It took us awhile to align schedules but we finally found an opportunity to feature this amazing car on the pages of S&P! Luckily, all it took was a quick phone call to our good friend, Edwin Tan aka Dougboy to photograph this car behind his talented lens. The 1985 Toyota “Aquafresh” Corolla belongs to Navin Pillai, a tuner who is no stranger to the AE86 world. Having owned two previous hachirokus, he decided to build another one completely from the ground up.

Finding a AE86 is pretty much a challenge in itself. The car’s cult status has made it a fan favorite that is tough to find cheap. Nav, however, found a lucky candidate on the dorikaze.net forums for a paltry $900! As expected, the car was rusted and in rough shape but that didn’t scare Nav and his brother since they knew the build would receive a complete refresh it deserved. The Pillai brothers spared no time and went to work stripping it down, sending it away for an acid dip and chassis stitch-weld. They then prepped the interior, undercarriage and engine bay for the clean coat of Project Mu-inspired green/teal.

Part selection was a serious affair. Nav knew he had to come correct in order to set his AE86 apart from the rest. The car was outfitted with a JBlood widebody kit, Vertex front and rear bumpers, and 15×9 -13 Watanabe Type RS wheels! These were Nav’s dream wheels so he had them imported through Feast Auto-Export within two days!

We love the aggressive exterior and fitment on the car but the interior and more importantly, powertrain deserves equal attention. Purists swear by the 4AG and we love the original power-plant too. However, Nav executed a common-swap these days – the Honda S2000′s F20C engine. It was chosen since it was a high-revving, reliable, and relatively lightweight choice. The swap received a full wire-tuck and fully braided lines throughout, courtesy of Advance Powerhouse (APH). Finishing off the S2K theme are bright red Bride Zeta II seats along with an OEM Honda S2000 digital gauge cluster.

Engine:
- Honda S2000 AP1 motor & transmission w/ full wire tuck
- JSP engine conversion kit
- TRD engine mounts
- Full SS fuel lines
- Custom one piece driveshaft
- Fluidyne Radiator (custom piping)
- Custom intake (heat rapped)
- Custom header
- Custom 2.5 exhaust with Agency Power Ti Canister
- AP2 spark plug cover

Footwork:
- Watanabe Type RS wheels (15×9 -13 all the way around; CNC mirror Polished Lip)
- Yokohama Advan AD08 (205/50/15)
- Project kics lug nuts (neo-chrome)
- Project kics rear spacers (30mm)

Suspension/Brakes:
- Megan racing coilovers w/ camber plates
- Whiteline race sway bars (front and rear)
- Techno toy tuning NRCAs
- Techno toy tuning tension control arms (chromed)
- Techno toy tuning 4 link (chromed)
- Techno toy tuning Lower control arms
- Techno toy tuning Lateral bar (chromed)
- TRD 2way LSD
- Acid dipped and powder coated rear axle
- All polyurethane bushings
- Willwood BBK with Hawk HP+ pads
- SS brake lines (every line!)

Exterior & Interior:
- Acid dipped and stitch welded chassis
- Painted undercarriage and interior
- JBlood Widebody (front 20mm, Rear 40mm)
- Jblood Sideskirts
- Jblood Rear wing
- Vertex Front Bumper
- Vertex Rear bumper
- CBY CF Mirrors
- Aerocatch hood pins
- Redline JDM taillights
- Custom Aqua/green paint (Sikkens)
- H4 headlight conversion w/ Nextmod HIDS
- Bride Zeta IIs (driver & Pass)
- Black Suede w/ red stitch Dash
- Black Suede w/ red stitch Door Panels
- OMP suede deep corn steering wheel
- 5 panel wink mirror
- S2000 gauge cluster
- S2000 engine start button w/ carbon fibre trim panel
- Autometer Gauges with carbon fibre trim panel
- Tilton Floor mounted pedals w/ master cylinders
- Custom CNC machined steering extension
- Custom CNC machined shifter extension
- Summit racing fuel cell
- Summit racing battery box
- Optima Red-top battery

We can’t forget the heritage and culture the AE86 has bestowed upon us today. The new Scion FR-S is a direct result of everything 86-life has taught us. With that said, we thought it would be dope to place both cars side-by-side for reference-sake. One a legend, and another destined.

Speaking of Scion, we’ve got some Scion-related surprises for our readers in the near future so keep checking the site! Special thanks to Edwin Tan for exclusively shooting Navin’s Corolla for Stretch & Poke!

Navin’s Shoutouts:
Titoboy Approved
Yokohama Canada
Nextmod
Advance Powerhouse
CSCS Racing
Importfest
Feast Auto
Dougboy Photography
Backstage Productions
ProtoTi