Despite being some of the tiniest sports cars ever produced these JDMs roar with lively engines and offer thrilling driving capabilities.

They say size does not matter. And before you raise a brow and ask who, exactly, says that; our answer is the Japanese sports car makers, many of which are Kei cars. For those not very conversant with JDM, as in the Japanese Domestic Market, Kei cars are the smallest of Japanese cars, carrying the tiniest of engines.

Think of them as microcars, road-legal in their smallest possible avatar. The Kei-car can be roughly translated into light automobile and first came into existence in 1949. Since then the size and engine-displacement regulations have been revised many times. The appeal of the Kei cars lies in the fact that they are cheap, offer tax and insurance benefits, and are way more maneuverable than the bigger four-wheelers.

Normally, you’d think of Kei cars as cheap passenger cars, but many of them are fun Japanese sports cars. Since the affordability of Kei cars makes them appealing to the youth, automakers have long tried to make them fun, despite the engine limitations. And these 10 tiny Japanese sports car cars prove that good things come in small packages.

Honda’s entry into the automobile world of four-wheeled passenger cars began with the S500. It was tiny, rather adorable, and came powered by a 500-cc inline-four, spinning to 9,500 RPM on a roller-bearing camshaft.

It may have been rudimentary in the beginning but even so, came with four carburetors and was a rear-wheel-drive, via a chain drive. Slowly, along with the fame, the displacement rose to the S600 and then the S800. And Honda’s rise turned meteoric but retained all the fun as well making it a leader in Japanese sports cars.

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US remembers Suzuki for gaffes like the Samurai and the X-90 but in Japan and Asia, Suzuki is a leader in automobiles. In 1971, Suzuki launched the Fronte Coupe which came designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro. The Fronte Coupe was edgy and reminiscent of the Lotus Esprit in the front, but the beauty lay in its engine.

It was a true Japanese over-achiever, with an output of nearly 100 horses per liter. More than just being good-looking, the Fronte Coupe made for a thrilling ride making it the perfect Japanese sports car.

Somehow, even though the Diahatsu Fellow carried an engine that no self-respecting motorcycle would ever run on, they still made a dune buggy version of it, the Max HT Coupé. The Fellow sat at 10 feet in length and four feet in width and managed all of 40 horses or less.

And yet its endearing, and chugged along rather pleasantly. This was not a car to get your thrills in but certainly, one to be joyous in, as its popularity showed. Even now, it’s appreciated as a classic.

The Subaru 360 Young SS is most remembered for being the first Japanese sports car, rather the first Japanese sports car to make 100 horsepower per liter, a ratio hitherto seen in super-expensive cars like the Ferrari 250 GTO. It reached top speeds of 75 MPH, topping the legal limit times three.

It was as important for Japan, in terms of automotive development and popularity, as was the Model T in the US, and the Volkswagen Beetle for Europe. It’s also one of the first serious Kei cars in Japan, though at the time engine restrictions were 360cc.

As an example of the prowess of the Mazda R360, digest this – on the day it was launched, it sold 4,500 units. By the end of 1960, two out of every three Kei cars being sold in Japan was a Mazda R360.

It was powered by a rear-mounted V-twin engine, something that powers motorcycles today, and had sedan and pickup versions as well, aptly named the P360 and B360. It was not the first Kei car in the market, but it came to be one of the most popular Kei Japanese sports cars of its time.

After the success of the S-Roadsters that were both Kei cars and Japanese sports cars, Honda was unstoppable. In the ‘90s, it launched the Beat, with a mid-engine layout and a high-revving three-cylinder engine, with a convertible top.

The Beat was a fun and quirky Japanese sports car and only recently ended its 25-year import ban, which is why sometimes, you can see one of them on US streets. It captures all eyes as it zips past in all its cuteness.

Related: 15 Classic JDMs That'll Cost You Peanuts

The Diahatsu Copen reminds you of the old British classics, like the MG and the Austin Healey. It’s small and a convertible, and comes with a tiny engine that has a lot of gumption. The Copen is affordable and looks great too, never mind its 660-cc engine.

It looks like a conventional roadster, only shrunken to adorable proportions, and managed to give you some thrills as well, considering these Kei Japanese sports cars come very light.

The Suzuki Cappuccino was very modular in the configuration as it could come as a full convertible, a Targa, or even as a T-top. It was a very light car, at just a little over 1,500 pounds, which made its 63 horsepower turbocharged inline-three more than adequate.

It was a rather stylish car and would have made good sales, except for the economic downturn in Japan in the ‘90s. As a JDM, you may not be able to take it on the track, but you can kick back and enjoy the double takes in your little Kei JDM sports car.

Related: 10 Most Underrated Japanese Cars On The Used Market

The Autozam AZ-1 looked very futuristic and came wearing gullwing doors, of all the things to do to a Kei car. This showed that while Kei cars were tiny, they were not inconsequential in Japanese automobile history and came with plenty of claws to take on rivals.

The AZ-1 had hood scoops and fender vents, even if a lot of it was just for cosmetic purposes than actual function. Autozam was a sister concern of Mazda, and the AZ-1 came mid-engined and was the sportiest of all tiny Japanese sports cars. Enough to even tempt Jay Leno.

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The Honda S660 is also a Kei car and its end has already been announced, for March 2022. Think of it as a baby roadster. And also think about the fact that if you want this in the US, you will be able to get the 2022 model in 2047, after the requisite 25 years have passed.

That’s a long, long wait indeed, to a time when gasoline cars might be the new classic after Tesla overtakes the whole world. The S660 is simply a revisit of Honda’s famous S-Series Roadsters and does full justice to the legacy of them all.

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Arun Singh Pundir has been a longtime media crackerjack and worked most of his life in sales and marketing. In 2018, he officially flipped and switched sides to the editorial. He lives with his wife, two rascally sons and is a car and motorcycle nut in his free time. Not that he has too much free time. He currently writes news, features, and listicles for HotCars on anything that has any number or kind of wheels. He is also penning pop culture, lifestyle and all things rich for TheRichest. For now, he considers his Isuzu D-Max V-Cross, Suzuki Ciaz, and Royal Enfield Classic 500, the three current flames of his life. His dream is to drive around the world; even if it takes more than eighty days.