The twin-cam equipped, and rear wheel drive AE86 could easily be considered Toyota’s last truly desirable Corolla. Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe ’85 GT-S is custom stem to stern, but do those mods and its price fill you with desire, or just ire?
Birds have been described as our fine feathered friends and that’s also the title of a pretty funny Tom & Jerry cartoon from the 1940s. Yesterday’s 1982 AMC Eagle proved to no laughing matter however, although its owner could be excused for chortling all the way to the bank after it won a decisive 78% Nice Price win.
Back in the sixties Toyota named their small car the Corolla as a derivation of the name of their then big boat, the Crown. Corolla in olden timey speak means a garland or wreath worn as a hat or crown, and apparently was first appeared in Pliny the Elder’s bawdy romp, the Naturalis Historia.
These days it’s the current Corolla that seems elderly, the latest edition even being touted as a mini-Avalon by some, and that big Toyota is a total blue hair special. That wasn’t always the case of course. The Corolla was once the centerpiece of a range that was touted with the sexually charged advertising tagline Oh What a Feeling! and certain of the marque’s models bore that excitement in actuality.
One of the most exciting of those was the AE86, of which today we have a 1985 GT-S example. That model paired a capable if somewhat simple rear wheel drive platform with a then rare and exciting DOHC fuel injected engine and standard smooth shifting 5-speed stick.
The 4A-GE with its Yamaha designed 16-valve head gave an honest 112-bhp in US trim. Here that 1,587-cc four has been bathed in chrome and is fronted by a quilted pad the covers its extended. . . well hang on, we’ll get to that.
That black and red custom upholstery isn’t just an under hood delight, the ostrich patterned leather also covers most all of the interior that’s not already festooned with subwoofers. A woodgrained steering wheel and similar shift knob stand out amidst all the fowl texturing, while an orange (or perhaps that’s mango) scented tree hanging from the rear-view gives the interior a touch of class.
Externally, there’s a lot going on as well, only with less bird skin. In its place there’s shiny paint in some sort of metallic merlot, and a set of black and red spoked alloys. Out back ABS (no, not the brake kind, the pipe kind) louvers keep things cool both temperature and hip-wise. Below that the trunk opens sideways in total cray-cray fashion, revealing even more over the top but actually under the lid sound system bits.
But it’s the nose that’ll have you dubya-tee-effing while reeling your jaw off the pavement in incredulity. That's because, as while sporting Toyota’s mediocre circle T badge, the front of this car appears to be comprised of the entire front clip off of a 4th-gen Honda Accord. Dun, dun, duhhhhhh.
With all the JDM Levin and Sprinter noses from which to choose, and having the stock schnoz rocking hidden lamps, why someone would choose an Accord nose is beyond me. Still, it integrates alarmingly well and will throw off the cops.
A lot of work has gone into this GT-S, and its Craigslist ad description as one of a kind is inarguably fitting. It’s also that individualism that calls into question the car’s $7,450 price tag.
It’s not often that you find an AE86 that hasn’t been slammed or made an emissions scofflaw, and usually the typical seller of these rides can’t be bothered to clean the car beyond Golden Corral level before snapping pics for the sale.
This one however is clean as a bean and freaky enough to warrant consideration. With that in mind, what do you think about that $7,450 price? Is that a deal for this custom Corolla? Or, is that too much even if it came with the whole Accord too?
You decide!
New Jersey Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to the ever reliable civardi for the hookup!
Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.