I know a lot of you have been waiting for this more detailed look at Goto-san's new AE86 Levin, by far the car that for me at least, stood out the most from the Spring Drift Matsuri. I met Goto-san for the first time last year when I was blown away by his impressive driving style as he threw his hatch-less AE86 Trueno around the Nishi and Kita courses. For 2010 however he has truly stepped up his game with a ride that was attracting tons of attention in the paddock. It was actually Suenaga that told me to head over to Nishi to take a look at the "really cool" green AE86, and I'm glad I did as when I arrived he had just headed out...
...for some smoking laps! Here he is doing his trademark hand salute to anyone that points a camera at him!
The speed he threw his car sideways down the main straight was pretty unbelievable, apparently done at the top of fourth gear with a decisive flick of the steering wheel and a momentary lift from the throttle. As you can see, unless he is giving rides, his girlfriend always accompanies him.
Simplicity is pretty much what makes this Levin such a crazy looking car and the interesting choice of matte green gives it a true unique look. The front aero fenders and rear overfenders are from Run Free and really help to give the car a wider stance.
When Goto-san opened the paper-light passenger side door I instantly noticed how the green color of the body almost matched the green of the Takata harnesses! The main goal with this project was shaving off as much weight as possible...
...and increasing the rigidity of the aging chassis. This was achieved by stripping everything down to the bare metal, even the parcel shelf that separates the interior from the trunk area was removed, and spot and seam weld everything up. A custom roll-cage was then fabricated and welded in place. Before the car was put together the bare chassis was painted in matte black to give it a cleaner look.
Only the top part of the stock dashboard remains and it's been modified to accommodate an ashtray from a the seat of a Shinkansen bullet train. As Goto-san explains there is no way he can open the fixed lexan window to flick the ash off his cigarette when drifting, so the ashtray really does come in handy.
He always seems to be holding a lit smoke! He did admit to being a very heavy smoker LOL
Under the lightweight Kaso Club hood lies the silvertop 20-valve 4AG that used to power his old Trueno...
...running pretty much stock power, only boosted by the intake funnels, race headers and a straight through exhaust.
Along with the rest of the shell the engine bay was also painted in matte black and if you look carefully you can see the spot welding done around the suspension turrets.
Thanks to all the weight saving measures, you can see the lexan windows on both the side and the rear, the AE86 now weighs 750 kg! Even the Kaso Club trunk lid weighs a fraction of the original item!
Check out how the front splitter is held in place with a series of zip-ties...
...much like the front bumper! Goto-san had a nice selection of vintage rims, the front running Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1s in 185/60/R14 size.
The AE86 is light and responsive and always ready to be flicked sideways.
His driving style, with his brutal weight transfers and on the limit racing lines, reminds me of Ueo, probably the best AE86 out there.
That color really pops when the sun shines!
I hope Goto-san makes it to the Summer Matsuri in August, as I want to see this little green beast out on the Ebisu tracks!
Many thanks to Goto-san for allowing me to check out his car and grab a few quick shots! Arigatou!
-Dino Dalle Carbonare