The Toyota AE86 is a darling car for JDM enthusiasts, Initial D Manga/Anime series fans, and even Keiichi Tsuchiya, the Drift King himself, who often raced one back in the 1980s. That would make quite an interesting CV for a car that has only been produced for four years. But what is it that made the AE86 so phenomenal? Isn’t it just a glorified Toyota Corolla?
Contrary to general opinion, the Toyota AE86 is an entirely different animal from the Toyota Corolla that we know today. However, to appreciate the uniqueness of the AE86 and how it became such an iconic drift rocket, we’ll need to take a quick trip down memory lane.
Backstory
In 1983, Toyota could no longer ignore the benefits of front-wheel drive, and so it was the year the fifth generation of Toyota Corolla was born with a front-wheel-drive variant, the drivetrain that is used in the Corolla until this day. However, rear-wheel-drives weren’t dead yet and the manufacturer would continue the production of a rear-wheel-drive Corolla—the AE86.
The name AE86 is the product of brevity in Toyota’s code language. The “A” refers to the engine (4A series), the “E” refers to the E-Code chassis of the Corolla, the “8” refers to the first generation (E80 series), and the “6” refers to it being the 6th variant within this generation.
The AE86 is also known as the “Hachi-Roku (ハチロク),” Japanese for “eight-six.” The car earned its reputation in racing due to its lightweight chassis, easily modifiable nature, high revving engine (up to 7500 rpm), and a near 50/50 weight distribution across the front and the rear axle. AE86 was a champ in various racing categories such as Showroom Stock, Group A, Group N, Rally, and the most famous of all, drifting.
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1986 Corolla GT-S Liftback
Toyota AE86
In Japan and Europe, the AE86 was available with a 1,587 cc fuel-injected naturally aspirated 4A-GE inline-four engine DOHC 4 valves, which produce 130 PS (128 hp) at 6,600 rpm and 110 lb-ft (149 Nm) of torque at 5,200 rpm in standard form.
Mated to this engine is either a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 4-speed automatic, channeling power to the rear wheels, good enough for a 0-60 mph time of 8.5 seconds and a top speed of 120 mph—pretty nice numbers at the time.
In North America, the engine was modified to 4A-GEC to comply with California emissions regulations. For the 4A-GEC, the power output was down to 114 PS (112 hp) and 100 lb-ft (136 Nm).
Toyota would also sell the AE86 either as Toyota Corolla Levin or Toyota Sprinter Trueno. They were both available in a 2-door coupe or 3-door liftback configuration.
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1987 Toyota Corolla Levin GT-Apex
Toyota Corolla Levin
Derived from the Middle English word for Lightning, the Levin was only exclusive to Toyota Corolla Stores in Japan. It featured fixed headlights, the only way to differentiate the Levin from its twin brother, the Trueno. The AE86 Corolla Levin was offered in GT, GTV, and GT-APEX trims, with the GT being the base model and the GT-APEX, the highest trim, including electric mirrors, electric windows, power steering, fog lights, and a boot spoiler. In 1986, the AE86 Corolla Levin also came in a limited edition trim known as the GT-APEX “Black Limited,” featuring black glossy paint and gold-painted rims.
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1986 JDM Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno GT Apex
Toyota Sprinter Trueno
Derived from the Spanish word for Thunder, the Trueno was also exclusive to Toyota Auto Store in Japan. Unlike the fixed headlights that are found on the Levin, it featured pop-up/retractable headlights instead. However, like the Levin, the Trueno was also offered in GT, GTV, GT-APEX, and “Black Limited” variants.
In North America, the AE86 would be sold as Toyota Corolla Sport GT-S (with the highest-spec DOHC 4A-GEC engine) and Corolla SR5 (with the lower-spec SOHC 4A-C engine). Both had the same retractable headlights as the Japanese Trueno but with longer bumpers to meet US Federal Standards.
The AE86 Trueno in 3-door Liftback configuration was highly popular due to its appearance as the protagonist’s car in the manga and anime series Initial D. The car’s true characteristic of excellent handling and forgiving nature was accurately demonstrated in the series.
Download your Toyota AE86 manual here!
Legacy
Toyota ended the AE86 production in 1987. To this day, the ‘Drift Tax’ on the AE86 is excessive, and it has become one of the most hunted collector items in the JDM world. Although it is still unknown why Toyota stopped producing the AE86 series just after four years in the market, there is no doubt that the AE86 is one of the cars that put a smile over the most faces in History.
Thankfully, Toyota somewhat tried to redeem itself by collaborating with Subaru and creating the Toyota FT86 Concept. Announced in 2009, the FT86 was a 2-door coupe inspired by the heritage of the AE86. Since 2012, they began selling the mass-produced FT86, known as the Toyota GT86, Scion FRS, and Subaru BRZ.
Unfortunately, while the 86 sure is a pretty fun car to drive, it simply can’t live up to the original AE86.
They just don’t make like those anymore…
