Tag Archives: GT86

Hachiroku Master: Tsuchiya & The New 86

All of us here at HR Blog have been long time fans of Irish motorsport photographer Paddy McGrath, but his latest works might just contain some of the most iconic images of the Drift King yet! However they didn’t come without a great deal of personal anguish from Paddy!

He writes:

Those of you with an interest in drifting will surely recognize the name Keiichi Tsuchyia, also known as the ‘Drift King’. Tsuchyia-san is the godfather of drifting, and without doubt one of the most important people in the history of the sport. CAR (magazine) wanted to celebrate his history whilst also exploring his involvement with Toyota’s new GT86. The brief I received illustrated clearly what CAR wanted from the shoot, and allowed me to plan in advance what equipment I would be relying on.

Unfortunately, on the day of the shoot my appendix decided it no longer wanted to be a part of me. Shooting in much discomfort and pain, I was limited in my movement and abilities. It was pretty upsetting, as this was something I wanted to deliver 110% but I just couldn’t. I pushed on as much as I could and once the shoot was over, made my way to a local hospital where I was admitted for surgery.

I knew beforehand that there was a tight deadline, so I started editing the images a couple of hours after surgery. It probably wasn’t a great idea editing them in a hospital ward (under fluorescent lights) and under the influence of many amazing drugs, but sometimes you have to push on. All things considered, I was happy with the product of the day’s work. I just can’t help but think what could have been though …

With a tenacious work ethic like that, it’s easy to see why Paddy has come so far in the world of motorsport photography in just a few short years!

Hit this link here to see the full set of amazing images and the whole story, and be sure to pick up the August issue of CAR magazine for the article!


New Zealand TRD Special Edition!

Those lucky Kiwi’s over the ditch always get the best stuff and now they have the best local ‘special edition’ of the 86 too!

Only 20 New Zealand TRD Special Editions will be built as part of the initial production run and each car will be numbered and supplied with certificate of authenticity. The car is a NZ ’86’ Spec (similar to our base model ‘GT’) with the TRD 18″ Black Forged aluminium wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport 3 225/40 tyres.

To go with the extra grip the Michelin’s provide, Toyota NZ are also fitting the TRD Special Edition with the now-infamous TRD Mono-block Brake Calliper Kit. The contents of which are: Front Mono-block Calliper (6-pot), Rear Mono-block Calliper (4 pot), 2-piece Front Brake Rotor (355mm), 2-piece Rear Brake Rotor (345mm), Stainless Steel Braided Brake Hose (Front / Rear) and Brake Pads (Front / Rear).

Obviously, the styling isn’t exactly standard either. This special 86 is fitted with the TRD Aero package containing a Front Bumper and Side Spoilers, Rear Spoilers,  Under Bumper (Diffuser) and Boot Spoilers.  The car also sounds the goods with the fitment of the TRD ‘quad-tip’ rear muffler too!

At NZ$63,486 (Roughly AUD$48,795 at time of writing) it’s not exactly cheap – an 86 (GT) spec car can be had for NZ$41,986 (AUD$32,269) – but you do get a hell of a lot for your money. A similarly priced TRD-Spec in Australia would cost roughly $46,000 – Would you pay the extra $16,000 for the TRD treatment? Hit the comments and let us know!

Check out the full details here and hit our flickr here for more wallpaper-sized images of the NZ TRD Special Edition.

Leaves me wondering though, why hasn’t Toyota Australia offered a similar limited-edition TRD version here in Australia? Surely at even 50 limited edition cars, they would be snapped up super-quick!


Toyota 86 ZN6 on the Nurburgring

Germany’s AUTOZEITUNG take a stock ZN6 Toyota 86 to the ‘Ring to do a lap of ‘the green hell’.


Speed? Hunted.

In the middle of the Norwegian summer, Gatebil at Rudskogen sees more than 45000 car enthusiasts from all over Scandinavia, England and even Japan making their way across te world to make this event one of the biggest car festivals in Europe!

Rudskogen is located about 1.5 hours  drive south east of Oslo, close to the Swedish border, but that didn’t stop New Zealand’s MadMike Whiddett and Ireland’s Darren McNamara from joining their Norwegian squadmate Fredric Aasbo for the first group smackdown of the Speedhunters super-top-secret drift team.

Hit up the Speedhunters post HERE to see a close up profile of each of the cars and some of the trademark antics of the down-to-earth crew.


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!