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The Toyota AE86 is quite an aging sports car that is already nearly 40 years old. Born in the 1980s, the AE86 has become a JDM icon (Japanese Domestic Market), with many fans raring to own an example. Thanks to its iconic status, the AE86 – also known as hachi-roku – has become a very expensive Japanese classic to own today.
Interestingly, AE86 may owe its popularity to Initial D, a manga and anime series that focus on street racing on various mountain passes in Japan. Its main protagonist, Takumi Fujiwara, pilots a panda AE86 Trueno for both delivering tofu and outrunning various cars in Initial D such as Nissan GT-Rs, Mitsubishi Lancer Evos, and Mazda RX7s (FC and FD) on downhill racing contests.
At the time Takumi started his racing exploits, the AE86 was already around 10 years old. Now, the AE86 is nearly four decades old, and a number of them are still running. This boosts the reliable character of the legendary sports car, which latest iteration comes in the form of the GR86. Nevertheless, one may wonder why the AE86 of the 1980s is a reliable Japanese sports car.
The Legend And Spirit Of The AE86
As for its origins, the Toyota AE86 was a part of the fifth-generation Corolla E80 series. The carmaker offered the rear-wheel drive hachi-roku as the Sprinter Trueno and the Corolla Levin. They are essentially twins, although the Sprinter had retractable headlights while the Levin had fixed ones.
Interestingly, AE86 wasn’t really the car’s name; it refers to the internal code that Toyota used during its development. The “A” stands for the 4A series engine, the “E” refers to the Corolla designation. Meanwhile, the “8” refers to the E80 series generation, while “6” stands for the sixth variant within the generation.
Indeed, the Toyota AE86 wasn’t a powerful car – it came with a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter 4A-GE inline-four engine, originally delivering 128 hp of max output and 110 lb-ft of peak torque. But thanks to its lightweight character, well-balanced setup, and RWD configuration, the AE86 became a favorite not just among privateers, but also among Japanese street racers (hashiriya). Pro-racer and Drift King Keiichi Tsuchiya considers the hachi-roku as his preferred car.
Another reason for the popularity of the AE86 was its reliability, which is a trait common among Toyota vehicles. This remained true for the latest successor of the hachi-roku spirit. In fact, Consumer Reports once listed the Toyota 86 as one of the most reliable cars in their rankings.
The AE86 Is A Toyota After All
The reliability of the AE86 is deeply rooted to Toyota’s character as an automotive engineering and manufacturing company. Thus, reliability isn’t exclusive to the hachi-roku, as most Toyota vehicles are very reliable and able to withstand the test of time. The carmaker is able to endow more or less a consistent amount of quality over its products.
While some says the reliability of Toyota vehicles is just a myth, the truth is the opposite. As a proof of this, reliability reports always have one or more Toyota-made vehicles in the past several years. In fact, Consumer Reports’ latest “10 Most Reliable Cars” list includes four Toyota-made vehicles — the 2022 Lexus GX, 2022 Toyota Prius Prime, 2022 Toyota Prius, and the 2022 Toyota Highlander.
As to how Toyota is able to make its vehicles ever reliable, the carmaker has been implementing various approaches to ensure that its products are bulletproof in terms of improvement. Toyota built its total quality management (TQM) system on the concepts of “customer first,” “continuous improvement” (or kaizen), and “complete participation.”
Furthermore, Toyota’s processes call for continuous detection and elimination of errors. The carmaker has the tendency to over-engineer and yet over-simplify its products, with focus on balance. This is why Toyota’s sporty offerings don’t really offer much power.
The Reality of The Hachi-Roku Reliability
While the Toyota AE86 is a reliable 1980s Japanese sports car, it doesn’t mean that things won’t break. It’s a nearly 40-year-old car, and any car of this age would have a part or two needing repair occasionally. This is especially true for a car that tempts its drivers to pilot in a more thrilling, if not more reckless, manner. After all, AE86 drivers may try to emulate Takumi and Keiichi, and then start trying things they do.
In the real world, even the most reliable Toyota cars still break down. The AE86 should be no exception, and the driver behind the wheel may find the temptation too promising and too strong to resist. Whether in modified or stock form, an AE86 is a car that heavily tempts its owners to go beyond daily driving.
On the other hand, there is the usual wear and tear of parts and components, and AE86 owners can help extend the lives of their hachi-roku through regular check-up and maintenance. They should be active enough to inspect the road-worthiness of their AE86s. Thankfully, Toyota is now offering genuine spare parts for the legendary hachi-roku.
In the end, the Toyota AE86 is reliable not because it’s a Toyota, but also because of the efforts that owners to ensure their hachi-roku can drive on the road for a longer period of time.
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