[TW]Fox;15040398 said:
I really dont see how, all the AE86 was was a fairly mundane, crappy Corolla which the enthusiasts inadverently went bonkers over it as it ended up being one of the last RWD cars of its type and therefore ideally suited to the drift scene.
Whereas this is designed a s sports type car?
As you were probably at nursery school when the AE86 was new, maybe I should add some context.
Back in the mid-80s we had:
- The real nutter available was the Sierra cossie, but that was nearly £20k at the time. Came with around 205hp (assuming we're not talking about the RS500 version). Yes there was also the E30 M3, Delta Evo, but they were also similarly expensive.
- Top of the pile of more normal road cars was the BMW 325 with a massive 170hp.
- The best hot hatch was the Golf Gti 16v with 139hp, most used the 8v engine with 115hp
So whilst the AE86 looks like it's powered by a damp squid nowadays, 122hp back then was quite a lot, certainly more than most hot hatches produced, and linked to a fairly light weight gave it a respectable turn of speed (if now shamed by a lot of diesel saloons).
More to the point was how they drove. It had tons of feedback, great balance and an engine that red lined at 7800rpm. It was pretty much a VTEC engine, but before Honda made that area of the market their own.
Think of the performance and fun factor as more akin to a coupe MX5 and you'll understand where I'm coming from now.
For all that, I do think that they now command bonkers money, and if I were my money on the line, it would be on an MX5.