The Japanese really love their sports cars, so much so in fact, that there are literally hundreds of videos on YouTube with Japanese journos testing the latest Japan has to offer, but unfortunately, the overwhelming majority are in Japanese and as a result, we have no idea what’s happening half the time. However, that’s not the case with the following video.

While it may be in Japanese, the aim of the video is clear as the testers put the pedal to the metal in the new Subaru BRZ, Toyota GT 86 around one of Japan’s various race circuits. The Mazda is being piloted by Takayuki Kinoshita, the BRZ handled by Naoki Hattori, while the Toyota was driven by Le Mans-class winner Keiichi Tsuchiya, all of whom have copious amounts of racing experience.

In order to make the 3-lap race as even as possible, the 167HP Mazda MX-5 is given a head start of around 3 grid places, while the 200HP BRZ and GT 86 set off behind. All three cars tested have manual transmissions so this is just a test about which car is faster, rather than which shifting-mechanism trumps the other.

We won’t spoil the result for you, but the video does display just how tail-happy the GT 86 is while the BRZ and MX-5 seem to have much more grip. Whether that’s down to different driving styles, or the Toyota’s lack of traction is not yet known, but all three cars certainly look the part!

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