Toyota AE86

Engine/technical

The AE86 was available with a fuel-injected 4-cylinder twin-cam 1587 cc 4A-GE engine in Japan and Europe which was also used in the first-generation Toyota MR2 (AW11) and the facelift Toyota Celica GT-R and GT Carina (Japan only). This engine had a maximum gross power output of 130 PS (128 bhp; 96 kW) and 110 lb·ft (150 N·m) of torque in standard form, though it was later down-rated to 120 PS (118 bhp; 88 kW) and 105 lb·ft (142 N·m) in net output. The AE86 came with a 5-speed manual gearbox, and later came with the option of an automatic. The 4A-GE engines used in the AE86 and AW11 were equipped with T-VIS (Toyota Variable Intake System). The AE86 had an optional LSD.

In North America, a modified 4A-GEC engine was used to comply with California emissions regulations. Power was rated at 112 bhp (84 kW), and 96 lb·ft (136 Nm) of torque.

The AE86 used ventilated disc brakes. The car was equipped with a MacPherson strut style independent suspension at the front and a four-link live axle with coil springs for the rear. Stabilizer bars were present at both ends.

Higher- spec AE86 models known as the GTS featured the DOHC 4AGE, 4 wheel disc brakes, color matched bumpers, front lower bumper surround had a much more sporty and pronounced lip, door panels were moulded, tachometer redline is around 7,500, wrapped steering wheel, seats had leather wrapped tops ( front seats are completely different from SR5), optional LSD, and aluminium wheels, chassis code in the VIN is AE88 (for North American market cars).

Lower-spec American AE86 SR5 models used the 1587 cc 4A-C SOHC unit, The SR5 rear end was a non LSD with drum brakes. The SR5 model also had a softer suspension, and small styling and interior changes such as seats, gauge cluster, door panels, un-painted front and rear bumpers, and the lower part of the front bumper surround is shorter and flat, and its chassis code in the vin differs as well being AE86 for the SR5 model (for North American market cars)

Models equipped with the 4A-GE engine received a 6.7" rear differential, while 4A-U, and 4A-C models received a smaller, weaker, 6.38" rear differential.

The AE86 SR5 (4A-C equipped) had an optional automatic transmission, though the GT-S model (with the 4A-GE DOHC engine) only came with a standard 5-speed manual gearbox.

One of the staff who was behind the car's engineering work was Nobuaki Katayama, who would later head the company's motorsport department and who would become chief engineer of the Altezza project a decade later. An article in Car Magazine in April 1999, stated he has a photo of an AE86 hung in his office.

Body styles

Both the Levin and Trueno variants were offered with either a 2-door coupe or 3-door liftback (sometimes called hatchback) body style. The Levin and Trueno were generally identical, apart from fixed, rectangular headlights on the Levin and pop-up headlights on the Trueno. Minor bodywork changes were made in 1986 which resulted in different tail lights, front and rear bumpers, corner and headlight trim lights, and grilles, are the main differences for both Levin and Trueno models, along with the coupe and hatchback styles. The models sold between 1983–1985 are sometimes referred to as "zenki" (前期, lit. early period), and the models sold from 1986–1987 are referred to as "kouki" (後期, lit. latter period).

Models/specifications

In Japan, the DOHC 4A-GEU AE86 was offered in GT, GT-APEX and GTV trims as the Corolla Levin or Sprinter Trueno. In North America, the top-spec DOHC 4A-GEC was sold as the Corolla GT-S (with AE86 on the build plate in the engine bay but AE88 in the VIN), with the SOHC 4A-C being sold as the Corolla SR5 (with AE86 on the build plate and in the VIN). Both versions were sold with pop-up headlights only. Euro spec models were sold as the Corolla GT with DOHC engines and fixed Levin-style headlights. The Middle East received the same basic model as the North American market, with pop-up headlights and the regulated 5 mph (8 km/h) bumpers.

The lightest AE86 is the Japanese 2 door GT model which weighs 910 kg (2,006 lb). It has the same exterior as the GTV trim, but with the interior of the AE85 with the exception of the gauges, and is equipped with rear drum brakes.

North American AE86 specifications

There are three types of Corolla Sport RWD for the US market: DX, SR5, and GT-S, though the DX was generally an internal Toyota designation, as brochures, and advertising do not include the DX designation; it consisted of a lower trim level, lighter duty suspension parts and the like.

Note that the VIN and the chassis code do not match for all models.

DX & SR5 specifications

GT-S specifications

The AE86 in motorsports

During its production life, the AE86 was a popular choice for showroom stock, Group A, and Group N racing, especially in rallying and circuit races. Even after production of the car was discontinued, many privateer teams still raced the AE86, and it is still a popular choice for rallying and club races today. Part of the continued appeal of the AE86 for motorsports is its rear-drive configuration, a feature not available in most newer lightweight coupes. In Group A world rally cars (1600 cc class) the 4A-GZE engine was popular. In Group A touring car races, the car either dominated the lower category where eligible or fought it out with Honda Civics or the later AE92s and AE101s whilst maintaining its competitiveness. In Ireland, where rallying is considered one of the most popular forms of motorsport, as organizing regulations are more relaxed compared to that of other countries, the AE86 was popular when new, and is still so popular that teams will purchase cars from the UK due to local shortages. The AE86 is also popular for rally use in Finland, where the cars can be competitive in the F-Cup competition for naturally aspirated 2WD cars.

