Drift (2)

A Toyota Sprinter Trueno (AE86) drifts across an open helipad during the AutoFest 2007 held at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM).

AE86 is the chassis code for the Toyota Sprinter Trueno/Corolla Levin. The difference between the Trueno and the Levin are the pop-up lights on the Trueno (as shown in the photo above). Corolla Levins have fixed headlights.

The AE86 was made famous by the Japanese anime series Initial-D (first produced in 1998). Nicknamed "hachi-roku", which means eight-six in Japanese, the AE86 was first developed and marketed by Toyota in the early 1980s.

The AE86 has proven to be extremely reliable and surprisingly powerful despite having only a 1600cc twin-cam powerplant, designated the 4A-GE. Incidentally, the AE86 is also the last rear-wheel-drive (RWD/FR) cars in the series.

Initial-D's popularity and it's use of the "hachi-roku" as the "hero" of the series has made the car legendary -- up to a point where the value of the 20 year old model has skyrocketed to more than 3 times it's previous market value before Initial-D.

P.S. I once had a 4A-GE engine in a Toyota Corolla KE70 (in the days long before Initial-D ever appeared). That's where I got my nickname "Levin". So pay attention folks; before Initial-D, there was ME! :P