There are few people today who would buy an AE86 Corolla with the intent of driving it, that wouldn't opt for an engine swap. Because let's face it, if you're going to do anything competitively, not just for fun, it's almost impossible to keep up with 120 or so horsepower. So thank God there's a wide variety of engine swaps out there.
Over the years I've seen all kinds of engines being swapped into Hachirokus. Some wanted to stay naturally aspirated and opted for the Toyota 1UZ V8, or the Honda S2000 F20C unit. Let's not forget the 20V swap either! Some opted for going down the turbo road, and I've seen engines like the CA18DET or the 4G63 being used by AE86 owners. Some have even gone down the rotary road, and I enjoyed those the most!
The owner of this AE86 also wanted to have that instant response you get from a naturally aspirated engine, and he chose a 2.4-liter, K24 unit, coming off of an Acura TSX. In stock form, this unit should be good enough for 201 horsepower and 172 lb-ft (233 Nm) of torque. While this unit does have slightly more torque than an S2000 engine, it has less horsepower. But I guess the K24 should be cheaper to buy and run than the S2000 unit.
Believe it or not, the car was wrapped in white, although you might think that is the factory color. The first thing you will notice will probably be the huge wing, which is made out of carbon fiber. You don't usually see wings this big on an AE86, and as some people already complained about its size, the seller did note that it can be taken off rather easily, giving the car a more classic look.
Photo: Bring a Trailer
The choice of wheels is spot on, as the seller opted for a set of staggered-width 16" Work Meister CR-01, that comes with Toyo Proxes R888 tires. With the extra added power, a big brake kit was also installed on the car. This AE86 is using Stance XR1 height-adjustable coil-overs, and I'm quite surprised they didn't go for the more traditional Tein solution for instance.
Something that reminds me of my RX-7 is the fact that the car retains its original passenger seat, while the driver gets a Bride Zeta II bucket seat, which should provide excellent side support if you plan on drifting or driving this hard. The rear of the cabin has been stripped, so this is going to be a noisy drive, and I wonder how light it is right now.
As with many builds these days, the owner has opted for an AIM Haltech digital instrument cluster, which should display all the relevant information you'd expect to see. With so many things changed on this car, it makes sense that the steering wheel isn't the stock one either, and you now get a Greddy Boost Brigade three-spoke version, which should be just right for going sideways.
Photo: Bring a Trailer
I am frankly a bit surprised that the K24 engine wasn't turbocharged and seeing that naturally aspirated was the desired solution, one of the best mods you can get is a set of individual throttle bodies, or "trumpets" as they are sometimes referred to. Heat management was a big concern too, and a Koyorad aluminum radiator was brought into play.
Alas, the owner did get something off a Honda S2000: the six-speed manual transmission! It seems nothing was left to chance with this AE86, as it also comes with a Tomei limited-slip differential, a Competition Clutch Stage 3 kit, and a Fidanza aluminum flywheel just to name a few more upgrades. The car is currently located in Pickering, Ontario, and the highest bid so far is $7,400, with just five more days to go until someone claims it as his own.
The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S. Full profile
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