With a fully electric future just around the corner, one of the solutions to keep older models alive is to convert them into zero-emission vehicles. Brands like Toyota are aware of this and this has been demonstrated at the Tokyo Motor Show in Japan. There he has revealed that has resurrected the Toyota AE86 to power it with hydrogen and electricity.
In case we are not all nostalgic in the room, the Toyota AE86 was one of the most popular models of the brand because it was an affordable sports car We could define it as the performance version of the Toyota Corolla of the eighties: it was available as a three-door compact or as a two-door sedan. Both could be equipped with the Levin configuration (with retractable headlights and a sharper front) or Trueno (more conventional and without retractable headlights).
Toyota has recovered both versions to transform them into zero emission vehicles. The two models are based on the Toyota AE86, but have different powertrains and, to emphasize their green bet, They have kept the original interior complemented to the sports seats Bride with safety belts made with recycled materials.
Toyota AE86 H2
The Toyota AE86 H2 is a Toyota AE86 Trueno with a black and white two-tone body. The exterior is practically the original… but (almost) everything changes under the body. It retains its under-the-hood 1.6-litre ‘4A-GE’ petrol engine, but with modified injectors, hoses and spark plugs to meet hydrogen system specifications. The two deposits to store this chemical element are inherited from the Toyota Mirai and are located in the trunk.
Toyota AE86 BEV
The Toyota AE86 BEV is a Toyota AE86 Levin that also maintains its exterior, although things change more inside than in the previous case. Its mechanical configuration is composed of an electric motor from a hybrid Toyota Tundra (48PS and 250Nm, although these figures may have been updated for the occasion), it features a 13.6kWh Toyota Prius battery pack and components from other Toyota and Lexus models.
The truly amazing thing about the Toyota AE86 BEV is a transmission: retains the original model’s five-speed manual gearbox, instead of equipping the manual that Lexus is developing for its next electric sports car. Toyota explains that they have done it to preserve “greater driving pleasure” and that they have also maintained the distribution of weights with that same objective.
Toyota has joined forces with a number of aftermarket companies to bring these two concepts to life, but, At the moment, there are no plans to produce them in series.