The year is 1985. Michael J. Fox revolutionized the Delorian in Back to the Future, Lawrence "Chunk" Cohen made us laugh with his infamous "Truffle Shuffle" dance in the movie Goonies, and the makers of Toyota released a sleek, sporty vehicle in the U.S. named the Corolla GT-S . It can be argued, debated, and even criticized, but the truth of the matter is the Hachiroku (AE86) was the last affordable RWD sub-compact car released by Toyota to date, leaving much to be desired for Toyota enthusiasts continually looking for an economical, yet affordable vehicle since the AE86's demise in 1987. With the 1985 Corolla celebrating its 19th year since its inaugural presence to the U.S. market, its popularity has rekindled over the past year as drifting and circuit racing has jumped to new levels among import car enthusiasts.
With any project car comes the determination and willingness to create a one-off vehicle that best expresses the owner's personality. Brandon Lee of Aiea, Hawaii, is no exception to the rules as this Hachi-Go GT-S ('85 in Japanese) has been four painstaking years in the making, evolving into arguably one of the best Hachi's'-in my opinion-to grace U.S. soil this side of Japan. No stranger to the Corolla lineup, Lee currently owns two '85 Coupes and one '85 Hatchback. A Corolla obsession you ask? Quite possibly the case as the love for the Corolla is even prevalent with his mom; she drives an '85 Hatchback complete with SSR Super Fins and suspension, courtesy of Lee. Now how cool is that?
In the summer of 1999 Lee came across a Hachi-Go sold by a local Filipino man for a mere 500 dollars. With cash in hand and transfer of ownership complete, Lee was able to drive the rusted and badly dented AE85 back home, to begin the long and tedious restoration process.
Content with the high-spirited and responsive 4AG-E motor, thoughts of altering the engine's internals were the last thing on Lee's mind. Combining regular maintenance and purchasing every imaginable aftermarket bolt on product kept Lee and his '85 running problem free on the streets for two years until one day a friend came across a 600 dollar turbo kit. The deal was too good to pass up as the kit was purchased and bolted on his 220,000-mile engine. Within a mere three weeks of street driving with the new turbo kit, the inevitable happened. Lean fuel conditions and turbine failure caused the number one piston to ultimately melt while number four piston suffered massive pressure cracks. Not to be discouraged from engine failure, Lee decided to remove the engine and strip the car down to its bare shell to begin a complete overhaul process.