Tag Archives: ae86

Alive Hoon, the first movie about pro drifting, has a trailer and behind-the-scenes video

It’s been over 20 years since the D1GP, the first professional drifting league, was born. So it’s a bit surprising that, in all this time, there hasn’t been a feature film about the sport (no, Tokyo Drift doesn’t count). But, … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Drifting in America has come a long way since 1998

Drifting was still a little-known underground activity in the United States back in 1998. However, that didn’t stop some of Japan’s most famous drift racers and judges from visiting southern California to see what the nascent scene was all about. … Continue reading

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Toyota rolls out FJ40 Land Cruiser heritage parts, expands Supra, AE86, and 2000GT selection in major update

Toyota has just announced a significant expansion of new items for its Gazoo Racing Heritage Parts program. Most cover the FJ40 Land Cruiser and, surprisingly, the A70 Supra. However, the AE86, A80 Supra, and 2000GT also get some love. The … Continue reading

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Toyota AE86 meets 2022 GR86 in stunning Initial D-inspired commercials

We promise we are not turning into an Initial D blog, but this was too cool not to share. We’ve not been shy about crapping on Toyota’s terrible ads before. So consider us flabbergasted that the same company, just before … Continue reading

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Japanese Classic Car Show 2021, Part 01

To close out 2021, a year where things were finally opening up again, we’re going back to the Japanese Classic Car Show. After a hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic, JCCS was back in full form. Perhaps trying to … Continue reading

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Toyota Corolla celebrates 50 millionth sold with manga series

This year marked a milestone for the unassuming Toyota Corolla. The bestselling nameplate in history sold over 50 million units. In Japan, Toyota celebrated by releasing a trio of special edition cars and a series of Corolla-oriented comic strips that … Continue reading

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Rays releases new wheels for 80s cars, celebrates anniversary of another classic

Rays has launched two new wheels that may be of interest to JNCers. One is new wheel specifically geared towards 80s cars. The other is an anniversary model for a take on a 90s classic, but sized for cars from … Continue reading

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Toyota will begin making new parts for the AE86 again as the Hachiroku joins the Heritage Parts Program

Toyota announced on November 1 that it will begin remaking parts for the AE86 Corolla Levin and Sprinter Trueno. The beloved Hachiroku is the latest car to be added to the Toyota Gazoo Racing Heritage Parts Program. What’s more, Toyota … Continue reading

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There is now a Takumi motor oil for Initial D fans

Since its debut about a decade ago, Japan’s Takumi motor oil has had nothing to do with Initial D. If Sears had been Japanese, its in-house line of tools would have been named Takumi, because though Takumi is a popular … Continue reading

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Happy 8/6 Day from JNC

Cars that were once plentiful for under $1,000 are now worth big bucks. For those that have them, congrats. For those that don’t, hopefully you’ll get the chance to drive one someday. Happy 8/6 Day from JNC!

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2021 All-Toyotafest, Part 01 — Starlet, Corolla, Celica, MR2

After a year and a half of no major car shows, it was good to be back. The 2021 Toyotafest picked back up right where 2019 left off, although a few changes had to be made due to the pandemic. … Continue reading

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Toyota’s Megaweb shows off some actual Toyotas

Like the Toyota Automobile Museum, the History Garage of Toyota’s Megaweb showroom in Odaiba, Tokyo is a celebration of all things automotive. Recently, we’ve seen them restore a couple of Nissans, an R32 Skyline GT-R and 510 Bluebird Coupé. Now, … Continue reading

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Toyota Corolla AE86 sells for $40,000 even with light rust

There are times when a car is found in a state that is neither creampuff nor derelict. It does not beg to be preserved, adding mileage to its already six-figure odometer doesn’t feel like abuse, and parking lot door dings … Continue reading

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Ebisu Circuit rebuilding efforts under way with fan donations

Last month, a 7.1 earthquake magnitude earthquake and subsequent landslide heavily damaged Ebisu Circuit, one of Japan’s most famed drifting grounds. The landslide caused the collapse of several courses including Drift Land, Minami, and Nishi circuits, and some surrounding facilities. … Continue reading

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? 15k-mile Unmolested AE86 Toyota Corolla Levin GT Apex Coupe

A one-owner, unmolested 1984 Toyota Corolla Levin GT Apex Coupe has turned up for sale in Essex, UK. Hunted nearly to extinction due to the popularity of the chassis in drifting, this surviving example only has 15,000 miles. It also … Continue reading

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TUNE UP: J Cole’s “Fire Squad” video features the sweet sound of AE86s revving and drifting

Rapper J Cole’s triple-platinum album 2014 Forest Hills Drive came out six years ago, but a previously unseen music video for the track “Fire Squad” was just released. It prominently features a pair of drifting Toyota AE86 coupes sending up … Continue reading

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The legendary Toyota plant that built the AE86, Mark II, and Century is now closed

On December 7 Toyota held a closing ceremony for its Higashi Fuji plant. Today, all production lines will be shut down and the factory closed for good. The 53-year-old facility has produced some of Toyota’s most iconic models, including the … Continue reading

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PIXELATED: Art of Rally looks like a ripping good time

A new driving game, Art of Rally, has been at the top of the upcoming games chart on Steam for a while now and it looks like loads of fun. Described as a stylized game that lets you progress through … Continue reading

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Happy 86 Day from JNC

Since the announcement of the Toyota 86’s production end will likely come any day now, let’s celebrate this year’s 86 Day with a flashback to 2010. Remember those heady days, when Toyota showed off the FT-86 Concept along with an … Continue reading

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Official Initial D 25th anniversary store opens in Japan

On July 23, a pop-up store celebrating the 25th anniversary of Initial D opened in Tokyo. It will be open for just over two weeks in the capital city before moving onto Osaka. The shop features a small gallery of … Continue reading

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