It seems like every fortnight, some company launches a restomod of an old car. Considering modern cars are both objectively better and less involving then machines of the past, it makes a great deal of sense that there’s an entire industry dedicated to taking the annoyances out of old cars while preserving and enhancing the good. The trouble is, cars like Singer’s reimagined Porsche 911 and Eagle’s Jaguar E-Type are biblically expensive, commanding price tags more than many of us will earn in a lifetime. The TOM’s Heritage AE86 is a little different.
If you’re big into the JDM tuning scene, you probably already know who TOM’s Racing is. If you aren’t, that’s okay. What you need to know is that TOM’s is the best Toyota tuner on the planet. Founded in 1974 by Nobuhide Tachi and Kiyoshi Oiwa, it quickly gained Toyota’s recognition and support as it delved into both road cars and motorsport. The company’s list of achievements over the years is simply outstanding: 25 Japanese F3 and Super Formula Lights championships, eleven Super GT/JGTC championships, a podium at Le Mans, five Macau Grand Prix victories. TOM’s Racing even built a prototype Formula 1 car years before Toyota entered the sport. Conceptually, the TOM’s Racing Heritage AE86 is almost if like Williams F1 started restomodding hot Renault Clios, which makes this restomod something worth salivating over. [Ed note: Imagine if Williams restomodded a Williams Clio. Restomodception? – MH]
The whole process starts with an old AE86 Corolla Levin. Yep, sort-of like the one from the anime, just with fixed headlights instead of pop-ups. Once TOM’s Racing gets its hands on it, everything comes off until there’s a bare shell sitting in the shop. Remember, these cars were cheap, so they were often driven hard and put away wet. TOM’s doesn’t just strip and fix any corrosion or damage, it goes the extra mile to stitch-weld the chassis and add additional spot welds for extra rigidity. A bit like a race car. Considering how floppy cars of the ’80s are compared even to cars from the late-2000s, this is a worthwhile while-you’re-in-there.
While the shell is being worked on, TOM’s Racing takes Toyota’s 4A-GE engine and bores it out by a single milimeter, upping displacement by a mere 48 cc to 1,626 cc. That’s not much on its own, but it’s part of a holistic package involving many tweaks. A 20-valve head, new internals, and individual throttle bodies all help output climb to 192 horsepower while raising the power peak from 6,600 prm to 7,980 rpm. This thing probably won’t win many drag races, but it’s not built for that. When you think about it, 118 horsepower-per-liter surpasses that of the AP2 Honda S2000 and the Ferrari F430, and a power peak knocking on the door of 8,000 RPM sounds like proper fun. At the same time, refurbished running gear promises streetability. No straight-cut gears here.
Speaking of go-fast bits, most people will probably never see the aerodynamic modifications TOM’s Racing makes to its Heritage AE86. That’s because they’re under the car, a carefully shaped series of belly pans engineered with the goal of reducing drag and increasing stability. Proper restomod stuff. Then there’s the set of TOM’s own 15-inch alloy wheels wrapped in V-rated Bridgestone summer tires, a throwback to the firm’s original period-correct lattice wheels of the 1980s.
Once all that’s together, it’s time for cosmetics. Just as the exterior gets suitably turned around, the interior of each AE86 gets a new lease on life. New urethane seat foam and hand-stitched reproduction upholstery winds back the clock on what is often the baggiest part of an old car, and the door cards are retrimmed to match. The final touch is a vintage-look steering wheel, keeping this fresh build period correct.
By now you’re probably wondering what this all costs. If you want TOM’s Racing to supply the car, you’re looking at 16,500,000 yen. That’s about $103,600 at the time of writing, and while it’s an enormous amount of money for an old Corolla, it’s not a bad deal when you consider the sheer labor and parts going into it. Remember, TOM’s takes an AE86, strips it back down to nothing, and refurbishes basically everything. A good restoration-quality paint job these days is more than $15,000 on its own without factoring in the cost of a complete vehicle tear-down and rebuild, for instance.
The TOM’s Racing Heritage AE86 is also one of the few cases of a small-batch restomod not exceeding the price of the most expensive current mainstream car made by the original’s manufacturer. A new Lexus LC 500 Convertible starts at $110,800, and while it’s a more powerful, quicker, more luxurious car, this modern grand tourer has a very different use case from TOM’s Racing’s backroad blaster.
