Junkyard Gem: 1984 Toyota Corolla Ae86 Coupe

Junkyard Gem: 1984 Toyota Corolla AE86 Coupe

With all the car graveyards I visit and all the discarded Toyotas I photograph, you'd think that at least a few examples of the legendary AE86 Corolla would have fallen before my camera. I do find these cars, once in a long while, but they're so sought-after that I just find the shells of gutted parts cars, ditched after all the good stuff got extracted (the same thing happens with Subaru WRXs, Mitsubishi Evos, and any two-door Chrysler B-body or GM A-body of the 1964-1973 period). Enthusiasts and collectors love the AE86, here and in Japan, for a combination of cultural reasons we all know well, so I decided I'd document the next one I found in a junkyard, regardless of condition. That turned out to be this '84 notchback coupe in the San Francisco Bay Area.

1987 Toyota Ae86 And A 2020 Toyota 86 Seek The Toyota Parallel Pomeroy Trophy In England

1987 Toyota AE86 and a 2020 Toyota 86 seek the Toyota Parallel Pomeroy Trophy in England

SILVERSTONE, England – Not so long ago the Toyota range seemed like a sea of beige. Then came the 86. Sure, Toyota was chasing Le Mans glory, there was World Rally Championship heritage and Lexus was doing some cool stuff, but the 86 is where things began to turn around. There's even a TRD-tuned Camry now.

But diehards never lost faith, hanging onto their beloved old Celicas, Supras and MR2s to tune and customize. That's readily apparent going by the turn-out for the Toyota Parallel Pomeroy Trophy. Californians can chuckle at the idea of car meets being conducted under anything other than blue skies but, here in the U.K., enthusiasts are a tougher bunch and events go ahead even in 50-mph winds and horizontal rain. No matter what you're driving.