Lakes X Levin
The AE86 is an infectious machine, I’m sure by now you know that we actively push any chance to showcase one on here and this was no exception.
When it came to a day out down at the Lakes we decided to jump into Aidan’s original condition 2 Door panda Levin and hit the road, a tin box with minimal comforts.
For some reason, the idea of being stuck in the back on a no seat belt, lowered noisy “Twin cam” as we whizzed our way around scenic Killarney did not bother. In fact, it got me pretty excited and somehow after almost ten hours of it, I wanted more.
Even after all these years, there is nothing more enjoyable than an oul spin with a few mates in a nice car, talking shit laughing and pointing stupid shit out as we pass.
The car rattles its way down to Killarney, a place which gets overrun with eager car enthusiasts and people looking for an escape for the weekend, a place to meet, greet and see what happens.
The whole act of driving to the lakes has been shriveling slowly over the last decade as a string of bad incidents and general nonsense has brought an extra wave of police presence from all over as they try to clamp down on these last acts of automotive freedom.
I’m always floored by the sheer amount of people who come down here to do laps of the city and roads surrounding.
To many of these people it’s a highlight of the year, a bit of ring action up the gap, some revving, driving around flaunting their stuff and like anything, it’s a shame to see it being forced out of the “tradition”.
It’s a social gathering, asides from Killarney being overrun with some of the best rallying in the world for this weekend, there is so much more to this event.
Its a chance to hold onto that youth, on both sides of the fence people of all ages come down and just want to have a good time.
We whizzed around in the Corolla, scraping every dodgy bump and pothole Killarney soaking it up, chatting and being hunted away by the cops.
There was a bit of a thrill to it all that you come across as you push on in your years.
Sadly the cops eventually pulled us in, gave us serious shit about having “pressed plates” and no seatbelts in the rear and as we really only came down for a look around to feed our curiosity, we decided to head home.
We will probably do the same next year, the mix of cars and scenery is nice.
The idea of just going for a spin with friends to the desired location is always appealing to car people.
The anticipation, the excitement of the unknown, you never know what or who is going to show face.
What better way to spend it than in a trusty little eighties box.