Tag Archives: ae86

Happy 8/6 Day from JNC

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Dan Hsu

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

Posted on July 27, 2021 by Ben Hsu

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

Posted on June 30, 2021 by Ben Hsu

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

Posted on May 7, 2021 by J Elrick

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

Posted on March 31, 2021 by J Elrick

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

Posted on March 9, 2021 by J Elrick

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

Posted on December 10, 2020 by Ben Hsu

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

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Ben Hsu

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

Posted on September 30, 2020 by Ryan Senensky

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

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Dan Hsu

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

Posted on July 23, 2020 by Ben Hsu

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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VIDEO: Keiichi Tsuchiya drifts a collector’s stock $37,000 AE86

Posted on July 15, 2020 by Ben Hsu

The AE86 is a hot commodity now, with very nice examples selling in the mid-$20,000 range in the US. In Japan, however, cherry low-mileage examples have been commanding top prices for years. In 2017, Hot Version gathered a dream gathering … Continue reading →

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ART CORNER: Look at these amazing cars made out of cardboard

Posted on June 23, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Are you having trouble figuring out what to do with all your used Amazon boxes? Perhaps these incredible cardboard cars can spark an idea or two. YouTuber Papa Ken has several videos showing off his amazing skills in building corrugated … Continue reading →

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MOTORSPORT: How Ikaten bridged illegal and professional drifting, with silver cephalopods

Posted on June 18, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Drifting went pro in 2000 when the D1 Grand Prix series was founded. But long before D1GP, there was the Ikasu Hashiriya Team Tengoku (roughly translated to Ikasu Racer Team Heaven), an amateur drift series that bridged the era between … Continue reading →

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VIDEO: This is why there’s a drift tax

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Ryan Senensky

RIP to the fallen. If the video doesn’t work, click here.

Posted in motorsports | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

Behold, Japan’s suddenly famous Drift Dog

Posted on May 15, 2020 by Dan Hsu

Earlier this month, a video of a Japanese dog went viral when the owner filmed it running down the side of an irrigation canal. Its cuteness, plus the fact that it had kind of an angled gait, quickly garnered it … Continue reading →

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MINICARS: Lego should license this unlicensed Initial D AE86

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Ben Hsu

In the old days unlicensed toys used to be somewhat janky, but in recent years in China, where manufacturing prowess and the wild west of intelletctual property law intersect, a lot of it has gotten quite good. Case in point: … Continue reading →

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VIDEO: In post-Maria Puerto Rico, cars still shine

Posted on March 24, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Even though it’s about the size of Connecticut, and despite a devastating hurricane just two years ago, Puerto Rico has a thriving car scene. It’s downright amazing what enthusiasts on the small island territory are able to accomplish, considering the … Continue reading →

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Toyota revives the Black Limited 86

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Ben Hsu

At the Tokyo Auto Salon in January, Toyota unveiled a close-to-production concept of a special edition 86 called the Black Limited. A throwback to one of the most desirable AE86 special editions of all time, it seemed to signal an … Continue reading →

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Toyota brought out stock and rally Celica GT-Fours to the GR Yaris debut

Posted on February 5, 2020 by Ben Hsu

The Toyota GR Yaris seems like it will be an insanely awesome hot hatch, even if its connection to the Celica GT-Four is dubious. We said it smelled like a retcon, but we have to admit, when Toyota put all … Continue reading →

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