Things have obviously evolved and changed over time. Rough World became Rauh Welt and AE86s turned into all kinds of 911s but the essence was always the same. No matter if it was “rough” or “rauh”, Nakai-sans creations always represented the very core of this word. No matter if he was building 86s…

… or 911s, his cars were always ROUGH. Ever since we saw his creations for the first time we were mind blown and we were even more impressed when we started learning more about the history of RWB.

Thanks to various blogs and journalists all of us could follow every Nakai-sans move and see his creations almost first hand. We could see the peak of his work in cars like the “Penthouse” 964, “Natty Dread” 993 and of course his personal “Stella Artois” 930. We see these three as the ultimate representation of a “rough” approach to building a car and we secretly hope that our 86s will one day give the same impression.

So whats the problem then? Well, calling it a problem is an overstatement but somehow we just dont see that much roughness in Nakai-sans new cars anymore. Dont get the wrong idea, we still think theyre amazing…

… but ever since he switched to the new “Royal Montegobay” 993 we just couldnt see the same amount of roughness in them. It was clean, tough looking, maybe even mature but it was just too clean to be called “Rough” in our opinion. There were no mismatched panels, no dents, no crazy aerodynamic details, no ruckus in the interior…

And the same thing popped up in our minds when we first saw the Pandora 911. It is extremely well built, has an absolutely mental engine setup, looks very good… but it just isnt rough. It is hardcore, but not rough.

Maybe its just because these cars are too new and they will roughen up gradually. Maybe we just take this shit too seriously. Maybe… Either way it seems that Nakai-san has evolved to a new level. Just like your favourite band that youve been listening to for ten years and to whose newest CD you just cant get into. You still love them but you keep listening to their older stuff more often. Catch my point?

Theres one person though who still seems to stick to the same idea. Nojima-san, the RWB painter, still drives his trusted 86 that he transformed into a complete beast. The car was pretty mean before (check out Noriyaro or Speedhunters for more pics) but its latest transformation is, in our opinion, the truest embodiment of the word ROUGH.

… and thats why we were really happy to come across this set of photos while browsing through the Tofu Trueno owners blog. These pictures are from Hachiroku Festival 2008 where Tsuchiyas GTV was displayed right next to the Initial D replica.

Unfortunately there was no info added to these photos but you all know whats under this Truenos bonnet. But in case you would like to go over its speclist again we added it at end of this post.

TRD SUPER RACING PRO. Well you cant sound any more Engrish then that… Seriously though there are a few details that cought our attention. First of all theres no silly big and loud exhaust tip. Seems like Tsuchiya-san likes to keep it quite in lower revs. Also, did you notice theres no cage inside? The chassis is fully reinforced and spot welded and according to one of the AE86 Club videos its as rigid as the new Integra Type-Rs chassis.

We also had a few lines prepared about its interior but then we found out that we were looking inside of a completely different 86. Well it wouldn’t be a japanese website if it didn’t have a complete mess in the photo section. So heres at least the speclist we mentioned earlier.

Specs:
AE111 20V 4A-GE
DLI ignition with Freedom ECU
Toda cams with 272in/288ex and 9,8mm lift
Toda valves and valve springs
Toda 82mm pistons with 11.3:1 compression ratio
OEM 295cc Blacktop injectors
Custom made TRD exhaust (incl. manifold)
Aluminium 3row water cooler
TRUST oil cooler
DG-5 coilovers (used to be TRD)
All suspension arms adjustable with pillow balls
TRD 2way LSD
4,778 TRD final gear
1-3 TRD gearset
MZ20 Soarer brakes
SSR Dori-Dori Meshes with 15×7 ET+2

This privateer Levin was build to lap Tsukuba in 57 second range and as said before its owner put more then you would pay for a new GT-R into achieving this laptime. We dont know if he succeeded but apparently he got bored with it after driving it two or three times. Or at least thats what the ad says…

…. Thats right, this 86 is for sale. And the price tag is pretty tempting too, this machine is yours for only 2,2 milion yen. Even though this car sat for a while and will need some brushing up, it will still cost you only one fifth of its original price!

