Love Story

[ZaX]

Please allow me to take you on a trip, a brief jaunt down memory lane. Sit back, relax, and rewind with me back to 1986. Hopefully we have enough plutonium to hurl our Delorean to 88 mph so our flux capacitor will let us travel back, back in time. Back when new wave punk, and gangsta rap was at its infancy. Madonna was still a slut, Whitney Houston was drug (and Bobby Brown) free, and big haired rock bands sold out coliseums. Where friendship bracelets, Z Cavaricci pants, blue sole vans, and Genera hypercolor t-shirts were all the rage (like totally gag me with a spoon!). Aquanet was destroying our Ozone, there was only one MTV (for the rich kids who had cable), and having a cordless phone meant you were the envy of the block. The 80's produced a horrific display of fashion sense and auto manufacturers faired no different. Producing eclectic automobiles that looked similar to animated Robotech or Transformer counterparts you have to wonder what the hell people were actually thinking back then. Boxy and very mecha looking, this era spawned a few cult cars that carried over very well with performance enthusiasts.

One such vehicle being the almighty AE86 Hachiroku (hachi meaning 8 and roku meaning 6 in Japanese) or the 85-87 Corolla GTS as we know it here domestically. Introduced with an astronomical 112 horsepower and 97 lbs of torque being pumped out of a newly designed DOHC 16 valve, 1.6 liter, 4 cylinder, the 4AGEU was marketed as a spirited high revving motor that emphasizes efficiency, throttle response, torque and practicality. The front engine rear wheel drive (FR) 86 was not a speed demon by any means but it propelled the little 2400 lbs chassis quite well and rebelled against the onslaught of econo box front wheel drive (FF) applications most manufacturers were spitting out. The aftermarket community nurtured this little fun box into the trendy little sports car it remains today. In 1989 Toyota was picked as the engine supplier for the Formula Atlantic Race Series succeeding the Ford Cosworth engines with the revered 4AG. This was another major milestone for the 86 because now Toyota was busy engineering and researching reliable high horsepower products which helped thrust this vehicles capability to its outer limits. The 80's also spawned a new breed of driving in Japan, drifting and touge (canyon racing) became extremely popular and kamikaze tuners developed a plethora of go fast parts for hashiriyas (street racers). In fact, parts are still being developed till this day for this aging piece of history. Attention was brought back once again in the late 90's with a little known anime called Initial D. The popularity of this anime skyrocketed along with the demand for the hachiroku. If the hachi is good enough for Keiichi "the drift king" Tsuchiya to have in his arsenal, all 86 owners should stand tall and proud.

I hold a very special place in my heart for the 86 as it was the first ride I ever owned. Back in 92' I picked up an 87 GTS coupe and have never looked back. This was my key to freedom, my chance to showcase the person I truly was. Cars are like blank canvases ready to be painted with whatever artistic mojo the right side of your brain deems cool. I loved my hachi and performed all kinds of weird operations (mostly due to lack of funds) like hooking up ambers, city lights, and putting tiny pieces of colored film in my reverse/interior lights (before colored bulbs were even available). Terribly unemployed we had to cut major corners to hop up our hoopties back then. Cut springs, custom made exhausts with Dynomax mufflers, and a backyard engineered air flow meter adapter to fit our intakes were all part of the learning curve. Custom sound system? Hell no, we took Mom and Pops home stereo speakers and wired it up with an amp! I look back now and wonder how my car even ran or didn't catch a blaze from all the ghetto fab customization. When it was time to retire my black stallion a Japanese gentleman came by and shot off 24 pictures which he then sent to Japan. He found a buyer and in a matter of days my virginal angel was whisked back to her homeland (talk about selling ice to Eskimos). From that point forward I've ventured into a 69' Datsun Roadster, 72' Datsun 510 (w/13B 6 port), 92' SI Hatch (w/homebuilt ITR), 91' Geo Metro (commuter car of course), 99' Civic SI (turbo and eventually stolen), 92' Accord LX (another daily driver), 98' spec RHD ITR (stolen again, those bastards!) 01' Yamaha R6, 94' Civic SI Hatch (B20/VTEC), 01' S2000, 03' GS300, etc…and have come full circle recently acquiring a mint 1986 Corolla GTS hatch (call it a last attempt at holding on to my dying youth).

We are now at the verge of stepping foot into the year 2004. The almighty H emblem has taken a seat to lower cost FR platforms. What has been a sport and hobby in Japan for sometime now is catching national attention here in the states. Drifting has taken center stage with enthusiasts and wannabes scouring the classifieds for hard to find S13's, S14's, and AE86's.

We here at J Tuned work tirelessly to bring you cutting edge features of technologically advanced super cars but also like to pay homage to our roots. Old school isn’t just a term but a way of life. We will be building a formidable AE86 here in the next few months starting from the ground up. Brake and suspension upgrades will be addressed along with engine, aesthetic, and interior advancements to bring this 15 year old classic back to retro form. We will attempt to teach this old dog new tricks with whatever is left on our already maxed our credit cards. Please stay tuned as fun times due await.

[banpei]

http://www.aeu86.org/viewtopic.php?p=4223#4223
Why do I have the feeling you did not write this magnificent piece yourself?

Anyway: that's some awesome piece of text which is true for most of us.

[ZaX]

ZaX Wrote:We here at J Tuned.....

I'm no J Tuned magazine, so no it wasn't me. And tnx god i don't drive GT-S corolla with bulky bumpers.

[Plex]

ZaX Wrote:And tnx god i don't drive GT-S corolla with bulky bumpers.

woah now... dont knock the big ass US spec bumpers... they've saved quite a few of my friends cars