Even though its really not cool to drive a boro car in Japan (unlike in the US), these two guys stand proudly behind their boro style and are not ashamed to call their AE86s like that. They wanted cheap cars for skids and these two coupes do the job so theres nothing to be embarrassed for.

There aren’t any specs available because these guys don’t really waste their time with writing up speclists and showing off on the internet. And by the looks of it they probably dont even know all the parts on their 86s. As long as it works then who cares, right?

There isn’t much to spot from the photos either. These 86s are obviously 2 doors but who knows how did they look like when they rolled out of factory. Both are running kouki Trueno rear lamps, kouki bumpers with a zenki lip and the Levin also has kouki headlights with Japanese spec kouki foglights.

Theres the classic combination of bolt-on rollcage and Bride seats in the interior together with desired electrical mirrors (we didn’t get them here in Europe). We have no idea whats under the bonnet nor what chassis setup they use but we’re pretty sure there’s a set of excessively hard coilovers and some LSD on both of them. The Levin owner evidently likes RS Watanabe wheels while the Trueno runs more distinctive SSR Mk.II wheels at the back and some meshes at the front.

We personally think both cars started life as kouki GT-Apex Truenos but, like we said, who knows what they were put together from. And thats one of the things that we really like about these boro bangers!

Hidden deep in the English version of JDM Options website lies a translated article featuring many details of Ueo’s legendary Trueno. It won’t be fair to simply copy and paste the whole article though, we will just pick our most favourite part and let you enjoy the entire Engrish piece on the original site over here.

So how did Ueo managed to destroy others who had twice the horspepower? This might give you a hint…

“One of the secrets to the fact that Ueo hardly ever spins out is in the front tires. Since his debut, Ueo had always used 14 inch rims with 185 spec tires. The key setting in this setup is when the machine is drifting and the throttle is depressed, the front tires begin to slide as well. As result of this, when the countersteer is maxed out and the drift angle is at its peak, the vehicle still resists spinning out. If wider tires are installed on this setup, the deep angles that are currently exhibited would not be possible.”

See? We keep saying it over and over again, it’s all about balance and sometimes less is actually more. Keep that it mind!

Remember to visit Options site for the whole article, it’s definitely worth reading over if you haven’t seen it before. If you have the time then take a look at HR.com.au’s comprehensive post on Ueo too, it gives you an insight into his career like noone else does. Also, Super Street featured Ueo’s machine in 2009 as well.

No matter if you love the series or hate all the hype around it, you have to admit that this is one really well build AE86. And as you probably noticed its an exact replica of the famous tofu supplier.

And when we say exact replica we mean it. It obviously doesnt have a race spec Silvertop that revs to 12.000 rpm but otherwise it has absolutely everything taken from the cartoon version.

The base is of course a zenki GT-Apex Trueno that sits on 14×6.5 Watanabe RS (just like in the series, right?). The car was build by Carland 86, one of the most respected AE86 specialists in Japan. They added a few bits and pieces that make this Trueno not only look good but go pretty fast too.

Like we said earlier its not a race-spec Silvertop but were sure this slightly tuned Blacktop can make the drive interesting too. Naturally theres a TRD LSD and a set of Carland 86s own suspension too. The Type-D exhaust is also from Carland 86 and amogst others there are parts like Custo sway bars, Endless CC-X brake pads, KOYO cooler and many more.

While you have to be Akira Iida to get the same engine as in the series you wont have any big issues with replicating the interior. This 86 has it all – red zenki interior, obligatory cup holders and a tiny rev counter on the steering wheel column. And dont forget the ItalVolanti wheel.

And thats it. Were still not sure if we should love it or hate it but we have to say that this is one damn well build Corollas. What do you guys think?

… 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

Garage Hachi’s Kev and Dave built a pair of absolutely amazing Corollas and we’re not saying that just because we have a soft spot for Trueno Coupes and biege 3-door Levins. Lets take a look at Dave’s Trueno first…

The 2-door chassis with a Trueno front is something that can really divide AE86’s fans. Some see it as an ultimate representation of the 80’s futuristic design and love it above everything else, others think its a hideous abomination and can’t get over it. We weren’t sure about it when we started learning about AE86s too but as time passed and we were getting older and more mature (haha), we couldn’t ressist and fell in love with its boxy shape as well.

Dave’s 86 started life as a Kouki reverse-panda in Japan before it was imported to Ireland with the help of Powervehicles. After having a lot of fun with it over the time Dave gave the chassis a full restoration this summer and added a few goods to that to get his car where it is now. Amongh them was a complete grey metallic paintjob and a set of bronze Rays TE37Vs.

And as you can see the combination works great. Here’s more detailed info Dave sent us about his ride..

Early front splitter combo with Runfree aero, flared steel arches, full respray in special colour
Original 16v T-VIS 4A-GE
Standard T50 and LSD drum axle (for now!)
Fujitsubo Super Ex Header, stainless decat into Fujitsubo Legalis R muffler
Complete ARC super intake system;
Coilovers all round with 6kg front, 5kg rear MCN springs, all MCN/AVO dampers;
Volk TE37V: front 14×8.5 -5 with 185/55 Yokohama, 14×9 -15 with 195/60 Falken
C’s shifter, works bell rapfix, Nardi, And some other interior comforts

We can’t help it but in our eyes this is the perfect way to build a Corolla. While it has some decent parts here and there (we especially dig the Fujitsubo catback and ARC intake), its not overdone with unnecessary mods. This should be an example to everyone who wants to mod their 86s!

