Tag Archives: ae86
Here’s what Initial D would look like if it took place in America
The web has countless works of art inspired by Initial D, but here’s a completely original take on the seminal anime. A “what if” short imagines what the touge racing tale would look like if it took place in America. … Continue reading
TOM’s launches Toyota restoration business to mark 50th anniversary
Tachi Oiwa Motorsport, better known as TOM’s, has been modifying the latest and greatest Toyotas for 50 years. To mark the occasion, the famed tuning house announced at the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon that it has started its own restoration … Continue reading
Toyota GR86 meets its Initial D and MF Ghost predecessors in new ad
Toyota has teamed up with the creator of Initial D and MF Ghost again in a new ad. The spot features the new GR86, the old 86, and the really old AE86 on a late night touge run while a … Continue reading
Toyota GR86 Trueno Edition pays tribute to the original panda 86
Toyota has introduced a new limited edition model of the GR86 with a strong throwback to the famed AE86. It’s even called the Toyota GR86 Trueno Edition, and it’s loaded with visual cues referencing the car that gave the GR86 … Continue reading
Bridgestone Super R.A.P., an aluminum wheel that looks like a steelie, revived
Bridgestone is reviving its Super R.A.P. wheel, once famous for being incredibly light weight. A mainstay of the Showa Era, it was originally released in 1987. Though it looks like a simple steelie coated in white, the Super R.A.P. was … Continue reading
Toyota AE86 Hydrogen and Electric Concepts: build video and driving impressions
Toyota’s twin AE86 concepts, one powered by hydrogen fuel and one powered by electrons, were unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon earlier this year. Toyota has released some additional materials about the cars, including the images you see here, as … Continue reading
This Toyota AE86 gets 40 mpg with its original gasoline engine
There has been a lot of buzz about the pair of alternative energy AE86s that Toyota unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon. However, even before Akio Toyoda‘s big reveal there’s been other efforts at making an environmentally friendly AE86. Specifically, … Continue reading
Akio Toyoda steps down as president and CEO: His legacy at Toyota and his successor
It is often said that Akio Toyoda likes surprises. The Toyota president and CEO is fond of racing, and is one of the few corporate leaders who will eagerly don a helmet and climb behind the wheel of his company’s … Continue reading
Toyota AE86 Hydrogen and EV conversions will let enthusiasts enjoy older cars for decades to come, says CEO
The rumors we reported on were true. At the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon Toyota did indeed unveil two AE86s converted to run on alternative energy. A flip-up headlight Sprinter Trueno was converted to hydrogen power, and a fixed-headlight Corolla Levin … Continue reading
Toyota Land Cruiser 70 and 80 added to Heritage Parts program, taking requests for FJ60
From the Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota has announced that the Land Cruiser J70 and J80 have been added to their Heritage Parts Program. Additionally, Toyota is taking requests for the FJ60 and has added a slew of new items to … Continue reading
Toyota may reveal electric or hydrogen-powered AE86
As the industry shifts to alternative fuels and some cities consider the ban of gasoline cars altogether, how will enthusiasts enjoy their classic cars? Some automakers, like Mini and Aston Martin, are working on electric motor conversion kits for their … Continue reading
Initial D Toyota AE86 gets schooled by GR86 again, with a different master behind the wheel
In January a series of commercials for the 2022 Toyota GR86 reunited it with the famous Initial D AE86. In those commercials tofu delivery boy Takumi is defeated by none other than the Drift King himself, Keiichi Tsuchiya (or at … Continue reading
An Initial D and MF Ghost Casio watch is here to keep time on your touge runs
Expensive motorsports-themed watches are nothing new, but typically they involve a Formula 1 team or some kind of luxury brand tie-in. Now there’s a watch — ahem, timepiece — for the lone wolf mountain racer in a humble Toyota. The … Continue reading
Toyota GR Corolla joins the family — Rate This Ad
The Toyota GR Corolla is hitting the showrooms soon, so it’s time for some new ads. For Americans, the 300-horsepower AWD hot hatch is probably the most anticipated Toyota in decades, especially if you count only the cars fully developed … Continue reading
In its 26th year, Toyotafest is still going strong — a brief history of TORC, the Toyota Owners and Restorers Club
We’ve been attending Toyotafest every year since JNC started in 2006, and it’s consistently one of our favorite events. Last year was the 25th Toyotafest, which means the show itself is now old enough to wear historic plates, buy collector … Continue reading
Rate This Ad: Multi-generational Toyota family
Normally “national sales events” ads are pretty boring. You have the latest models zipping along a city street while APR financing options are recited at Micro Machine Man speed. For this summer’s Toyotathon, however, Toyota is pulling out the classics … Continue reading
Initial D taxis are here to take you around Takumi’s hometown
The city of Shibukawa, Gunma is promoting itself as the home town of Initial D protagonist Takumi Fujiwara. The real-life town is where all the action of the series began, and even now, 27 years after its debut, fans of … Continue reading
This huge Toyota AE86 model will cost $1,600 and take two years to complete
The Toyota AE86 is finally getting immortalized in a highly detailed 1:8-scale model kit. Specifically, it’s a weekly subscription kit by DeAgostini in which parts will be mailed to the subscriber every seven days for over two years. At the … Continue reading