A MEMORY FROM MY PAST ABOUT THE AE86
Monday, April 11, 2016
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I finished my Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia or the Malaysian O-Level equivalent in 1989. I did what most teenagers would do then. Kept my hair long, went out with friends, played some sports and did all sorts of stuff. I also played a lot of badminton as a friend's house.
I was there almost every afternoon to around seven or so. We used to hit shuttlecocks back and forth. We talked about stuff and we also watched my friend's cousin, who back then was already working and drove a two door Toyota Corolla coupe called the AE86. He would always come over after office hours to collect his son or was in daughter from my friend's auntie who babysat for the couple. I used to see this car almost everyday.
It was red and did have the pop up lights with the word TRUENO written on the front. I honestly did not pay attention to this car at all as back then, it had only been out of production for about two years and in those days, everyone had started talking about the Honda hatchbacks already. Yes, it was nice and all but somehow we all had the notion that underneath all of that looks was a Corolla waiting to pop out. We weren't really wrong as the AE86 Trueno was really a Corolla under all that make up. A Corolla was something teachers as school used to drive. I used to see a few of them driving around in Corollas from that era. So we wanted the then new EF9 CRX. The sporty FC3S RX7s. These cars turned out heads and our hearts went out to them. Not the Corolla coupe. Not for someone who just turned eighteen. And those days the VTEC Civics were only starting to scream and wail like a banshee. It was so spine tingling that the AE86 with its 'puny' 130hp 4A-GE engine was never that interesting compared to the 158hp B16A Honda engine.
And so people like me, who got to see the AE86 when it was brand new did not expect this car to be such a cult classic after become the star car in the Japanese Manga series Initial D. That series started in 1995 but was a global phenomenon after English translations as well as when it was made into a Anime (cartoon) series sometime in the early 2000s. I was amused that the lowly 1.6liter 140hp Corolla liftback (as the previous generation was called) was made into a David slaying the Goliath type of car.
But I do see the greatness in the storyline of Initial D. The underdog rising up to the occasion and all. And these days I also see the elegance in the styling of the AE86. I also still know that it isn't fast. This car is all about balance. Like the Mazda MX-5.
But it is because of the childhood memory mentioned above that I personally don't think that I would ever like to own one no matter how great that Tofu Racer has become. I may like to have a 1989 fourth generation Honda Civic SiR (below) or a CRX over this. A personal choice. But don't let this stop you from buying one though.
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