Hey everyone! This is my first post for AE86 World and I wanted to introduce myself to all the AE86 World fans. In comparison to Chris my love for all things AE86 is a recent thing and before anyone says it or thinks it… No it’s not because of Initial-D and the delivery of Tofu!
In Ireland you cannot help know about the AE86 if your into cars but I didn’t refer to them as an AE86 or a HachiRoku but as a “TwinCam” which really refers to the UK Spec Corolla GT-Twincam. Back in the day (25 years ago) I loved them but fell out of love with them after the Galway Rally in 1999 (That’s another story for another day).
A decade later, in 2009, I parked up my little 106 show car beside a “twincam” at a show and began talking to it’s owner… A young Chris Gray. Throughout the day Chris and I chatted on and off and the more I looked at his Corolla the more I liked it. 2010 I began videoing drifting in Ireland and started to see similar style Corollas to Chris’ and it began to interest me even more.
Cars like Alan Sinnott’s SR20 Corolla, Donal Garry’s screaming 4AG and the F20c’d Trueno of Eric O’Sullivan. I was getting a somewhat uncomfortable liking for these cars, cars I had professed to dislike for the past decade. What was going on??
Over the next while Chris and I interacted over the various web forums and Facebook and when I started to write articles for MotorMavens it was 8/6 day 5 years ago I dropped my first ever car shoot which was Chris’ AE86. The day we shot the car solidified two things for me – my love for the AE86 and my friendship with Chris.
A year later I wanted to start my own blog but I needed a few bodies I could trust and had past experience blogging or with media. Chris was my first port of call and he has been an adviser to me on Autolifers ever since. In that time we have become close friends and when I moved to the USA he is amongst the few people I talk to on a regular basis from home.
In all this time I was talking about buying an AE86 and Chris was always encouraging me to pull the trigger. I would constantly message him on Facebook with questions on the Corolla regards pricing to parts and he always had the info I needed. A day at Mondello Park for an AE86 Track day and three awesome passenger runs really set my mind on my own Corolla… I just had to do it!
Mid 2016 I bought a SR5 Corolla rolling shell (which Chris said actually surprised him, that I had actually bought a HachiRoku) with the mind to throw a F20c into it.
So I then decided to start my build earlier this year which some of you might have already seen linked on the AE86 World Facebook page. The build has slowed up a little due to some personal reasons plus the heat in Vegas is just stupid difficult to work in if your garage is not air conditioned! I am committed however!
So what to expect from me? Well I hope to bring you AE86 content from the west coast area. Everyone will get to know the AE86 guys from NV Hachi really well over the next while as I shoot features with the guys and hopefully I’ll be able to reach out to some of the surrounding states as well to do shoots and events. Of course I’ll be bringing you my build as well if you can forgive the F20c powerplant!
Patrick