Terminally Pretty: Kasso Club AE86

After laying eyes on this AE86 you would be quick to think that it belongs in a wrecking yard, scrap heap or basically anywhere but on a circuit. Remember though how when you were young your mother told you not to judge a book by its cover? Well, after watching what this Hachiroku and it’s driver can do, you should be going back to your mother and thanking her for that advice.

I came to know Goto-san the owner of this Hachi-Roku through a friend of mine who was living in Yamanashi prefecture a few years ago. It was by far the most boroi Hachi I had ever seen. Yet the way it was being driven and the skills that Goto-san demonstrated were almost out of this world! Yes, on the outside the paint is utterly faded. Yes, it is rusting is more than a few places and no there is no rear hatch (when drifting) but that’s just so all the hot air from the rusted firewall can get out! Well we know for sure it was not built to look beautiful. So what’s its purpose? It is to be 100% purposeful and driven.

When questioned about why he keeps such a clunker, Goto-san explains that many people who want to get into drifting quickly fall into a common trap. Excited, they go out and buy a nice car usually spending a little more than they can afford, then quickly climb in behind the wheel. It’s not long he says before one slips up and has an accident by going off course or sliding into a wall. When this happens it is very expensive to repair and many people, not having the extra cash to repair their cars, just choose to quit or find another hobby. “The key to getting better though is practice and you can get better or practice if your car is always in the shop being repaired!”. Too true.

So what’s done to his car and how much? Well, the base is an AE86 that he picked up through his car shop. Being the owner of a car shop definitely helps but that doesn’t mean you can’t pick up a cheap car from an auction or other avenue. On the inside, there are only the barest of bare necessities. There are two fixed Bride Buckets with a harness for the driver and a trusty Nardi steering wheel for control. What’s left of the dash has been strapped down with zip ties and there is an AutoGauge tachometer to show how hard you’re pushing (just in case you can’t hear the engine roar through the holes in the firewall). All other ‘unrequired’ items like sound deadening, rear windows and rust protection have been removed.

In the engine bay, there is a 4AG 20Valve from an AE111 linked to a 5 speed box. It sends power down to a KaaZ LSD which has been installed to take care of driving the rear wheels. Minus the trumpets and exhaust manifold everything else remains stock in the engine bay and is enough to keep the lightweight 86 chug chug chugging along. At full tilt, Goto-san has little trouble keeping up with some drivers in Turbo charged cars, showing that its not all about power. Rolling stock up front is Hayashi Racing CR and wheels on the rear change so much this paragraph would become too long.

When asked about the suspension that he rides and the setting he didn’t want to go into much detail, only saying that it was his shop’s secret setup. All up, the car with engine transplant, tires and everything needed for a few drift matsuris came to about eight thousand U.S. give or take. Whilst it’s not exactly a beatiful thing, it still does what it is meant to do and it allows Goto-san to continue drifting. Unfortunately, due to the abuses it has been put through, the past Matsuri looks like it will be it’s last. The suspension tower up front is starting to break away from the main chassis. That hasn’t stopped him from still driving it around though! Though we’re sure Goto-san will have another car ready for the next Matsuri! Hopefully it’ll be as cool as this one!

By the way, if you’d like to purchase a ready made drifter, whether it be boro like this one or a more refined example, or maybe even some hard to get parts, we’ve teamed up with Goto-san and his shop, so we’re sure we can help you out. Hit us up at at our enquiries page for more information!

[View with PicLens]

 

In the mean time here is a little YouTube link for you to enjoy. It starts off a little slow, but just wait until after the 1:30 mark.

Words/Images: Peter Horniak
Video: Jtarotaro