AE86 Drift car Has a Type R Engine in the Bay
SEMA always brings a host of unique builds, but few measure up to this classic Toyota packing modern Honda power.
Cool Swap, Bro
SEMA is always packed with all sorts of interesting and amazing builds, year in and year out. That includes, of course, a slew of unique engine swaps. Among the many we came across this year, few are as cool as this classic AE86 Toyota Corolla stuffed with a 2.0-liter turbo-four lifted from a current-gen Honda Civic Type R, however.
Photos: Instagram
Unusual Choice
This particular build is the brainchild of Formula Drift driver Dai Yoshihara, who was looking for a new and unique ride to slide around in. Classic Corollas, with their rear-wheel-drive layout, are nothing new in the world of drifting, of course. But typically, they run 2JZ power, not anything built by Honda.
Photos: Instagram
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Dare to be Different
This "controversial" decision is sure to go over less than smoothly with the Toyota faithful. Perhaps even more so than an LS swap. Mostly because Toyota and Honda are hardcore rivals, and have been for a long time. But we give kudos to Yoshihara for daring to be different.
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Solid Choice
Of course, Honda's K20C1 isn't exactly a bad choice to stuff under the hood of just about anything. Packing 306 hp and 296 lb-ft of torque out of the box, it's a high-revving engine that also makes plenty of torque on the low end. And in a drift car, that's obviously important.
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Overcoming Obstacles
There were obvious hurdles to overcome when swapping the Honda engine into the Corolla, of course. The most obvious being the fact that the engine powers a front-wheel-drive car, and the Toyota is rear-wheel drive. Thus, the engine is mounted longitudinally, with a Honda S2000 transmission behind it.
Photos: Instagram
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Reliving Your Youth
Still, the question remains - why did Yoshihara choose an AE86 for his latest build? Turns out, the drift pro owned one before he left Japan to pursue his pro career years ago. So when he partnered up with Turn 14 Distribution to build a new car bound for SEMA, he had a chance to relive his youth all over again.
Photos: Instagram
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Off to Work
It took some time to locate a solid candidate, but once the crew did, it was off to Evasive Motorsports for a full teardown. Once the car was stripped completely, it was shipped off to Eimer Engineering for a full cage. The car also sports a MA46/MA47 Celica/Supra 7.5-inch rear end for added strength Kei Miura of TRA-Kyoto.
Photos: Instagram
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Wide Body
Kei Miura of TRA-Kyoto designed and built the custom widebody kit dubbed the Pandem 86, which is now available to the public. Overall, it increases the width of this car by 9.6-inches. Meanwhile, the OEM popup headlights were converted to JDM Levin style, and a carbon fiber hood was developed.
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Standing Out
When it came time to choose a powerplant, Yoshihara wanted to stick with a four-cylinder, yet also wanted an engine that could make serious power while also staying reliable. He also wanted to stand out from the crowd and build a Corolla that was truly unique. Mission accomplished, we'd say.
Photos: Instagram
>>Join the conversation about this Type R engine swapped AE86 in the Honda-Tech Forum!
Inside that Counts
Yoshihara's classic Toyota was undoubtedly one of the coolest cars we came across at SEMA 2019. Which sounds strange, given the fact that it sports a rival badge. But as they say, it's what's inside that counts, and this particular car packs the right Honda bits where it really matters.
Photos: Instagram
>>Join the conversation about this Type R engine swapped AE86 in the Honda-Tech Forum!
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