Since moving to Japan just two short years ago, purchasing an AE86 was #1 on my bucket list. But owning a car in Japan is hard, so ticking this dream off was easier said than done.

AE86s are dumb, and as someone who’s now owned three of them, I can happily confirm that dumb cars are the best cars. Back home in Australia, several other JDM cars have called my garage home. But from Silvias to Civics, a Forester STI and even a GT86, the desire to get back in a Hachiroku always lingered.

Nothing quite tickles the brain the same way an AE86 does, something I don’t believe many people understand until they’ve had the chance to experience one. But can you blame them? It’s a 40-year-old Corolla with 130hp on a perfect day. Not much about that combo sounds enticing. But as soon as you’re behind the wheel, all preconceptions are thrown out the window. Nearly everyone I’ve ever thrown my AE86 keys to has responded with ‘I get it now’ post-drive.

Even after building my first AE86 in Australia from the ground up, blowing the motor, and then selling the car to fund two Silvias, I couldn’t shake the Hachiroku ownership urge. So late-2019 I said farewell to the S13 and S14 and jumped back behind the wheel of another sub-150hp Corolla. It was the most satisfying 150hp ever.

When I moved to Japan, I held onto my Australian AE86 at home, fearing being unable to replace such a good example and prices getting too high. But come 2023, it was time to let it go and hunt for something on this side of the world that could be driven and enjoyed, not parked up to collect dust.

Finding the right car in Japan was hard. I was originally chasing a Trueno hatchback – the one variant of AE86 I have yet to own. But after six months of searching, and the market seemingly getting dryer and more expensive by the week, a message from AE86 specialist shop Garage Infinity landed in my inbox.

Responsible for several AE86 events and drift days, Garage Infinity is one of the pillars of Japan’s Hachiroku community.

With such a high reputation, saying no to one of their cars was hard. Albeit the complete opposite variation of a Trueno hatch, the Levin notch is one of my favourites.

The car presented well as far as AE86s go and ticked most of my boxes. With the help of Google Translate and Garage Infinity’s patience, I became the Levin’s new owner.

It’s usually easy to know what sort of person owned a car before you. This one, however, I still couldn’t tell you. It had little to no rust, a complete interior with working air-con, and meticulous attention to detail with most of its modifications. But there was one caveat.

While it may look OK on camera, the paintwork left much to be desired. Originally a white car, sometime in its ownership history, someone seemingly got carried away with an at-home paint set-up and a container of glitter. It’s a salmon red/pink with enough rainbow sparkle to cover the entire Toyota production line. But hey, that’s why it’s a project car.

Under the bonnet, the Levin retains its factory 1.6L DOHC 16V 4A-GE with the addition of an ITB setup, Toda 288-degree cams, a metal head gasket, port and polish, and a Freedom ECU. And while my neighbours might disagree, the car makes all the right sounds, especially with its Kakimoto Racing straight-through exhaust.

The Levin sits on a square set of RS Watanabe wheels, 15×9-inch -13 at all four corners. With Yokohama Advan AD08R semi-slicks, it has more grip than you would ever need, except on Tokyo’s annual day of snow…

I’ve owned the car for around six months now, and it’s been an almost seamless experience. Besides a fuel pump failure and an ECU that does not enjoy Tokyo summers, the Levin has survived both daily duties and road trips.

So what’s next for Project AE86? Having been on the other side of the camera at drifting events for years, I think it’s about time I jump behind the wheel. I also plan on making this car a bit more of my own. Working with well-known shops in Japan, getting rid of that ‘red’ and swapping the archaic ECU will be a good start.

For now, though, a quick trip up to Ebisu Circuit is in order…

Alec Pender
Instagram: noplansco