From the Japanese guys Ive talked to, they dont know much about them. Most of them think they are slow and cant compete with the Japanese cars. I think if all were known it may be a threat to the extremely overpriced market that Japan has for after market. When I was building my engine I couldnt find any support anywhere. Getting plugs or oilfilter was almost impossible. There a few American cars here and there but nothing to mention. The funny thing is alot of the young military guys get all caught up in the hype of Japan and forget there are other options. Literally spending thousands of dollars for minimal upgrades and then get stuck with selling it before they leave and losing most of the investments. I remember one guy telling me he ran 5 bars on his turbo and was running 10s in the quarter. Well since there is no quarter around, makes it kinda hard to believe, and 5 bars??. I saw the engine and it was barely holding together and oil was oozing from everywhere.
Bottom line I think has alot to do with the Japanese market and money to be made on available parts etc. Sometimes ignorance is bliss I guess. However, the ones who saw my car when I was in Okinawa thought it was pretty cool and I spanked a few nice turboed rides in the process on a budget motor.. Let the debate begin...
Terry