When Rod asked the staff to come up with an '86 related feature for 86 Day, I admit I did have to spend some time considering what to shoot. Ireland has quite an illustrious past with the wee hachi-roku, most commonly refered to as a 'twin-cam' or 'cam' in these parts. My first plan was to roll back the years on some of the most famous '86s that have emerged from this small island. DMac's infamous Falken car and Eric O'Sullivans F20C Rockstar car would obviously be the most recognisable but there have been some other gems that you may never heard of. This car above is one of them.
The car in question is the WKD Imports car of Prodrift competitor Alan Sinnott.
Within the '86 camp there appears to be two beliefs. One belief is that the original car can never be improved upon and must stay Toyota throughout. Alan is from the other school of thought, with the belief that you can always make a good thing better.
The twisted, scarred rear bumper with scorch marks above the exhaust is an indication of how hard this '86 is driven. The car features an underbody rear diffuser and an Origin GT wing to help keep the rear of the car stuck to the tar. Check out the mark on the right side of the TRD lipped spoiler !
The Work Equips are surely one of the best suited wheels to the AE86, be it standard trim or a widebody like this car. Like a lot of Irish drifters, Alan runs the Toyo R888 up front for maximum front end grip,
I love all these rub marks and scuffs on a car. You just know everyone of them has an awesome story behind it. Some of you will no doubtedly complain about the rear ride, but remember that this is a competition car, where form follows function.
The interior is suitable minimal, Bride seats and four point harnesses keep your body in constant communication with car, feeding you back every movement and bump.
Alans Office.
Some of you will of noticed the front mount intercooler in the first shots, others will have just read the story title. At top level drifting, you can never be expected to be competitive at the top with the standard 4-AGE. Even Ueo himself ran a Formula Atlantic engine, which doesn't come cheap. The SR20 conversion is a popular one because it makes the most amount of sense. The engines are relatively cheap, create reliable power and parts are plentiful. Alans car is currently running 450 horsepower at 1.5 bar of boost.
This car is definitely my favourite '86 of the moment and a definite contender in my books for best Irish '86 of all time. Lets hope Alan can find the same success as Darren & Eric and someday grace the Formula D scene, so more people can feast their eyes on this awesome example.
Expect to see more action shots of Alans car from future Prodrift Series rounds !
- Paddy M
WKD Imports
Prodrift Series