All in all, the TOM’s Racing Heritage Corolla Levin AE86 actually seems like a pretty good way to spend just north of $100,000. If you love the AE86 and want a turn-key restomod, it turns out having it done by the best in the business isn’t wildly more expensive than having a local shop do it.
Top graphic image: TOM’s Racing
It seems almost crazy cheap given what nostalgia-bait like this normally goes for… If I was in the 100+k-for-a-toy-car tax bracket I’d be sorely tempted.
I suppose if you’re shopping resto-mods from name-brand tuners featured in “Gran Turismo” games, $100K+ price tags are pretty reasonable. I love air-cooled 911s as much as the next person, but dropping what RAUH-Welt or Singer charges for one seems utterly ridiculous to me…
That said… this isn’t really about the car. Most of these hyper-expensive resto-mods aren’t, I think. Rather, this is about capturing a specific feeling. I think there’s a word for this somewhere, the idea of nostalgia for something you’ve never actually experienced. You don’t want to buy a ridiculously-priced AE86 so you can drive it to your job in traffic. What you _want_, what you’re paying for, is to feel like you’re 24 years old and living in the city-pop, fictional version of Tokyo in 1984, with none of the traffic or responsibilities of reality and the whole world of possibilities in front of you. You want to sit down in the driver’s seat, put some period-appropriate music on a stereo with an amber display and too many buttons, and take off for an exciting drift battle down a back-road in Gunma prefecture with the absolute certainty that you aren’t going to hit a snarl of commuter traffic on the way.
People used to mock middle-aged men who turned 40 and bought Corvettes or Porsches to go with their brand-new Members Only jacket, but this trend of six- and seven-figure resto-mods seems to me to be feeding _exactly_ the same impulse. The price tags are much higher than the shitty old ‘Vettes of the ‘70s, but the impetus is the same: “Buy this expensive car. It won’t make you young again, won’t take you back to when you could have made different choices, gone down a different path, but for a few fleeting moments on the right road, it’ll make you _feel_ like it might.”
I don’t think that’s a bad thing, really. To be clear, I don’t believe people who buy this sort of thing are deserving of mockery or scorn. Nostalgia and longing, whether for what’s past or what could have been, are powerful and bittersweet feelings, and I think everyone indulges themselves to some extent. I have my old video games, my still-running NES from 1988 or so that I use to remind me of the good times growing up as much as for any enjoyment of Mario Bros 3 or Mega Man 2.
I just think there’s a lot more to this than just the car. If you love the AE86 so much that you took it to a place that changed literally everything about how it starts, runs, corners, brakes, feels, and sounds… then I just don’t think it was ever about the car itself, but what that particular object _represents_ to you.
Given that includes the car, that is very well priced.
It’s weird to say this, but this is actually quite a good deal given it’s a full bare shell restoration by a place as well known in Toyota circles as TOM’s
And imagine how much better of a deal it would seem 10 years later when it appreciates to 3X the original entry fee.
I always find it ironic that when very specific HP/l examples get pulled in for comparison; in this case the S2000 and F430 (oddly enough compared frequently through the years on this very topic).
The AP2 F22 increased displacement was more for increased useable torque and daily tractability. The AP1 was as dearth-y below 5000rpm as my Honda Fit was nearing redline. Is the 9K redline better? Yes, for feels. But the AP2 is a better motor for actually racing. The Ferrari was a new engine platform (RIP Dino-related powertrain), which also added nearly 20% more HP over it’s predecessor while also adding torque at a lower rpms. Same same.
This is a custom built motor and is expected to bring the fizz. I’m more stoked about the 20V head and it’s breathing characteristics (and lighter valves) that allowed for the higher redline and power peak. I appreciate this expansion of econo sports restomods that are the attainable Singers for us plebs.
Since you make the case of this being an old car being restored to custom new at around $100,000 I have to ask the best part of new is the warranty that prevents eye popping repair bills for a few years. What is the warranty on this good as new slower than the new sedan at this price point?
It’s 95k out of my budget, but at least I can appreciated it.
A friend at a drift event let me drift his AE86 and it was fantastic. Although TBH not that different to drift than my MX5. Bigger trunk for spare tyres though.
If I had my old MR2 and gobs of money, I would like to get a restomod.
The price is relatively low because of the exchange rate and the lack of inflation in Japan until recently.
