It is not simple to explain why the mid-1980s Toyota Corolla has cult appeal in Japan, much like the General Lee Dodge Charger from The Dukes of Hazzard in America. Enthusiasts call the AE86 chassis Corolla the hachi-roku (which translates to eight-six); it was never very powerful and employed suspension technology that was somewhat obsolete.
Toyota’s GR Heritage Parts Project is in contrast to a contemporary Honda Civic. Still, its rear-wheel-drive design lets one budget-friendly, good sideways drifting. Thanks in large part to a popular manga, Initial D, the AE86 became very well-known both on and off the Pacific. Showing the Corolla’s prowess, drift king Keiichi Tsuchiya demonstrated the cultural impact of the manga on video games and subterranean drifting videos.
The Toyota AE86 is now a worldwide icon known mostly for its unique Initial D black-and-white color scheme. The problem in Toyota’s GR Heritage Parts Project, though, is that these cars are four decades old. The General Lee was barely 16 years old when The Dukes of Hazzard ended its final season. Preserving this aspect of Toyota history on the road will call for manufacturer support.
Fortunately, Toyota appears to agree on this point. Last weekend, at a 30th anniversary event for Initial D at Fuji Speedway, they released a fresh line of cylinder heads and cylinder blocks for Powering the AE86 in several forms as a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. Used in other venerable Toyota models, including the MR2, this 4A-GE engine is also good news for several vintage Toyota enthusiasts.
Earlier this year, Gazoo Racing’s Heritage Parts service, which provides replacement parts for the AE86, Supra, and Land Cruiser 300, offered these components. These new cylinder heads and blocks have been slightly improved for better durability, including some of the manufacturing insights Toyota engineers have acquired over the course of forty years. Toyota’s GR Heritage Parts’ pre-orders will start this weekend at the GR booth throughout Fuji; hence, some crucial issues need attention.
