the list. It is a 2.0-liter turbocharged DOHC engine that has been widely used in the Lancer Evolution series. This engine is so good that when Mitsubishi decided to replace the engine for Evolution X, Evolution fans were disappointed.

The first 4G63T was installed in Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 and Lancer Evolution 1. Mitsubishi has manufactured three generations of 4G63T, each time to improve power and efficiency, and to modernize technology. The power output of the first-generation Lancer Evolution 1 was 240 hp and 228 lb-ft of torque. The previous-generation Lancer Evolution IX was rated at 280 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. With the 4G63T's aftermarket and wide availability of OEM parts, if you want more power, it can be easily rebuilt or completely modified.

Last but not least is Mazda's 13B-REW rotary engine or Wankel engine. This engine design is very unique. Without pistons, it is indeed a unique engine. Instead, it has a triangular rotor in the combustion chamber that rotates in a circular manner. The triangular design allows all four cycles to be completed in one circular motion.

Because of this, you will get a powerful and compact engine with a smaller displacement. Specifically, the 13B-REW is a 2-rotor 1.3-liter sequential turbocharged engine with an initial power output of 250 horsepower, which later reached 280 horsepower. This engine is not as widely used as the other engines discussed earlier, because this engine is mainly used for RX7.

The first-generation Skyline GT made its debut in 1964, after Nissan Motor made a crazy attempt for the Japanese Grand Prix car.

Brent Briones is a car enthusiast, car photographer and car shop owner from the Philippines, and is now a writer for Hotcars.com. He likes to share his knowledge and love for cars.