Mazda

Mazda's collector identity rests on glorious contrarianism: the rotary engine, which every other manufacturer abandoned and Mazda perfected — culminating in the 787B's outright Le Mans victory in 1991, still the only win for Japan with a non-piston engine, and the RX-7's three generations of high-revving purity. Alongside it sits the MX-5, the world's best-selling roadster and the car that single-handedly revived the affordable sports car in 1989. Early NA MX-5s and clean FD RX-7s have both crossed decisively into collectable territory, with the JDM wave lifting the whole catalogue.