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Few cars have ever captured my heart as the original Hachi Roku did. For the clueless, I’m referring to the AE-86 Toyota Corolla GTS, a RWD couple/hatchback from the mid-80′s. A major hit with the drift cult car, ranked around the 240sx/sylvia as one of the best drifters of all time. Lightweight + solid chassis + LSD + 4AGE motor + RWD = a smile you can’t remove for a week.

I owned one for a short time many moons ago. It wasn’t in the greatest condition, but I was planning on getting it nice again and maybe running it in some SCCA races. Unfortunately, parenthood came about and the car was sold as a parts donor. Such a waste.

For many years now, Toyota has moved away from fun, sporty cars, instead going after that “other” part of the market (i.e. what i became). It’s a shame that since the Supra met manufacturer doom, the sportiest ride Toyota has produced may be a tie between the Corolla XRS, Matrix XRS, and Camry SE’s. I take that back, the king may have to be the new Tundra with a 5.7L v8 with the optional TRD Supercharger. The ONLY Toyota in the flock to do sub 5 second 0-60′s (4.4 seconds) and a 13.0 flat 1/4 time. Since when did the trucks become the performance leaders?

Occasionally Toyota has given us up that the next generation of speed will arrive. Prototypes of AE86 replacements, news of the LFA super (soon to be built, but developed for 10 years), amongst other interesting ideas have been tossed out, then left to be forgotten.

Well, Toyota has been changing their game. First the ISF – I know it’s a Lexus – has shown that the company can mix luxury and performance. Obviously, the LFA supercar is another sign that Toyota wants speed. This car, which will cost more than $350,000, is a beast. But unfortunately, it is far beyond the reach of most buyers.

But Toyota does have something for us, something so sweet and sultry my mouth is watering right now thinking about it. Currently dubbed the FT-86, it is a RWD coupe being designed and built in partnership with Subaru (read more and see more at jalopnik.com). Power is expected to be in the 200-250 HP range (definitely above the AE-86′s output). The current show car interior is a bit, unusual, but will probably settle down for final production.

The only sin I see Toyota making is that they are considering calling it a Celica. A celica has never, and should never, be considered this type of car. Naming it the FT-86 means these guys know the roots after it, so give it its proper name: the Corolla GTS. The hachi roku reigns.

 

Ok, so the tuner is not truly dead. But it is not in a good position. Tokyo Auto Salon showed proof. HKS a no show, Honda a no show, Mitsu a no show, GReddy is bankrupt. The girls? Slim pickings. Sad day for us jap car lovers.

 

Tuners used to be laughed at. A supposed offshoot of the muscle car guys, little punks who thought they could soup up their 4-bangers and burn V8′s. It’s a billion dollar industry, Mr. pony car gear-head.

Am I a tuner anymore? No, not really. Though there is something very sensual about the smell of burnt rubber, the sound of nitrous being injected into the cylinder. The sweet whine of the supercharger, the hiss of a blow-off valve. Ah, and the distinct sound of VTEC kicking in. I like go-fasters and good-lookers, especially when they are go-fasters.

Even though there is a part of the tuner world that can afford to spend thousands of dollars into a civic just to make it go faster, not all of us were gifted with that kind of money. Those guys bred what drives the core of the tuner world (not rice): ingenuity. Finding all sorts of ways to tweak a little extra power out of that 4-banger or 6 cylinder.

Though I still have friends who are into that life, I’ve pretty much left it behind. Too many close calls with the cops on too many street races. I gambled enough and it was time to get out while the gettin was good. Yet that life is still a part of who I am, the ingenuity, the passion, the fight against the established mindset. Even though some guys will spend $40k in a $16k car to beat a car that cost $33k, I’ve grown up a bit, so I’ll take the $33k car and spend $5k to win

 

 

 

It is sad to see this industry hurting though. Another blow from this recession. Even for the non-purists who scream at those brats weaving in and out of traffic, their world has positively affected yours. It got enough attention to bring in the manufacturers. Lessons learned from the R&D work of these aftermarket shops eventually find their way into your stock engine, improving power and fuel economy. People fail to realize one of the easiest ways to draw more power of the engine is to make it more efficient, which means you use less fuel for more power. That’s bang for your buck.

 

Hopefully most of the best players in the tuner world will survive these recession. We’ll know it when those scantily clad models make their return debut at the big time auto shows.