’86 Essentials: Carland

Carland might not be the most recognised name in the AE86 racing world, but their cars will no doubt be remembered long after the big names have gone from the circuit. Located in Kyoto, Japan, Carland has been instrumental in the restoration and maintenance of the entire nations AE86’s by way of their insane AE86-exclusive workshop and dedicated mook (a magazine book for those unfamiliar with the Japanese term), “Toyota Levin and Trueno Magazine” published by Tatsumi Publishing.

They have built a 100% replica of the Initial-D Trueno for Shinichirou Miki (the voice actor of Takumi in the Japanese anime), restored a Black Limited Trueno to absolutely mint condition and even built their own racing car. With all that plus more under their belt, Carland is truly at the forefront of true AE86 enthusiast restoration. Here are a few pics of the lavishly detailed Black Limited Trueno.

Carland offers services such as the usual new/used parts sales, car sales and body restoration work but as a special feature they offer a tourist hire car to explore the mountain roads around Kyoto. Although it’s equipped with only an automatic transmission (how many of you can say you’ve driven an AT AE86 anyhow?…), driving a panda Trueno around Kyoto would certainly give your sightseeing tour of japan that special hachi roku touch.

With all this to offer ’86 enthusiasts plus a lot more, Carland is pretty much THE one-stop ’86 shop. They produce their own parts like exhaust systems and suspension kits for example, but also their own ‘Original Goods’ such as the panda two-tone bag and tool wrap, or a carland towel and amongst lots of other cool goodies, Trueno or Levin ‘side moulding’ keyrings, written in the original fonts!

The man behind all the AE86 dedication is Tokuchi Masahito, often seen in his trademark silver spray jacket in the Toyota Levin and Trueno Magazine mook. He is the driving force behind keeping our little AE86’s looking and driving as good as they did when they rolled off the line in the 80’s.

For those wishing to visit (and possibly drive the rental car) their address is South Kyoto, Minami-Ku, Kamitoba Kita Hananamachi 45, or alternatively paste the following into Google Maps (WinXP Users note: Japanese language pack required): 京都府京都市南区上鳥羽北花名町４５. There is also a map (in Japanese) on their website. If you intend to drive, make sure you bring and international drivers license and a translator to negotiate the deal!

To get the whole picture of what Carland offers, visit the Carland website (Sorry Japanese only!).