It’s always nice to receive emails about potential car features, with the whole Juicebox deal there has been quite a lot over the last few years. Every now and again you will come across something that is totally unique. Take this black AE111, first of you are thinking this is not that unique at all, we have hundreds of them floating around the country waiting to be stripped of its heart and the engine used for an AE86.
Dave’s car is well known amongst the 86 community in Ireland. Being one of the founding members of Garage Hachi, quite a hot blog up until a year ago, the guys have always had a serious eye for the right parts and have a true love for the 86 chassis.
Ah, another AE86 track day. Anyone who follows this blog will know how much we enjoy this chassis. Anytime there is a track day for the 86 movement it always brings a very interesting selection of cars.
Ireland has to have one of the most solid loves for the AE86 in the world. We literally stole thousands of them from Japan. On top of buying these out of Japan we have all the goodies and people around the country manage to build some incredible examples time and time again. No other movement inside the car scene seems to be as good.
There is always something so exciting about street activity in cars… waiting for that right moment to make your move…
Ah, where to begin…. if you didn’t know this by know, Ireland has a very very impressive AE86 following, when the flood gates from Japan opened back around 00, we pretty much imported any type of AE86 we could get our hands on and this continued for about eight years, right up until the country’s economy shat itself. Any proper day like the one that is somewhat annually held at Mondello brings some of the most awesome pieces of Japanese steel from around the country and this was as good as it gets.
It’s obvious to many just how strong the AE86 following is here in Ireland, there was such a ridiculous amount of these cars brought into our little country over the last ten years. Nicky’s 86 was one of these cars; it came in as a slag from Japan, with a collection of desirable goodies. Somehow he managed to build on what many would have called an already awesome car. I have to admit, like many who have seen this car in the flesh, it just makes you smile, it could easily be one of the best looking Trueno’s this little green isle has ever seen.
It was a pretty surreal sight, with so much love these days for the AE86 all around the world, especially with the launch of the FT-86, its pretty obvious by now what kind of a status this chassis has amongst car enthusiasts. Seeing an N2 arched GT Apex left for dead in a field is something you dont come across that often. This one ended its faith with the front end colliding with something twisting the entire right chassis leg shock tower and bulkhead.
We found a nice piece of abandoned road, a perfect location that Takumi himself would be happy with, this car will be completely different soon so we decided it was right to feature the Trueno as it looks now, sporting an Iconic attire. The car is almost looked like a perfect replica of Takumi’s car from the infamous Initial D, a manga cartoon which Takumi Fujiwara, an eighteen year old who helps his father run a tofu shop by making deliveries every morning, the deliveries are made in the AE86 and have spawned an array of stages where illegal street racers challenge Takumi in his humble Trueno. Initial D is one of the reasons why the AE86 has become so popular over the last ten years across the world. The Panda colour scheme of a Zenki Trueno sporting some Watanabe wheels instantly reminds people of Initial D.
The life not too many people understand or get outside of the car world.
What I love about Japfest is the amount of racing and activities that are on throughout the day as well as the show thats inside the paddock. It can be a somewhat overhwleming task to cover everything as you have time attack, Prodrift, drag racing and track time on all at the same time. There’s something for everyone.