The AE86 series of the Toyota Corolla Levin/Sprinter Trueno are small, front-engine/rear-wheel-drive compact cars within the mostly front-engine/front-wheel-drive fifth generation Corolla (E80) range—marketed and manufactured by Toyota from 1983 to 1987 in coupé and liftback configurations. It was the last production Corolla to feature rear-wheel drive.
The cars were light, affordable, easily modifiable, and had a five-speed manual transmission, a limited-slip differential (optional), MacPherson strut front suspension, near 50/50 front/rear weight balance, and a front-engine/rear-drive layout—at a time when this configuration was waning industry-wide. In certain areas of the world (and optional in others) it was powered by a high revving (7800 rpm) twin-cam engine.
Widely popular for Showroom Stock, Group A, and Group N, Rally and Club racing, the cars' inherent qualities also earned the AE86 an early and enduring international prominence in the motorsport discipline of drifting. The AE86 was featured centrally in the popular, long-running Japanese manga and anime series titled Initial D (1995–2013) as the main character's drift and tofu delivery car. In 2015, Road & Track called the AE86 "a cult icon, inextricably interwoven with the earliest days of drifting."
The AE86 would go on to inspire the Toyota 86 (2012–present), a 2+2 sports car jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru, manufactured by Subaru—and marketed also as the Toyota GT86, Toyota GR86, Toyota FT86, Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ.
In November 2021, Toyota temporarily restarted the production of a limited number of parts for the AE86, with dealers beginning to take orders for new steering knuckle arms and rear brake calipers. Rear axle half shafts have also been scheduled for new production. Toyota has also announced that this reboot is temporary, and parts will only be available as long as stocks last.
Name The nameplate Trueno derives from the Spanish word for thunder, and Levin derives from the Middle English for lightning. In Japan, the car is known colloquially as “Hachi-Roku” (ハチロク), meaning “Eight-Six” in Japanese, which is also used by AE86 enthusiasts outside Japan.
The chassis code "AE86" is used to describe the 1.6 L RWD model of the E80 Corolla. The "A" represents the engine series that powered the car (Toyota A engine - 1.6 L 4A engines), "E8" represents the generation (E80 series Corolla) and "6" represents the variation within this generation (depending on the engine, drive layout or suspension choice, AE85 is also RWD model but powered by the smaller 1.5 L 3A-U engine, while AE82 is FWD model powered by the same 1.6 L 4A engines).
Bracketing a minor external facelift, models marketed between 1983 and 1985 are called "zenki" (前期, lit. 'early period'), and those marketed from 1986 to 1987 are called "kouki" (後期, lit. 'latter period').
Technicals
The Japanese market AE86 was only available with a naturally aspirated 4A-GEU "blue top" inline-four engine, a DOHC four-valve-per-cylinder engine, which was also used in MR2 G Limited (AW11), Corona GT (AT141), Celica 1600GT-R (AA63) and Carina 1600GTR (AA63) with a compression ratio of 9.4:1. It had a maximum gross output of and of torque in standard form, The 4A-GEU engines used in the Japanese market AE86 were also equipped with Denso electronic port fuel injection, T-VIS variable intake geometry and a manifold absolute pressure (MAP) sensor.
In North America, a modified 4A-GEC engine was used to comply with California emissions regulations, which uses a mass air flow (MAF) sensor. Power was rated (SAE net) at and of torque, while the lower SOHC 4A-C was rated at and of torque. These North American specification engines were also available in Australia (4A-C only), Sweden, Switzerland and West Germany (4A-GEC only, from 1985). However, these engines claimed higher outputs (DIN) at and of torque for the 4A-GEC and and of torque for the 4A-C. For the rest of the word, the regular 4A-GE (with a MAP sensor) and 4A engines without a catalytic converter were offered instead. In Europe and selected general markets (such as Singapore), the twincam engine has a compression ratio of 10.0:1, and is rated at and of torque (DIN).
The AE86 used ventilated disc brakes for the twincam model, while the single cam featured a front solid disc and rear drum brakes. The car was equipped with a MacPherson strut style independent suspension at the front and a four-link live axle with coil springs for the rear as well as stabilizer bars, front and rear, and an optional LSD (twincam with manual only).Drift Japan » Toyota Corolla AE86 - AE86 History and Overview Depending on the market, the AE86 came with a T50 5-speed manual gearbox and optional A42DL/A44DE 4-speed automatic.
Models equipped with the 4A-GE engine received a T-series rear differential, while 3A-U (only offered on the AE85), 4A and 4A-C models received a smaller, weaker, S-series rear differential.
One of the staff who was behind the car's engineering work was Nobuaki Katayama, who would later head the company's motorsport department and who would become chief engineer of the Altezza project a decade later. He has a photo of an AE86 hung in his office.
Body styles
The Levin and Trueno featured fixed-headlights and retractable headlights respectively, with both available as hatchback or coupé. The export model name Corolla applies to both variations. The AE86 (along with the lower spec AE85 and SR5 and DX versions) was rear wheel drive, built on the rear wheel drive E70 Corolla platform (same wheelbase length, interchangeable parts, etc.), unlike the front wheel drive E80 models in the same range. The liftback claimed a drag coefficient of 0,35 Cd, while the coupé was higher at 0,38 Cd.
Pre-facelift (Zenki) The Japanese market AE86 underwent minor changes in September 1983, it now featured different door mirrors, additional gold stripes for the Levin GT APEX thermostatic flip-up grille and revised optional 14-inch alloy wheels that were now in light gold with new center caps. A sports package was also introduced as factory option, which includes aero kit and leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear shift knob.
