Toyota 86

In 2012, Toyota and Subaru did something the industry hadn't seen in decades: they built a small, light, deliberately underpowered rear-wheel-drive coupe with no other purpose than being fun to drive. Sold as the Toyota 86 (GT86 in Europe, FR-S in North America) and mechanically twinned with the Subaru BRZ, it was an open love letter to the Corolla Levin/Trueno AE86 — the car Takumi Fujiwara drifted through Mount Akina in Initial D. The name “86” is a direct nod to that chassis code.

Under the hood sits a Subaru-sourced FA20 flat-four, chosen specifically for its low center of gravity rather than outright power. In an era when every rival was chasing bigger turbos and higher horsepower figures, the 86 went the other way — light weight, a near-perfect 53:47 front-rear balance, and a chassis tuned to communicate exactly what the rear tyres are doing. 200 horsepower was never the point.

That restraint is precisely what made the 86 the default gateway car into JDM driving culture worldwide — the platform an entire generation learned to countersteer on, both on the street and on circuit. It's why you'll find one in almost every touge convoy and every drift day paddock in Japan, ARTCARS included.