Author Archives: Garth Ivers

Fredric Aasbø & His 2JZ Toyota ’86-X’


86 or BRZ? It’s All About Driving Style

Take the Toyota and Subaru twins on back-to-back circuit runs and see exactly how each one differs in the real world. The result? Well you’ll just have to watch it!


GT86 vs AE86: “A Small Tiny Turismo”

Nino Karotta crosses Europe in a new GT86 to finally put it up against his race-spec AE86 on a racetrack… A must watch!


Sexy Sexy Ooh Sexy Sprinter

Sing it with me!


Toyota 86 Official Australian Presskit

While I write my review and impressions of the Toyota official launch day, here is the official presskit from yesterdays launch. Check it out after the jump.

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Touge Monster

A little wallpaper action for you on a Friday. Download here.


Get Retro! Panda Edition Scion FR-S

Five Axis has been busy! Inspired by the unique two-tone AE86 colour scheme known as ‘panda’ to hachiroku enthusiasts, Five Axis  has released some new ‘Retro Series’ designs for their own special release Scion FR-S (Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ) vehicles.

Japanese Nostalgic Car had the news:

The Retro Series will draw on the new car’s AE86 heritage with a color scheme reminiscent of the original’s trademark “panda” design. Each comes with a Five:AD aero kit, which has a natural line that creates a perfect break for the two-tone transition. It’ll be offered on two colors of the FR-S, Whiteout or Firestorm, which Five:AD is calling High Tech Two-Tone and High Flash Two-Tone, the official Toyota names for what fans have come to know as ”panda” and “red panda,” respectively.

These special edition FR-Ss will be available through select Toyota/Scion dealerships across the US in limited numbers, so if you want one keep up with Five Axis Design’s Facebook page for the latest news.

Here is an as-yet unavailable colour scheme I made based on the silver-black two-tone AE86 design. Let’s hope 5AD get it sorted too!

Which one is your favourite? Or you think Five Axis needs to go back to the drawing board on the panda style 86? Hit the comments and let us know!


TEC ART’S 7A-GE ‘Black Limited’ Trueno

SUPER STREET magazine from the United States have got an excellent article up on the absolutely insane TEC-ART’S Trueno. Check out the full article over on SUPER STREET.


2012 Toyota 86: HR Interviewed for Drive

We got a call late last year about an article Drive was putting together to put into The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. They were writing an article on the new Toyota 86 being released in Australia and wanted the feeling from the AE86 enthusiast community about Toyota’s new car, so we happily obliged.  Drive Journalist, Matthew Campbell and I spent a while in a lengthy interview, so long that they cut a bunch of it out of the final article (pictured above), so here it is in it’s entirety.

Matthew Campbell: What made you get involved with AE86s?

Garth Ivers: They are a fun car with endless types of modification paths you can take. The guys and gals who buy them are usually very much into self-serve, DIY mechanics and fabrication and down to earth, great people.

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Ten AE86s That Influenced a Generation

Back in 2009, Jeroen Willemsen from SPEEDHUNTERS asked us to write a guest blog for their massive site about the AE86. Jeroen writes:

“Rod asked me to make a top ten list of the best and most influential AE86’s. I’m no expert on everything Hachi, so I decided to ask some of my friends from Australia who run HR – the best hachiroku blog on the web – if they could help me out and they happily obliged. So here you have it, the top ten most influential AE86’s through the eyes of Adam Hocker and Garth Ivers.”

We tried to make the article as international as possible so there might be certain cars you guys think should be in there. So don’t hate us for leaving out your favorite car :) As for Akira Iida’s ’86, Hasselgren, etc they were up there with the others but when there’s only 10 to choose from… well you know!

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