Facelift (Kouki) Minor bodywork changes were made in May 1985, which resulted in different taillights, new sets of alloy wheels, updated bumpers with wrap-around front indicators, corner and headlight trim lights, interior, and grilles. New paint colors were shuffled around as well. Both the Levin and Trueno now had halogen lamps as standard. The seats on the GTV and GT APEX models were also redesigned. These were the main differences for both AE85/86 Levin and Trueno coupé and liftback models.
In 1986, Toyota marketed a limited-edition model of the AE86 as the "Black Limited" model. It was advertised as a limited-production model with only 400 units, and was based on the Kouki Sprinter Trueno GT APEX 3-door liftback.
In the early 1987, there was a soft-top convertible version based on the Sprinter Trueno GT APEX coupé sold by a Toyota Auto Store dealer in Tama, Tokyo. Approximately 20 units of this dealer optional model were produced, priced at almost 50% more than the top model Sprinter Trueno.
Models and specifications Japanese AE86 specifications
In Japan, the DOHC 4A-GEU AE86 was offered in GT, GTV and GT APEX trims as the Corolla Levin or Sprinter Trueno. All AE86 models produced for Japan featured the 1.6 L 4A-GEU engine, while all AE85 models had the smaller 1.5 L 3A-U engine and not available everywhere else.
Japanese model variations
GT APEX This trim level is the highest level of the AE86, offered in both 2-door and 3-door body styles and coming in both Levin and Trueno versions.
On the exterior, three two-tone paint colors are available, a standard 13-inch alloy wheels and had brown-tinted glass (a feature unique to the GT APEX only, as all other models (including export models) had blue-tinted glass instead). It has power mirrors, adjustable interval windshield wipers, and a rear windshield wiper on liftback models. A special thermostatic flip-up grille was also available as an option on the Levin for the Zenki models. On the interior, they have the interior of the AE86 GT, with a three-spoke steering wheel, sport seats, split-folding rear seat, power steering, a tilting steering column, rear defrost, air conditioning, manual windows, and interior illumination dimming. A five-speed manual transmission is standard, with the option of a four-speed automatic transmission being offered on the Kouki models.
Options for this model include (but not limited to): limited-slip differential (LSD), cruise control, power windows, power sunroof, digital instrument cluster (standard on zenki liftback), automatic air conditioning, OEM aero sports package (available after Sep 1983), optional 14-inch alloy wheels, Alpine sound system, fog lights on the Levin (Kouki models only), mudflaps, and rear hatch visor and quarter window billboards.
GTV This trim level is the upmarket lightweight-sports grade level of the AE86, coming in both Levin and Trueno versions. It was only offered in the 3-door body style. It features the interior of the AE86 GT, with a three-spoke steering wheel, smaller center console, sport seats, split-folding rear seat, illumination dimming, and manual mirrors and windows. It had blue-tinted glass on the exterior, and had 14-inch steel wheels with disk brakes on the front and rear. Side door decals denoting "GTV Twin Cam 16" were added, exclusive to this model. A five-speed manual transmission is standard.
Options include (but not limited to): two-tone paint colors, air conditioning, power steering, power mirrors, power sunroof, rear wipers, limited-slip differential (LSD), optional 14-inch alloy wheels, OEM aero sports package (available after Sep 1983), mudflaps and body-colored bumpers.
GT The GT trim level is the base model of the AE86. It was only offered in the 2-door body style and came in both Levin and Trueno versions. It used the interior of the AE85 SE, with a basic two-spoke steering wheel, smaller center console, basic seats, non split-folding rear seat, and manual mirrors and windows. It had blue-tinted glass on the exterior, and had 13-inch steel wheels with basic disk brakes on the front and drum brakes on the rear. A five-speed manual transmission was standard, with the option of a four-speed automatic transmission being offered on the Kouki models.
Options include (but not limited to): air conditioning, power steering, power mirrors, power sunroof, limited-slip differential (LSD), optional 14-inch alloy wheels, OEM aero sports package (available after Sep 1983), mudflaps, automatic transmission (Kouki models only), and rear defrost.
The GT models were the lightest out of any AE86 models, weighing in at about .
Model codes (Sprinter Trueno) AE86-FCMQF: 4A-GEU, GTV 5MT, 3-door liftback AE86-FCMVF: 4A-GEU, GT APEX 5MT, 3-door liftback AE86-FCPVF: 4A-GEU, GT APEX 4AT, 3-door liftback (Kouki only, Automatic, A44DE equipped) AE86-FSMQF: 4A-GEU, GT 5MT, 2-door coupé AE86-FSMVF: 4A-GEU, GT APEX 5MT, 2-door coupe AE86-FSPQF: 4A-GEU, GT 4AT, 2-door coupé (Kouki only, Automatic, A44DE equipped) AE86-FSPVF: 4A-GEU, GT APEX 4AT, 2-door coupé (Kouki only, Automatic, A44DE equipped)
Model codes (Corolla Levin) AE86-ECMQF: 4A-GEU, GTV 5MT, 3-door liftback AE86-ECMVF: 4A-GEU, GT APEX 5MT, 3-door liftback AE86-ECPVF: 4A-GEU, GT APEX 4AT, 3-door liftback (Kouki only, Automatic, A44DE equipped) AE86-ESMQF: 4A-GEU, GT 5MT, 2-door coupé AE86-ESMVF: 4A-GEU, GT APEX 5MT, 2-door coupé AE86-ESPQF: 4A-GEU, GT 4AT, 2-door coupé (Kouki only, Automatic, A44DE equipped) AE86-ESPVF: 4A-GEU, GT APEX 4AT, 2-door coupé (Kouki only, Automatic, A44DE equipped)
North American AE86 specifications