A Show's Influence

Edward Ellis
Dec 29, 2024
5 min read

No 20 degrees of camber for TikTok likes here. This is a GT86 built for everyday fast road purposes.

Love them or hate them, the Toyota GT86 is now a firm favourite within the tuner community. Their versatility means you can see them shredding tyres around a drift circuit or adorning TikTok with a chassis mounted rear wing and an obscene amount of camber. Whichever style you prefer, there will always be a modified example out there to take inspiration from.

The one you see here is a clean and tasteful example of what can be achieved when you have to consider a morning commute and weekly shop run. Yes that's right, you won't be finding 20 degrees of negative camber and tyres stretched to beyond an inch of their life here.

"I've always wanted one since I saw one back in 2017. I pretty much got hooked on them and what they were capable of with the aftermarket support. Once insurance quotes allowed, I went out and bought mine completely stock and got straight to work on the mods."

Liam fell for the charms of the GT86 and soon found himself lured into the realms of tuner culture with a whole host of modifications in the pipeline for his freshly acquired, bone-stock model.

"Money at the time was the biggest challenge. The car wasn't in a state that I wanted it but I didn't have enough money to get a move on with it. As with anything, time told and now the car is almost completely finished!"

To most of you reading this, it will come as no surprise that modifying your car is not cheap. In fact, being a car enthusiast stands as one of the most expensive hobbies available and if you go further into the world of motor racing, costs are going to continue to mount. A study online found that go-karting stands as the 6th most expensive hobby, behind the likes of Polo, art collecting and sky diving.

As platforms go, the GT86 is not a cheap option. With most of these cars coming up to 12 - 13 years old, a price tag anywhere above £10,000 is still to be expected for a good model. 12 year old examples with just shy of 80,000 miles on the clock are still being listed for as much as £13,000 - for a naturally aspirated 2.0l!

The reason is because (in a very atypical Japanese way) this is a proper sports car. Exquisite handling, low centre of gravity, and a favourable power to weight ratio make it a bundle of fun to drive, albeit with a lack of low-end immediate grunt.

Liam has looked to address the GT86's moderate get-up-and-go attitude by opting for some behavioural therapy in the form of a Stage 1 remap and full 3" engine back exhaust system. The result? A bhp of 225 as opposed to the original 197.

"If I were to go back in time and do it all again, I would definitely start on the power mods rather than the exterior, but the car is still so much fun and gains lots of attention wherever it goes."

So with their being a vast array of examples of modified GT86's online and on social media, finding inspiration was at Liam's finger tips. Yet it was a slightly more old-fashioned approach that helped coax Liam towards his build sheet:

"Attending Japfest was definitely the biggest inspiration for how I wanted the build to go. It's a mix of many show 86's with my own spin on things!"

Upon studying the GT86's exterior, you can start to see the culmination of inspirations fuse together. For example the HTautos Body Kit and 326 Power Wing (taken from an S14) provide a very early 2000's tuner look, whereas the Vland headlights and cut rear diffuser create a more modern street / drift aesthetic.

The rear end makes for aggressive viewing with the smoked Valenti Gold Edition Brake Lights acting as the cherry on top of the menacing cake.

"The current show wheels are my favourite feature as they've changed the whole look of the car! Close second is the bumper cut - it's very drift spec in my opinion."

Whilst you won't happen to see this GT86 sporting it's drifting credentials anytime soon, Liam still has more plans to bolster this cars appeal even more.

"Next, will definitely be a turbo and an engine forge in May if all goes well. Then a widebody and 3-stage pearl respray is on the cards."

A turbo and forged internals will address the power output for which the GT86 originally received criticism, however, the engine itself is something that has been an unexpected success for Liam in his GT86 journey.

"The big success has definitely been the health of the engine, especially with the issues arising around the FA20 and their reliability. This engine has thrown me no issues so far and it's definitely a big relief for me."

Issues with the FA20 engine had been around for a while with known faults including bottom-end engine knocking and oil starvation. Most commonly, the oil starvation arises when sealant from the oil pan gasket gets into the oil and blocks a tube.

In November 2014, a class action lawsuit was filed against Toyota & Subaru for their FA20 engine and the common issues that were arising. Thankfully, Liam hasn't had to to worry about dipping into his pockets to fix the car and can instead focus on modifications. One being the stance:

"At the moment it's a daily and I can't afford bags so it's a comfortable height to drive on the UK roads whilst also looking decked compared to other cars!"

Overall, Liam's GT86 is a clean example of a dailied modified sports car. Adorning a fast street / drift aesthetic and running a heightened power output with enhanced sound track, this GT86 makes for incredible daily fun.

"All the people I have met through this car are amazing and I couldn't have asked for a better hobby to be involved in!"

Details:

Owner: Liam Layson

Owned For: 2 Years / 3 Months

Make & Model: Toyota GT86

Spec Sheet:

Power Output: 225bhp

Suspension Setup:

Tein Flex Z Coilovers
Driftworks Adjustable LCA's
Driftworks Adjustable Drop Links & Toe Arms

Performance:

3" Engine-Back Exhaust System
- Avo Ceramic Coated Decat UEL Header
- Tuning Developments Down Pipe
- Megan Racing Single Exit Catback w/ Resonator Delete
Stage 1 Remap (w/ aggressive retard in the timing for big flames)

Exterior:

HTautos Body Kit
326 Power Wing
Foglight Delete
Vland Blade Headlights
Valenti Gold Edition Brake Lights
Rear Diffuser Cut w/ Caged Laser Powder-coated Rear Jack Bar

Interior:

Likewise Daytona Weighted Shift Knob
Custom Rear Seat Delete