The phrase “I have a passion for cars” has become ubiquitous, and honestly, almost eye-rolling at this point. I hear someone say it and imagine them putting a Monster sticker on their Hellcat or trying to decide what purple they should wrap their Porsche Cayman in. What I don’t imagine is them swapping motors, pulling transmissions, welding panels, or actually taking their car to the track and actually racing it. Things quickly change when someone tells you they have a passion for a specific chassis, especially if that chassis carries the sort of legacy the AE86 does.

Kole Grove definitely has a passion for the Hachi-Roku. He’s done years of research, scouring the far corners of the internet for every bit of information he can find, and developed an understanding of their significance as the progenitor of Japanese drift culture. In our long conversation, we talked about our favorite builds from back in the day, Precedo vs Equips, and how the Goodline bumper was the best choice for a Levin. It was clear he knows he knows far more about these cars than I ever will, and all this knowledge has been applied to his own AE86 Corolla Levin.

This isn’t a USDM Corolla that has been converted, it’s a genuine Levin that Kole imported from Japan himself nearly 5 years ago. He was originally hunting for a coupe, but a chance bid at the USS auctions on this 3-door ended up winning. While it was a definitely a great purchase, it wasn’t the absolute stunner you see here.

A great deal of effort has been put into restoration and getting the look just right. The car received a full color change years ago in Japan. Although it was a well-done paint job, Kole still had to put in work to bring it back to life. Currently, it’s running factory aero with with a zenki front lip, but he’s on hunt for one of those sought after Goodline FRP front bumpers and a genuine TRD wing.

Wheels are always a big source debate in the 86 community, and I was happy to see 14” Equip 01s on this one. Definitely the second best choice right behind Precedeo Demon Cambers. Up front they measure 14x9J -6 and 14x9J -28 in the rear.

Kole polished the lips himself and resprayed the faces in a gun-metal that sets them off perfectly. All four are wrapped in 185/55R14 Federal tires for that perfect chunky stretch.

The front arches are factory metal, but the rear is currently running 30mm Run-Free rivet on flares. The plan is to replace them with weld-on metal flares in the near future.

One of the things that surprised me was how good a condition this car was in. The doors shut perfectly. All the panels and lights fit right. Hell, even the window and door trim and seals looked almost new. I’ve been around plenty of AE86s in my day, and very few have been this nice.

At this point you’ve probably found yourself wondering what was under the hood? It isn’t a factory AE86 4AGE, but rather a 20 valve from an AE111 Corolla. Coming from the factory with individual throttle bodies, VVT and 165hp it’s a popular choice for Hachi owners who want a more capable and modern Toyota engine.

A few years ago, a burnt valve resulted in a factory overhaul of the bottom end and a full build of the head by Dan Steinhart utilizing Toda valve springs and Super Tech valve seals. A TRD head gasket, APR head studs, and Toda timing belt were thrown into the mix making for a pretty bulletproof and high-revving setup.

The AE111 individual throttles received an upgrade in the form of Techno Toy Tuning (T3) 75mm velocity stacks. Kole mentioned he wanted to go up to 100mm, but doesn’t have a lot of room to work with so that’s still being figured out. The 4-throttle setup not only sounds good, it also provides great throttle response.

Other upgrades include a Koyo Radiator, HPI Oil Cooler, full tubular header, T3 test pipe, HKS Sport exhaust, and coil packs from a Toyota Yaris, Everything is being controlled by a Link Monsoon G4+ ECU with Can Lamda and a base map provided by Mark Panic.

Kole actively drifts this car so it has all the necessary drivetrain upgrades to handle the abuse, including an Exedy stage 2 clutch, TRD 2-way LSD and TRD 4.5 ring and pinion.

From this angle you can really appreciate the perfect ride height and fitment. A long list of suspension upgrades helped the AE86 get to this point including Fortune Auto 500 coilovers with true rears, Fortune Auto 30mm rear control arms, T3 panhard bar, T3 15mm lower control arms, Parts Shop Max 4-Link and traction brackets, Whiteline swaybar and a Cusco rear tower bar.

Just like the exterior, the interior is in amazing condition and has all the proper additions including a Nardi steering wheel, Recaro SR1 seats on Buddy Club rails, JSP shift knob and P2M checker floor mats. It’s also sporting a full interior, which can be a hard feat to pull off in an 86 these days.

It was a pleasure meeting someone with such a passion for the AE86 and the attention to detail it takes to build and maintain an older car at this level. With values skyrocketing, fewer of these are going to be seen on track. Kole says that’s not going to stop him from drifting, but is acutely aware of the consequences of an on-track mishap!

To keep up with Kole’s 86 journey follow him on instagram @straypath86 or on his Youtube channel. I’ve included his 2023 update below: