Toyota GT86 Gets Pop-Ups In AE86-Inspired Transformation

The Tokyo Auto Salon may be increasingly used as a platform for Japan’s car manufacturers to show off their more enthusiast-geared cars, but at its heart, it’s still a showcase of the nation’s vast and varied customisation culture.

Case in point: this modified Toyota GT86 that draws direct inspiration from that car’s spiritual forebear, the AE86 Sprinter. Called the Neo86, it’s the work of Osaka-based tuning house Result Japan, which produces all sorts of outrageous bodykits for various Japanese cars including – yes – the Toyota Prius.

To create the Neo86, it’s taken a GT86 and fitted it with some beefy arch flares, but that’s nothing new. What is new are the squared-off rear bumper and the front end that draws directly from the AE86 Sprinter Trueno, right down to its iconic pop-up headlights.

The AE86, of course, needs no introduction to Japanese car fans. A compact coupe sold as both the fixed-headlight Corolla Levin and pop-up-equipped Sprinter Trueno, it was a favourite among early exponents of the drifting scene for its balanced, lightweight rear-drive layout and robust 4A-GE 1.6-litre twin-cam four-pot engine.

It was the Sprinter Trueno that would become a true pop culture icon, thanks to its starring role in manga series Initial D, the white-over-black tofu delivery AE86 ingrained into the collective JDM conscience. Naturally, that famed colour scheme is referenced with the Neo86 too.

The model would eventually go on to directly inspire the Toyota GT86 and Subaru BRZ twins, launched in 2012, which live on today with the GR86 and second-gen BRZ (although not in Europe anymore. Booooo).

Frankly, we’re amazed it’s taken somebody this long to try something like this. Details on the Neo86 are still thin on the ground, but apparently pre-orders open at the Auto Salon this weekend. Form an orderly queue, people.