I was shocked by low prices when I was there about 18 months ago.
Currency Devaluation – For fun and profit!
WIth that Legendary tagline in the photo, I was expecting an Acura Legend restomod.
Some alternatives:
Levin-dary!
Trueno-riffic!
AE86-mazing!
GT-Spectacular!
APEX Redux!
better yet, just kswap an old AE, put some bracing, new paint, pocket like $65K for current gas prices.
ok, if i was bent on throwing $100K at a fun car, I’d probably just be a basic bitch about it and buy a used porsche of some kind, or even a lotus which might have a toyota engine in it. if I was stupidly wealthy, yea sure I’ll get one of these fancy corollas just to be cool and use it as a canyon beater.
I want the to do me an AW11 MR2 with that engine.
The bodyshell work is essentially what I wish I could have done with my ’90 Legacy. Had I the money, I’d have dropped over $1/4M on it without a thought (Hello, Prodrive? Do you do major work on old junk?). If this is a dream car you never plan to sell or the sales price doesn’t matter as you have that much money, who cares what it cost? Plus, it’s nice to not see yet another boring-ass Porsche and I’d bet this is more fun to drive than any new exotic.
Sure 104k is a LOT of money, but when looking at “new” sports cars for sale, you have to go up a lot in dollar value to get something so unique and special. It’s an experience car, not a speed per dollar car. If you wanna go fast, get a C8, but 104k can’t even get you a new manual Porsche these days.
Basically no restomod to this degree is south of 7-figures, and a vintage Alfa Romero from Alfaholics is going to be more expensive, or less thoroughly reworked for the same money. Heck, you can barely even get any stick shift 964 gen 911 for this sort of money. If you’re a well-off JDM car enjoyer, this is a hell of a special vehicle for the money, I’d take this over a low-mileage Mk4 Supra Turbo every day of the week.
It feels wrong to say it’s affordable, but people already spend that much on these cars anyways. Now it’s just one line item. I’m reluctantly all for this.
They call it stupid money for a reason.
I mean, someone that grew up on anime and loved tuner cars but either too young at the time or broke (both?), and now making good $$. I could see them living their childhood dream.
“That’s about $103,600 at the time of writing”
I think I’d rather buy a used Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86/Scion FRS in excellent condition for around $25K and pocket the remaining $78,600… and have a car that is likely just as fast, has better safety, better tech and is more serviceable.
But think of all the Radwood cred you’re missing out on.
What rate of return does Radwood cred get me?
LOL
Nah, he busy wondering why there’s a bunch of old cars at Radwood instead of toyobarus
Looking at that minty fresh interior brings a tear to my eye. That’s the worst part about restoring an old car, trying to find unobtainium interior bits and exterior trim.
You, too, can own a 40 year old Japanese economy car for a mere hundred thousand dollars. Imagine.
The lyrics to These are the Days by 10,000 Maniacs comes to mind as Gen X tries to recapture some feeling long since forgotten, not unlike Boomers chasing after all the muscle cars of their youth. If someone offered this for a first or second generation MR2, I’d have to really think hard about it.
If you’re a zillionare, I can understand it. Especially for an mr2, or an NSX, which were built from the start to be an analog, driver-focused, enthusiast machine – but I feel like spening $100k on a Corolla old enough to need yearly colonoscopies, you’re missing out on a lot of what makes the Vintage Economy Car experience so magical. Like – mystery stains. Mismatched door cards. Previous owners’ magical underdash wiring puzzles. The general feeling of patina and terroir of owning something with its own history. And terror of wondering if it will start, run and stop well enough today.
What I’m saying is someone is paying $90,000 to rob themselves of the real magic of hooptie ownership.
Your comment reminded me of a guy I used to work with who claimed his MR2 was a ‘supercar’.
Not gonna lie; you’re right. If you really break it down, it’s not really crazy money.
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. People drop well over $100k restoring Mustangs and Corvettes
And this is turnkey, you don’t have to hunt down an AE86 then send it off.
I think a lot of people don’t actually know how much it costs to do this level of work on cars. It’s how you get people who say “I want an MKIV Supra because it can make 1000hp” but think about how much it costs to get there
Or care if it’s done right/well..
Yeah, honestly this is tempting.
I mean, it’s not in my price range, but I suspect most people purchasing these will drive them, I hope anyway…