REMEMBER WHEN THE TOYOTA 86 WAS RELEASED THE OTHER DAY? WELL THAT WAS OVER 10 YEARS AGO, SO HERE'S A CELEBRATORY SPECIAL EDITION...
It feels like just the other day that the all-new Toyota GR 86 was launched, following hot on the heels of the original reincarnation of the iconic Hachiroku in the form of the Toyota 86. The thing is, that was not just the other day, it was over a year ago, and the original 86 first saw fluorescent light dealership floors in 2012. It’s a little hard to imagine that the revived nameplate is over a decade old now, but that’s life, it flies by. The Toyota 86 was the first in a resurgence of sports cars from Toyota, and the automaker made it rear-wheel drive with a manual transmission, just like the AE86 Toyota Sprinter Trueno that’s now celebrating its 40th-anniversary. The whole world wanted the car to be turbocharged, mainly because it was using a Subaru-based boxer powerplant and seeing as most fast Subarus feature boost, it seemed like it was possible. It still hasn’t happened though, the only way these cars have ever smelled boost is in the aftermarket world via turbo conversions and engine transplants. Here in SA there are loads of 2JZ-powered ones running around and now it doesn’t seem so crazy because the 86 is actually not that new anymore. When the 86 was fiddled with by Gazoo Racing to become the GR86, the car still didn’t get any form of boost, instead, it was refined in every aspect to make sure it stays as intended - a driver’s car. There have been a few limited editions launched lately, but this latest one pays direct homage to the original Trueno thanks to the combined 40th and sort of 10-year anniversaries. The only downside to this very cool-looking GR86 RZ “40th Anniversary Limited” edition is the fact that production numbers are limited, and it’s a car that will only be seen on the Japanese Domestic Market - unless someone spends mad money to take one out of Japan.
The GR86 RZ “40th Anniversary Limited” will be available in just two colours; red with contrasting black accents and white with black accents. The latter is the one that we’d like in the SXdrv garages because it looks a lot closer to the original Trueno, and that’s the point of a homage model. Both come with dark metallic grey special edition 18-inch wheels, and to match these the mirrors are also black as well as the rear spoiler. A clear tribute is the “Since 1983 40th” decals. Under the skin the limited edition GR86 also comes with some bigger Brembo brakes and uprated Sachs shocks with improved damping characteristics to give the car a bit more handling prowess, not that these need any help in that arena, they’re already a riot to drive at 10/10ths. While rear-wheel drive cars like this should all be manual to keep them as fun and engaging as possible, the GR86 RZ “40th Anniversary Limited” can also be had with an automatic transmission. This homage model’s pricing starts at ¥3,822,000, which directly translated into our currency is R490,716.90. That seems like quite the bargain because the normal Toyota GR86 lists for R755,000. If you ever wanted to know how we’re screwed with taxes and charges in SA, this is a great example.
Take a look at the YouTube video showing off the new limited-number Toyota GR86 that was created to celebrate the 40th-anniversary of the iconic and sought-after Toyota AE86 Trueno, as well as the celebrating over ten years of the Toyota 86. That part is mind-blowing because it feels like the car came out a few years ago, at a stretch: 86 40th Anniversary Movie | TOYOTA Gazoo Racing
Be sure to check out our YouTube channel here for more exciting and exclusive SXdrv content! And don't forget to smash that subscribe button!
Article Tags:
News GR86 AE86 40th Anniversary Edition AE86 Sprinter Trueno JDM SXdrv AE86 Trueno Anniversary Limited Edition 86 Toyota 86