· Toyota

Toyota JZ engines come both turbo and naturally aspirated and in two displacement variations - a 2.5L and 3.0L inline-6 cylinder configuration. Known for being the heart of the Toyota Supra, the JZ engine powers all of Toyota’s sports cars and has a wide variety of aftermarket upgrades. The JZ engine replaced Toyota’s M-series inline-6 engine and continues to be a favorite of import tuners. The Toyota 2JZ-GTE engine is seen as the rival to Nissan’s legendary RB26DETT, as both stock engine blocks can handle up to 1000 horsepower (745 kW).

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The Toyota Soarer is a two-door luxury coupe sold only in Japan from 1981 until 2004. The Soarer replaced the Toyota Crown Coupe and is closely related to the Lexus SC 300/400. There are four distinctive series of Soarers all with FR layouts (front engine and rear wheel drive), thus making them suitable for drifting. The early model Soarers closely resemble Nissan S110 Silvia, but the later Soarers take on a personality of their own and share the powerful JZ engine present in the Toyota Supra. Currently, Japanese drifter Takahiro Ueno is driving a Soarer in D1 Grand Prix.

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The Toyota Corolla AE86 is a classic drift car suited to rally and drifting motorsports due to these attributes: Rear wheel drive limited slip differential configuration, low vehicle weight, good balance, a 5-speed manual gearbox, ventilated disc brakes, MacPherson strut style independent suspension in front and a four-link live axle with coil springs for the rear, stabilizer bars (sway bars) at both ends, and a relatively powerful and easy to tune 4-cylinder engine.

In Japan, these qualities made the AE86 popular with Japanese street racers named “Hashiriya,” who raced the AE86 in mountain passes, named “touges,” where the tight corners suited the AE86. Many car enthusiasts refer to the AE86 by its Japanese name “Hachi-Roku,” which translated literally means “eight-six.”

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Toyota Celica Supra Mark I (1979-1981)

The first generation Toyota Supra was largely based upon the Toyota Celica hatchback. The doors and rear section stayed the same length as the Celica, but rear panels were longer by 5.1 inches (129.5 mm). The most notable change was the swap to an inline-6 engine instead of the stock Celica’s 4-cylinder engine. Toyota’s original plan for the Supra was to make it a competitor to the popular Datsun, now Nissan, Z-car.

In Japan, Toyota began production of the Mark I Supra in 1978. In 1979, the Toyota Supra entered the North American automotive market. The US Supra Mark I came equipped with a 110 hp (82 kW) 2.6 L (2563 cc) 12-valve inline-6 4M-E engine. In Japan, the Supra Mark I (chassis code MA45) had a slightly modified 110 hp (82 kW) 2.0 L 12-valve inline-6 M-EU engine. Both Toyota engines were the first ever equipped with electronic fuel injection.

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