Slamnasty

I saw this and I agree, I doubt it's anything Toyota would really consider doing. I could see sometime in the future some kit car company offering an AE86 car to buy as if it was brand new (that is, if the thing continues to keep growing in popularity).

But realistically, people here are just going to have to import them to get one. It's extremely rare that I see them on the road where I live, so I can imagine buying one demands something of a premium.

TheDonEffect

Whats the point in getting my hopes up, still no Silvia <sigh>.

madkimchi

can i get that with 2jz motor?

hondurr

they should definetly bring it back. it'd be fun to have a cheap fun RWD option around.

GT_2003

IDK. The reason you have a hard time finding a RWD Corolla in the US is because they all fell apart, rusting through in only a few years. And the only reason it is "popular" is because of a cartoon. None of the real cars were actually all that - they were cheap economy cars, so cheap you can afford to wreck it while trying to drift it. Sure, people have dumped a ton of money into them to make something fun to drive, but at the end of the day, it is still a cheap car that was not much fun except it was RWD. Now that I can afford a better car, there is no way in hell I'd buy a Corolla, RWD or not. I doubt I'm alone in that sentiment.

If they are looking at anything, it is a cheaper, less powerful RWD coupe than the Supra. No-one really wants a 50 hp RWD rattletrap.

Spartikus

Let's just forget about all the racing series that it participated in LONG before the comic...

There's a reason why it was popular even before Initial D.

GT_2003

hey, I had a lot of fun in a friend's Pinto tearing up gravel roads. But that doesn't mean I want to own and drive a Pinto these days. That's all I'm saying

Spartikus

The difference is that the Pinto never had dedicated race series', and the engine was never considered innovative even during its time.

I think you're underplaying the AE86 a bit too much. It's not a great car by today's standards, but it has a history and during that time it was quite a machine for the money. If they brought it back in a way that could recreate that effect then it would be awesome.

Slamnasty

This is somewhat right and somewhat wrong. There was a version of the Pinto called the Pangra that had a modified suspension and turbo, and all 70 or so of these were used for competition, in much the same way Chevy's X-11 Citation competed in SCCA.

aklucsarits

The RWD 5th gen Corollas were never popular in the US market until recently. When they were new, 84-87, they sold poorly. They were based on the previous generation RWD platform from the 70s at a time when RWD cars, especially RWD economy cars were wildly unpopular. The last gen RWD US Corolla models were discontinued after only 4 years of sales. The 5th gen FWD Corolla models sold along side them outsold the RWD models by a wide margin.

Andrew