Lets get on with the specs. The 16v 4AGE runs 304° TRD cams with 12mm lift on both sides, 1mm oversized valves, Toda Racing inner shim kit, JUN conrods, TRD pistons with 11,5:1 comp ration and a fully balanced TRD Gr.A crankshaft. All coupled together with Motec M4 standalone ECU and individual throttle bodies.

This setup is good for 250hp. Theres no info about this engines rev limit though but were pretty sure it wont be under 8500. Other stuff under the hood includes a dry sump, Earls oil cooler and a V-mounted water cooler.

The interior setup looks pretty much like what you would expect. The whole chassis is thoroughly reinforced with a 26 point rollcage and spot welding and the suspension was modified with equal link arms at back and custom Bestex coilovers.

The spec sheet is a lot bigger, check out AS Garages website to see the whole thing. There are also many more detailed photos. So is this a bargain of the year or what?

We managed to webmine few blogs and heres the result. This set of hi-res photos comes from Minkara user kumax who captured some pretty interesting machines in the pits. Starting with this mean and classic looking Hakosuka…

… to bit more unconvetional stuff like this gran-chan Levin.

We have a pretty soft spot for old Skylines and this C210 Skyline Japan really raised our pulse. Theyre still pretty affordable these days so if you want some vintage Japanese machinery then this might be the best pick. Just look at that awesome wing!

MotorFIX were out in full force. They brought all their famous E70s – the rusty wagon, the BEAMS purple sedan and their 1UZ hardtop. More pics are further down in this post.

When it comes to Nissans most of us pay attention mainly to Skylines but there were some pretty awesome 510 Bluebirds too. This SR20 powered hardtop with OEM BNR32 wheels isnt really period correct but we love it anyway.

On the other hand this 510 is completely period correct. We really envy you guys from the US that the 510 was sold there…

Speaking of old Nissans and Datsuns, this is probably the coolest head you could get for your vintage Sunny…

… and it wouldnt be a propper vintage meet without a Super Silhouette R30. Analogue aerodynamics for the win!

Hondas werent missing either and this is probably our most favourite one from the meet. Oldschool looks, newschool power… only if swapping was so easy with our rwd cars.

Ok, back to Toyotas now. Oldschool vs. newschool again, this time on a Cressida wagon. Whats your opinion?

And now to some action shots we found on Nanas blog. These arent in good resolution any more but their content makes up for it. Bride livery never gets old!

The rest of the MotorFIX crew was ripping up the track whole day. It shouldnt take long before they upload some onboard vids.

Heres a shot of the boso Levin doing some skids too just in case you thought it was all show and no go. Can anyone translate whats on that banner on his window?

We kept the best one as last. Watching a C10 sedan drifting has to be one of the most amazing things in the world…

Oh wait! Theres a video too…

Carland 86
Street view link

Lets begin with the place that started this whole thing. The look at Carland 86s front porch is a legendary thing that has been around the internet ever since Google launched Street view. Google started to update its images with higher definition ones now so you can finally enjoy the biggest AE86 reseller even more. Oh and also theres no truck blocking the view anymore.

Impulse
Street view link

Impulse doesnt need any introduction and its been featured on our blog many times before. There are still no HD picutres of their place yet but thats not really a problem this time. Take a look around the corner, theres about a dozen of cars hidden under canvas. Guess whats underneath it…

Techno Pro Spirits
Street view link

Techno Pro Spirits is another place that needs no introduction. Theres also a bunch of cars in front of the shop that many of you know from the Best Motoring series.

Tube Garage
Street view link

Tube Garage is a place that you might have seen on our blog too. Just like Carland 86 and Impulse, Tube Garage focuses on restoring and reselling japanse oldtimers, mainly Toyotas. If you have the courage then take a look at their website and start selling your organs…

SS Works
Street view link

SS Works is one of the shops that frequently attends the legendary N2 races. Their Levin Coupe with insane rollcage and aerodynamics has some serious respect just like their Honda CR-X. Unfortunately there arent many things to see in Street view. Well except a bunch of Peugeots.

