Honestly, besides Honda's variable valve timing of 1989 (first to
include variable lift), has the Japanese auto industry ever done
anything original?
I thought VVT was in Alfas earlier than that. Or is Alfa's VVT different,
just variable timing on a set lift and not variable lift?
Yes, the VVT used by Alfa, Porsche, etc. in the '80s just advanced/retarded
a pretty normal intake cam. The neat thing about the Honda system was that
it could switch between two totally different cam lobes to vary lift.