What is the spiritual successor of the legendary Toyota AE86 compact sports car of the 1980s? The 86/GR86, of course. Even Toyota says so, but when Japanese shop Daddy Motor Works chose an engine for its restomodded AE86, it went with the bonkers 1.6-liter three-cylinder turbo of the GR Yaris instead.
Shop owner Kunihiro Oto is a man of many skills, having handled most of the build himself. The enthusiasts, who opened the company back in 2013, debuted the build back in January at the Tokyo Auto Salon and plans to drift and drag the hell out of it.
The man has even built a practice car AE86 (you’ll also find this in the media below), so can get familiar with the business before taking the hero project out for a tire-shredding session.
Returning to the GR Yaris-swapped (G16 is the engine’s codename) AE86, this is a 1980s Corolla Levin, the non-pop-up-headlight sibling of the Sprinter Trueno made famous by the Initial D anime series.
Yes, three-cylinder engines can be this cool!
Unlike in the factory car, the engine, now sits horizontally. The unit, which loses a cylinder, but gains a turbocharger compared to the factory 1.6L motor of the AE86, sits extremely close to the firewall. As such, it leaves room for a top-mount intercooler, while a vertically-mounted oil cooler sits beneath the latter.
In factory trim, the motor packs 256 hp and while we’re not sure about the output of this one, we’ll remind you that multiple tuners have taken the stock block past the 500 hp level.
Since Oto is a master builder, this car is a collection of parts. For one, the engine is mated to a six-speed manual from a Toyota 86. Further down the power line, we find a Toyota Crown sedan rear axle sporting an Altezza limited-slip differential with Estima minivan brakes.
And while the sportscar still packs a live rear axle with a four-link setup, the suspension has been seriously upgraded.
The brakes? Well, the front rotors are borrowed from an R32 Nissan GT-R and the master cylinder comes from another Nissan, this time a Silvia.
There’s a bit of GR Supra in there, too
The GR Supra couldn’t be left outside the melange, with the builder borrowing the color of the AE86 from the Mk V, as well as the livery. In addition, the vehicle features plenty of affordable parts—instead of going for an expensive widebody kit from an established name, the aficionado grabbed some cheap overfenders off the web and adapted them to suit his style.
There’s no corner-cutting here, though. For one, this build has to maintain its natural lightness, which is why the cabin is stripped—there’s leather covering the FRP (fiber-reinforced polymer) digital dash, though. Oh, and let’s not overlook the FRP rear hatch, which features a polycarbonate window.
The never-ending mix is not just about showcasing the enthusiast’s might—with such builds, it’s all about making things fit. And, in the Brickhouse SPL YouTube video below, Oto explains that handling the steering rack was the toughest part of the job.
Interestingly, the machine features electrically-assisted steering, which is not the best in terms of feedback. Then again, given the man’s determination and knowledge, we’re sure he can install a hydraulic setup if he feels dealing with the larger hardware is necessary once the Toyota’s wheels start spinning this summer.
Not all four wheels will spin at the same time, though, as he’s installed a line lock to help with burnouts for those drag racing intentions.
With the GR Corolla and its 1,000 HP Formula Drift iteration getting all the attention these days, it’s nice to bring the GR Yaris—they do pack the same engine—back under the spotlights.
