1987 Toyota Corolla AE86 Twin-Cam

Since the time of its launch in 1983, the Toyota Corolla GT Twin Cam 16 has been a popular choice for competitors in grassroots motorsport. The combination of a powerful engine mated to a lightweight chassis with rear-wheel drive has seen parallels drawn with the MkII Ford Escort and like the ‘Blue Oval’ car it was the rally circuits where the Corolla first found fame and, even today, the model remains competitive at Historic/Classic Group A and Group N events. Like any successful race/rally car, the Corolla spawned a host of look-a-like road cars with fans outfitting their cars with Superlite wheels and Cibie spot lights.

After four short years, Toyota chose to retire the fifth generation of the Corolla with all future generations changing to front-wheel drive. The retirement did little to abate the cars popularity but with a shortage of original Irish/UK-spec cars, Twin Cam competitors and fans alike were forced to look further afield for fresh cars. Japanese-specification Levin and Truenos soon began to arrive on the slow boats from the East bringing with them a new form of motorsport in which the car already excelled at home – drifting.

During the height of the boom, even bare shells were commanding substantial amounts, primarily fuelled by drift fans, with many 20-year old cars changing hands for the price of a new Corolla. Thankfully, things have settled down now but quality road cars continue to appreciate in value and the AE86 Twin Cam 16 is undoubtedly a very desirable modern classic.

Presenting in truly outstanding condition, this AE86 has been subject to a thorough restoration costing more than £20,000. First registered on 01/03/1987, the car was then UK-registered on 01/06/2017 when purchased by our vendor. Its first owner, an older gentleman, unfortunately kept no documentation or history during his ownership, however, there is now a 7-page handwritten description by the restorer detailing the work undertaken for the 450 hour restoration to bring this car to such an exceptional standard. The shell was reportedly in good condition, however, it was stripped to bare metal and any imperfections were reconciled with new metal fabricated and welded in. Once the shell was complete, it was bead-blasted, primed and fully seam-sealed as per factory finish. Effectively everything was stripped down, vapour-blasted and even the nuts and bolts were zinc plated. The engine and gearbox were rebuilt at 84,849km. The attention to detail in the engine bay and underside really displays the quality of the restoration.

Covering less than 100 miles since completion, this OEM+ restoration is surely one of the finest to have been committed to the peppy little Japanese hatchback. With so many AE86s succumbing to rust and hard lives, this outstanding example presents a fabulous opportunity to enjoy or simply admire nostalgically as values continue to soar.