It just doesn’t make sense to buy Oreos in Japan. Sure, they’re exotic, chocolaty and the ritualistic twist-lick-dunk is a delicious stroke of marketing genius. But there is a price to pay for imported luxuries from the U.S. of A. (Albeit made in China) Besides, in Japan, the domestically produced equivalent Noir is just as morish as the original, at a fraction of the price. I would even argue they’re more chocolaty, too.

We are spoiled for choice here in Japan when it comes to snacks. And JDM snacks are excellent, as are the cars.

I remember trying to find delicacies from the East when I was living in the UK, Asahi Super Dry mostly, and almost swallowing my tongue at the price of an imported six-pack from Japan. Of course, the same can be said for international beers, snacks, and cars in whichever country you live.

But imagine if your beer, snack, or car costs upwards of four times the domestic sales price of an equivalent item. You might manage a packet of original Oreos at four times the price, but if it’s the cost of a Nissan Skyline GT-R, Toyota Supra, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, or any other imported JDM hero car however, you are talking serious money.

This is the reality of being a JDM performance car enthusiast in Malaysia.

But it’s not all bad news for local enthusiasts; domestically assembled Japanese models that were sold new in Malaysia are attainable. And when it comes to those cars, some are oddly cheaper to purchase in Malaysia than in Japan. Case in point, the A31 Nissan Cefiro.

During the late ’80s and early ’90s, Nissan’s first-generation Cefiro was an extremely popular new car in Malaysia. Today, the A31 remains one of Malaysia’s most popular performance car bases. It’s not hard to understand why when you learn that the rear-wheel drive four-door sedan shared its chassis, driveline, and suspension with the R32 Skyline.

Powered by either a naturally aspirated RB20DE or turbocharged RB20DET and available with a 5-speed transmission, A31s have become synonymous with Malaysian drift and tuner car culture.

To put things into perspective, the cheapest R32 Skyline I could find for sale in Malaysia came with an asking price that was the equivalent of US$42,000. The cheapest one I could find in Japan was the equivalent of US$20,000. An A31 Cefiro on the other hand, can be picked up in Malaysia for as little as $US3,000. That makes them ripe for modification.

Unsurprisingly, there were more than a few Nissan Cefiro builds on display at Retro Havoc 2024. I’ve got a full feature on one of the best examples to share soon, but before I do that I wanted to show you some A31s built by Endperfect Performance in Kuala Lumpur.

These guys are well known in Malaysia for building Nissan RB-series engines that would pique the interest of even the world’s most hardcore Skyline GT-R tuners. Furthermore, Endperfect Performance set cars up for circuit racing, drift, and street performance.

This blue A31 is owned by Endperfect boss Maxx Arel, with all work carried out in-house. It’s hard to imagine now, but the Cefiro sat abandoned for four years before being rescued and rebuilt.

I asked Maxx what it is about the Cefiro that makes the model so popular in Malaysia. His answer was simple: Because the A31 shares its chassis with the locally unobtainable Skyline, 99% of R32, R33, and R34 parts bolt right in.

But what makes them fun? You can have all the power of a tuned Skyline GT-R… in a rear-wheel drive chassis. I’m sure you can see the appeal, too.

Maxx’s Cefiro has a huge upgrade list, but even with all the modifications, he has spent considerably less than he would have to buy a stock R32 GT-R in reasonable condition. The R34 RB25DET NEO engine fitted in the A31 produces a solid 550hp with 520Nm of torque. Tuning comes via a Swedish MaxxECU engine management system – an unexpected favourite of Malaysian tuners.

I’m honoured to have met enthusiasts like Maxx and his Cefiro friends in Malaysia. These guys have a tougher time building cars than most, yet manage to create some of the most impressive machines I’ve ever seen. Long live the A31!

Toby Thyer
Instagram _tobinsta_
tobythyer.co.uk

More stories from Malaysia on Speedhunters