Just like in Derryl’s case we asked Dave and Kev to tell us a bit more about their Corollas. Here are Dave’s answers.

Why did you pick the 86?
Its a small, lightweight, rear wheel drive car with almost videogame inspired 80’s boxy looks, and lots of tuning parts available. Also I saw how much fun two of my good friends were having with them while I was struggling with an overweight and underpowered rwd euro project.

Why this model and not a Levin or a 3 door?
I just loved the shape of the two door Trueno, the sloping angulare lines and pop up lights are awesome, plus its the rarest body type in Ireland and I wanted something a little different to what most 86ers had here.

What do you like about your 86?
The handling, the character of the 4AGE, the pure fun of driving it everywhere, endless modifications and improvements.

What do you hate about your 86?
Noisy drivetrain, gear ratios are a bit impractical sometimes, and the endless modifications and improvements…

How many times did it piss you off so much that you wanted to sell it?
Never! Although sometimes I think about having a second, more practical companion car, but the 86 will never go. I can always take the motorbike if I need a break from 4 wheels.

How many times did you crash your 86?
Crash is a strong word, splitter eating roundabout in the rain, and quarter panel hitting a fence in the snow are about the worst of it ;)

Got a blog or a website where we can follow you?
yep, www.garagehachi.com
cheers!

Next up is Kev’s tough looking Levin!

One year is a lot of time so we messaged Derryl to find out if theres anything new and it turned out that a lot happened since 2010. First thing to mension is definitely the conversion from USDM bumpers to JDM kouki ones. And then back to USDM… We cant blame him for that, ever since we saw our friends USDM Trueno in real life (dont laugh, theyre impossible to get in Europe) we kinda started to like them too.

Derryl also went for a bit different wheel setup. He had a pair of his awesome Impul Hoshinos widened from 7,5″ ET-1 to 9″ with ET -22. Honestly we didnt expect them to fit this well in the back.

Few more upgrades include a 4,77 final drive with Weir Performance spool and a RS Yasu induction box for his 20 valve. If you want to know Derryls entire setup you can chack his build thread at Club4AG.

But this 86 isnt really meant to impress with its spec list. Its build to drive and that exactly what it did this year. Derryl even took it to All Star Bash at Willow Springs this summer (which makes us pretty jealous). And as a true 86er hes not afraid to take it out when everyone else should be in bed…

Oh and one more thing.

We thought it might be a good idea to spice up these features a little bit by letting the owners tell about their 86s their own way. So from now on we will try to give everyone this set of questions to see how they personally feel about their cars. Derryl was really open with his answers and we thank him for that!

Why did you pick the 86?

What inspired me to get an ae86 was influenced by my older brother. He bought a kouki corolla hatchback back in 2002 when I was only a sophomore in high school. I helped him and did a lot of work on that car and thought it was the coolest thing ever. When it came to my 16th birthday my dad bought me my first car, a red 1985 toyota corolla gt-s hatchback for 400 dollars. It was beat and needed a ton of work since it sat in a junkyard for seven years. From those experiences is how my obsession started.

Why this model and not a Levin or a 2 door?

In the United states we didn’t get the levin or fixed headlight corollas due to strict safety standards regarding headlight size and crash regulations. We were only sold the trueno version with the retractable pop up headlights and 5mph crash bumpers. I owned a kouki coupe that was two tone red and black but I was rear ended by a careless driver only four months after GT-S swapping the chassis.

What do you like about your 86?

What I like about my 86 is the individualism about it. Unlike a s-chassis where you can buy a bunch of parts off eBay and everyone has the same mods a 86 is more personal since there are a lot of one off parts that have been discontinued, are hard to obtain, but mostly that you have to fabricate parts to work.

What do you hate about your 86?

The thing I hate the most about my 86 is that it makes me feel guilty. By guilty I don’t mean because almost all of my money goes into a car; by guilt it is because I bought this car from the original owner who kept it in it’s original form unmolested. I feel like drifting, hard driving, and being driven daily (by me) is destroying this car. But on the other hand I hate seeing cars that are built and are just admired by looking at them. My ae86 has over 35x,xxx miles and I bought it at 300!

How many times did it piss you off so much that you wanted to sell it?

My car always pisses me off but it’s never the car that makes me want to sell it, it’s always me who wants to start with a new chassis. For a while I went through a Cressida stage which I bought a mx83 (and resold) and even a mk2 supra which I rebuilt the engine on and made coilovers for and also sold the car. If you look online you’ll see that I’ve tried to sell this car five times over the years and actually have had a buyer that was willing to give me 6 grand the next day. But the thought of seeing someone else own my car is heartbreaking and through even the worst situations I will hold onto this car.

How many times did you crash your 86?

I’ve crashed this car a few times. I drifted at all star bash XI this year and hit a hay bale with my passenger side door. It caved in pretty bad but I was able to pop it out with my palm after taking off the door panel. Video to repair -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivgaZG25PTk . I’ve also put this chassis half way off a mountain pass road and have gone backwards up a curb. As I mentioned before it does make me feel guilty but drifting and driving this car is so much fun. My first corolla had it way worse when I totaled it doing manjis in the rain. I spun out, hit a curb and slid on top of the curb. I flattened every frame rail on the car, broke a control arm, bent a spindle, bent a axle, bent two wheels, and kinked my exhaust.

Got a blog or a website where we can follow you?

I do have a blog but rarely blog onelungderryl.blogspot.com. But I do have a build thread that I update regularly on both club4ag and norcaldrift.

Thanks again Derryl!