We check out a shed filled with old eighties restored Toyota Corollas, AE86s and more. Our friend Paddy from Retro Autos gives us a tour.
We take the AE86 out for its first drive with the new engine set up around the business park, no panels, lots of noise and lots of laughs!
This is an AE86 heavy episode. We rebuild the 20 Valve Blacktop 4A-GE for the Trueno and we get a surprise 86 visitor from Scotland.
This photo set is from the second trip up to MR “X”. I was going to pile these photos in with the third trip but each time we head up there I always find myself snapping everything in sight. There is something new with every journey, something to leave you either confused or in awe. The little 5 GT Turbo has seen many AE86’s being stripped at this point, I wonder if it ever thinks it’s going to be next.

There was a time in Ireland where the AE111 Levin was one of the most desirable machines to own amongst the younger car enthusiast. To be somewhat precise, that was about fifteen years ago, a time when fresh new imports flooded the country, people had lots of disposable income and prices were sky high, especially for the Levin, about eight to ten grand to be exact.
We pull apart the AE86’s new blacktop 20 valve 4A-GE heart and see if this engine swap was actually worth the effort…
We take the AE86 out onto public roads to grab some food in its current condition, later that weekend we take the Trueno to Japfest, Irelands biggest annual Japanese car show and we explode fifth gear along the way. A little treat for Christmas Day.
After a night of madness on the docks, we woke to a familiar Irish sight, a soggy grey morning. Regardless of the weather, there was a shop that had been on the hit list for a very long time and I was incredibly eager to check it out before our trip came to an end. Tec Arts has been around for a long time and is a very familiar name in the 86 world. They primarily deal with AE86’s these days but are known to have built some very cool cars over the years.
I love cars that literally appear out of nowhere. This KE70 appeared in some photos online one day and literally blew us away. At First I thought it was just another really well put together Corolla from the Internet, little did I know this was actually on Irish shores. I was pretty eager to take a closer look.
Almost hidden in the corner of the Toyota gathering a few months back was this AE86. The owner was a little taken back by my interest in it. I tend to obsess over cars with a little character; cars we wish could only speak and share their tales, with faded team stickers, dents holes and scuffs.
This little unassuming E90 corolla started its life as a rather mundane commute machine. Corollas from the eighties and the 90s were like Lego, literally so much stuff plugs and crosses over its fascinating.
I honestly feel bad for the AE111 Levin, it had a lot to live up to following the AE86 legacy along with its two older bothers the 101 and the 92. None of them were rear wheel drive but all possessed fresher better engineered hearts than the original Eighty Six.
David picked up this car from a friend a little over a year ago. Prior to that he has never owned an AE86, but it was high on the list of cars he had to own, and simply put, hard work made that become a reality. It’s taken a very short period of time for David to shape this car to suit his personality, however I can tell you that this car is far from finished, in fact as I write this I know he is planning a change again in the near future.
To polish a turd or “The act of trying to make something hopelessly weak and unattractive appear strong and appealing. An impossible process that usually results in a larger, uglier turd’. From the outside looking in, sometimes our way of spending money and spending time may look like a lost cause to the outside world.









