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
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