To me, a Miata, E36/46 3 Series, WRX(or even its NA Impreza basis), Focus, the older Lexus IS300/GS300, older Civic/Integra/RSX or a A4 Golf/Jetta come to mind.
Yes, I threw in a pair of Lexii, but there is a fair bit of aftermarket for the 1st generation IS and 2nd gen GS and the stock 2JZ-GE I6 is a proven, stout motor if not built or tweakable like the 2JZ-GTE. The older mid-1990s Civic/Integras and the RSX as much as I poo-pooed that crowd in high school(I was a bad Asian them wanting a Crown Vic) were fun little cars, and from reading up on it, you can have fun with engine swaps and suspension stuff. Honda did a decent job, it was the only car in that class that had fully independent suspension that wasn't MacPierson struts.
I think a mid-late 1990s Civic with some suspension work and a B18-series motor from an Integra or a Si would be fun, if not an actual Si or Integra GS-R of that era.