- A company in China is making AE86 Corolla bodies.
- They’re made of steel and listed as replacements for the 1984-1987 AE86.
- Toyota is not affiliated with the reproduction body.
There are few hot hatchbacks more iconic than the Toyota AE86. The rear-drive two-door was made famous by the Japanese television show Initial D, and has since become one of the most popular vehicles in the drift scene. These days, you’ll struggle to find a decent example in the US (where it’s the Corolla GT-S) and if you do, it’s likely rather expensive. As an alternative, you could buy a reproduction AE86 body and build your own drift machine.
These bodies are for sale on Alibaba, of all places. You’ll note we didn’t say Toyota bodies, because Toyota has nothing to do with this reproduction. Jiangsu Aodun Automotive Industry Co., LTD in China is stamping out these shells, which are listed as full-body replacements for the 1984-1987 AE86. The listing indeed shows a full unibody with doors, hood, and a hatch already in place.
Jiangsu Aodun Automobile Industry Co. LTD, Alibaba.com
The price for a full shell is $8,000, but here’s the catch. To get that price you have to buy at least 50. If you step down to just five—the minimum amount required to place an order—the price goes up to $9,500. That’s a minimum of $47,500, plus the shipping costs to get them from China to your garage. It might be good for a company looking to build several, but for the ambitious AE86 fan seeking a new project car, not so much.
It’s unclear exactly how federal laws would apply to this since it’s technically an import and not something from Toyota. But Jiangsu Aodun Automotive Industry isn’t an unknown entity in the motoring world. According to The Drive, this is a supplier for FAW-GM, the second-largest automaker in China.
The body is made of steel, and the company does have stamped panels and bodies in its portfolio of work. But without a Toyota connection, who knows how well OEM parts will match up to the non-OEM unibody, never mind its rigidity. But, if you really want a new AE86—and have all the mechanical components sitting in your garage—this is a potential solution.