Racing Garage SIFT
Street view link

This little shop owned by the legendary Katsuhiro Ueo is located in a small metal shack that looks like its going to fall apart any time soon. Theres a nice pack of Corollas next to the shack in various state of decay. God we would give anything for a calm place in the countryside like this…

Flyrat + Up Garage
Street view link

Well, we didnt expect these two places to be right next to each other. Flyrat is just like Tube Garage a reseller of oldtimers and Up Garage is one of the biggest seller of wheels and tires in the area.

Run Free
Street view link

This small inconspicuous building is definetly worth mentioning too. It belongs to Run Free and you can spot their legendary red Trueno in front. Or at least we think its that Trueno…

Dropps Racing
Street view link

We didnt come across Dropps Racing before but judging by their shop and their track spec Levin we guess they sure have a good reputation in the area.

Droo-P
Street view link

Droo-P is a shop owner by an ex-mechanic from team BP Kraft which is responsible for the legendary GT300 Trueno. Hes also an old punk with a mohawk so dont expect any fancy place.

Rauh Welt
Street view link

Rauh Welt is pretty popular these days and even though they dont build Corollas any more we still fall from our chairs when we see their new creations. Just like SIFT theyre located in a small shack thats decorated inside like a chirstmas tree.

Global Auto
Street view link

And since weve got this thing going so nicely we thought we might take a peek at Global Auto too. They dont have anything to do with Corollas but that doesnt really matter if you ask us…

HachiRock is one of the more exlusive annual 86 meets bacause the Sagami resorts size is pretty limited and most of the spots are taken months ahead. This means that only the most serious guys who are willing to register even one year ahead get to show their cars and products. Heres a small list of 86 specialists who attended this years event.

Bils were showing their full carbon fiber N2 kit and amazing track spec suspension systems.

Tec-Arts showed up too with their infamous turbocharged Black Limited Trueno. If you think this 350hp 86 with orange interior is a bit overdone then dont worry, these boys also showed some love to N/A 4AGs and came with their track ready Trueno with stupidly huge velocity stacks and exhaust manifold.

RunFree brought a clean white Levin showing their full aero package but it seems like the legendary Yamashitas red 86 was missing. Their demo Levin had some pretty big and shiny wheels too, cant say we like them though. Same goes for the M3 mirrors.

And right next to them was the well established track specialist YellowHat Motor Sports or YMS in short. These guys arent just another small shop being run from a shack who knows where. Just take a look at their Supra or GT-R from Super GT… We would love to see their 86 from up close.

Regular N2 contender Garage Annex showed their mean track machine with wide TE37Vs and blacktop swap. Looking at this cars engine bay and interior we have to say that this is one really clean car.

Ukiya (were not really sure about the name) bought what seems like a perfect copy of Tsuchiyas Trueno. Honestly though we would like to see their demo Levin in detail more.

Mekaru was showing their beefed up SR20 Levin. Theres also some serious chassis reinforcement going on in there.

Custom Garage SPEED couldnt miss out this years event either. They brought three cars this year and alongside their two N2 spec insanities they also had a more decent looking machine with a 16V on ITBs. Well, not that decent, it still has a rollcage and only one seat.

You can spot some serious machinery on the regular parking lot too. Take this Garage Mori AE86 with its fat TE37Vs, super clean engine with dry sump and some hardcore aero.

This custom widebody Levin was another car sitting on bigger then 15″ wheels at the event. What do you people think about it? We still cant get used to it…

There were also a few WTF moments like with this yellow coupe…

… and the event even had some love for the rally guys.

And it wouldnt be a big AE86 meet without a few Takumis around. Were going to stop with the comments at this point and let you enjoy the rest of the photos. Thanks again to Sir-shin for them!

境様、お忙しい中でのご回答誠に有難う御座います。

Sakai-san: My name is Sakai and I run the auto shop motorFIX in Japan. Thank you very much for taking a look at our website and approaching us.

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86ers.org: Thank you for your time. First question that comes to most peoples mind is how you got into modifying old Corollas and what is it that most attracts you to them? Japan is full of powerful turbocharged cars and finding these days someone who still drives cars like the 86 on race tracks is more and more difficult.