An AE86 was entered in the European Touring Car Championship in 1986 with a 150 hp (112 kW) 4A-GEU engine. It beat the bigger BMW M6, BMW 325i (E30), Rover Vitesse, Volvo 240 Turbo, Merkur XR4Ti, Mazda 929, Holden Commodore (VK), Alfa Romeo 75 (turbo V6), and Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 to win the Manufacturers Championship With 267 points, beating the 1986 Drivers Championship Schnitzer Motorsport BMW M6.

The semi-factory supported Kraft team entered a spaceframe Trueno at the JGTC with a 3S-GTE engine that came from a SW20 MR-2 Turbo producing about 300 hp (224 kW) for the JGTC GT300 regulations in 1998. Despite being popular with the racefans, the car had minor success and was abandoned from use halfway through the 2001 season in favor of a newly delivered MR-S.

The rear wheel drive configuration, combined with the AE86's light weight (approximately 2300 lb (950–970 kg) curb weight), balance and relatively powerful (and easy to tune) 4A-GEU engine made it popular among the Japanese hashiriya (street racers in Japanese), many of whom raced in touge (mountain passes in Japanese) where the corners suited the AE86 best, especially on the downhill. Among those who utilized this car was Japanese racing legend Keiichi Tsuchiya also known as the Drift King ("Dori-Kin" in Japanese). Keiichi Tsuchiya helped popularize the sport of drifting, which involves taking a car on a set of controlled slides through corners. The AE86's FR configuration made it well suited to this kind of cornering, and currently the car is a mainstay of drift shows and competitions. Japanese drifters like Katsuhiro Ueo, Toshiki Yoshioka, Yoichi Imamura, Koichi Yamashita, Hiroshi Takahashi, Tetsuya Hibino, and Wataru Hayashi were also involved in making the AE86 famous in the drift scene.

In popular culture

The main character of the anime and manga Initial D, Takumi Fujiwara, uses his father's AE86 Trueno apex hatchback for racing and making his tofu deliveries. Also in Initial D, Itsuki Takeuchi drives an AE85 Levin, mistaken for an AE86, and Wataru Akiyama drives a turbocharged (later converted to supercharged) AE86 Corolla Levin. Later on in the series, Shinji Inui drives the Notchback coupe version of the AE86 Trueno, but not before the Fake Takumi drives his own AE86 Trueno. A Corolla Levin AE86 also made a brief cameo in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Fast and Furious 4.

The popularity of the manga is cited as the main cause of the car's high resale price.

The Sprinter Trueno and Corolla Levin are featured in the racing video games series Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport (excluding the Corolla Levin), Tokyo Xtreme Racer for the Sega Dreamcast (which was later made to PS1 & PS2 for other TXR titles), Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto V as the Karin Futo (modelled based on the Corolla Levin). A modified AE86 Trueno similar to the one depicted in Initial D (starting with Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec) appears only in Gran Turismo. The American market AE86 GT-S is featured as oldest and least powerful of the lot, nonetheless equally competitive and a car of choice, in Need for Speed: Underground 2. The Toyota AE86 also appears in Need for Speed: The Run and can be used in challenges and multiplayer events. It also appears in Need for Speed: World, Need for Speed: Pro Street, and Need for Speed (2015) and Need For Speed: Carbon. It also appears in the Taito Battle Gear arcade and console racing game franchise. In Battle Gear 3, it appears in tuned and stock forms—the S-Class Trueno appears as a mechanically-tuned machine, while the S-Class Levin appear in both turbocharged and supercharged versions, both looking similar to their Initial D counterparts. The Toyota AE86 Trueno also can be used in Japanese pack of Assetto Corsa.

The AE86 also appears in the anime and manga Shakotan Boogie and Wangan Midnight both penned by the same author, with the former being used by Okazaki, a minor character. In the Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 4 video game based on the manga, an AE86 similar to Takumi Fujiwara's AE86 was in a Level 51 of the story mode, driven by one of the Feeling Team members. It is also one of the selectable cars in the Toyota section. The AE86 also appears in Maximum Tune 5.

Takumi Fujiwara's AE86 is available in the mobile game Pixel Car Racer with the Japanese writing on the side saying "Fujiwara Tofu Shop". However, the livery was removed, (Including swapping the carbon fiber hood and the headlight cover to a factory version of it) in v1.0.66, rendering it a normal AE86 GT-S. Players can still make Takumi Fujiwara's AE86 by purchasing a custom livery for 5 Diamonds, painting the bodywork (including the Fujiwara Tofu Shop writing), and painting the hood and the headlight cover black to match Takumi's AE86.