Toyota is building new engine blocks for the iconic AE86

Toyota Gazoo Racing’s heritage parts project is set to expand its offering, adding 4A-GE engine components to its catalogue. If you didn’t know, the 4A-GE is a beloved engine among Toyotafiles and JDM fans as a whole, that powered among many models, the famous Corolla AE86. 

It’s the cylinder head sub assembly (sans cams and valves) that’s one of the parts being offered, with the part said to be resolved to a higher standard thanks to modern metallurgy and more precise manufacturing methods. The combustion chambers feature additional machining for improved flow and tighter tolerances, while the intake ports get a coating to improve flow. Cam cap knock pins are fully standard too.

Toyota Gazoo Racing are also going to be re-producing cylinder block sub-assemblies, minus the rotating assembly comprising the crank and pistons. The bores are honed to modern machining standards, while the cast iron of the block is of an updated, higher-rigidity composition. Toyota has also modified the crank cap structure for durability too.

The 4A-GE powered all variants of the rear-driven Toyota Corolla from the Levin to the AE86 Sprinter Trueno. Its cult following comes in part because of its inherent characteristics and in (a larger) part because of the AE86’s Initial D fame.

The four-cylinder twin-cam unit displaces 1.6 litres, with the cylinder dual-overhead cam cylinder head developed in collaboration with Yamaha – a long-standing working relationship whose most famous manifestation is the V10 in the Lexus LFA. It revs to 7000rpm in the AE86, producing 123bhp at 6600 and 107lb ft at 5200, so in typical Japanese style, this is an engine you have to work hard for its performance that enjoys being worked hard. The output might be modest but remember, the Corollas into which it was fitted rarely weighed over 1000kg.

These join numerous reproduction parts in the Toyota Gazoo Racing heritage parts catalogue for the AE86. They also offer parts support for a number of other historic Toyota models, including the 2000GT, the A70 and A80 Supras and Land Cruisers ranging in vintage from the 1960s to the late 1990s.