Sakai-san: Theres still a lot of AE86s around us. But there are less and less cars with chassis in good condition. MotorFIX is an ordinary auto shop and I like the KE70 so naturally a group of people who like the same things gathered around this place over time.

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86ers.org: The AE86 is considered one of the biggest japanese drifting legends but you like the KE70 more. Why do you prefer this Corolla generation?

Sakai-san: The 70 appeals to me because its unique and you can use most of the AE86 parts. The chassis is completely identical.

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86ers.org: A lot of people around us asks why are your cars so rusty at first glance. Is there a special reason to that?

Sakai-san: Unfourtunetly humidity is very high in Japan and cars rust in this enviroment very easily. Exterior parts are very hard to find for the 70 and repairs are more expensive then with the AE86. Even though its boro these 70s have a lot of milage ahead of them… and I also like the typical atmosphere which the rusty chassis evokes. I think that there is a lot of young people these days who cannot afford tires or gas because they buy exterior mods or pointless crashes. “Even though its boro the ride is cool!”… Thats one of motorFIXs motto.

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86ers.org: We can find the Blacktop 4AGE under the bonnet of many of your cars, what is the reason why you prefer this engine?

Sakai-san: Since the 70 has more or less the same chassis as the AE86 then swaping any kind of 4AG is very simple. However an engine that has more then 20 years of work behind it requires many repairs and a lot of money. Thats the reason why we choose the 5 valve Blacktop which is also a 4A but newer and less problematic. Even in stock form it produces 165hp which used to be the power oh modified 4 valve 4AGs and thats enough power for the light 70.

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86ers.org: We heard that the Japanese police has become very strict these days and modifications are more limited then before. Does it happen to you that you recieve fines for illegal mods? Or do the police officers say stuff like “Oh hey look, its an old Corolla, I remember having one back in the days”?

Sakai-san: Modified cars with road registration have an authorization technical check so modifications are without problems. AE86s are being pulled over often because they are something as a symbol of modified cars but the 70 was never pulled over.

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86ers.org: How is the AE86 being seen today in Japan in your opinion? Do the people still see it as the same car it was 15 years ago when drifting was just becoming popular and when it was cheap and affordable? Its been more then 25 years now and a well preserved piece is more expensive then an avarage S13 or R32 and so many beginners in drifting tend to choose these newer turbo platforms over the Corolla…

Sakai-san: Corollas in good condition are expensive but  you can buy acceptable pieces cheap. But as you say todays young generation tends to buy turbocharged cars that are cheaper and more powerful then the AE86.

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86ers.org: This is a more general question but how do you Japanese who showed the world professional drifting see drifting in the rest of the world? What do you think about the evolution of drifting in the US and in Europe?

Sakai-san: I think that just like with Judo and other sports the rules will change and the form and directions will be set by America and Europe. I personally think that the ideal state is when normal people can enjoy drifting as a normal, simple hobby.

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86ers.org: When it comes to professional drifting, everyone immediately thinks of D1GP. What do you think about this racing series? Cars are becomming faster every year and it all cost more and more money.

Sakai-san: Tracks like Fuji and Suzuka dominate in the series and there you need power under the hood at all costs. The speed and dynamics of this drifting is logicaly redeemed with huge money. But I guess you cant do anything about this growing level when you as a professional recieve money from your customers (sponsors).

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86ers.org: We are from the exact opposite end of the world but is there still something you would like to tell our readers at the end?

Sakai-san: I still remember the amazing feeling when I first drifted my car and I got blown by the “drift wind”. Ever since then I am poisoned with drifting! LOL

motorFIX
堺　望
〒501-1106
岐阜県岐阜市石谷429-14
TEL&FAX – 058-235-7776
http://www.motorfix.jp
info (at) motorfix.jp

ｍ（．＿．）ｍ アリガト

We will spend the next few weeks with translating our most favourite posts from the past and then its back to normal. We are also going to translate our Tech section over time.

We copied our old Czech posts here in case you wanted to browse through them before they get translated.

Thanks for your support everyone!

… A Vy si s tímhle moc hlavu nelámejte, můžete si je koupit normálně na eshopu Shatsu s hromadou dalších samolepek.