GR86 - Long Live the Sport-Compact Coupe

I looked through the camera lens as I was shooting this Toyota GR86. And I can’t explain exactly what happened or why it happened. But all the sudden, I got shot back in time to the golden era of the import scene. I felt the energy again. Old sparks that had faded over the years… they hit me hard right through the lens. And looking through the camera pointed at the GR86, every angle was strong. I’d blink & suddenly see flashes of a black 2G Eclipse. And I know there’s no direct link there… but I think it was just the unmistakeable presence/stature of a well-designed SPORT-COMPACT COUPE. Timeles stuff. You know – like what the new Integra should have been but isn’t. (Don’t even get me started on the new “RSX” lol). And on that note, I think as car lovers… we’ve been letdown for too long now. Beaten into compliance. And we’ve slowly become conditioned to all the 4-door ugly-shaped sh!ts around us. Well – focusing my camera on the GR86 snapped me out of it. It made me realize it’s not me that lost touch… it’s them. Thank you Toyota, for keeping it real.

The GR86 almost doesn’t fit in today’s world…

It has a ’90s soul, and that’s a good thing. Because as seen through my eyes, the bulk of today’s car culture ‘knows a lot about cars’… but can’t drive stick. Today’s automotive world compares cars in ‘numbers & statistics’, but leaves out the substance & connection. And today’s sports cars have gotten fast… to their demise. I never thought I’d say that. More power was always what we were chasing. And we got there. But while advances in technology made new cars blistering fast, it’s also made them numb, ugly, expensive, & uninteresting. And I don’t think the trade-off is worth it. Because somewhere along the line, we’ve lost the sweet-spot in a sports car. We’ve lost the connection; we lost the plot. In other words, we lost the affordable, attractive entry-point… that had the ability to capture the moment & create a lifestyle. But not totally.

Cars like the GR86 are still out there…

And the often hard-to-see truth behind all this is: Just because we can… doesn’t mean we have to. For example, in 1994, 250 horsepower was all the Porsche 911 needed to be one of the most iconic sport cars of all time. And that car is still as highly revered today as it was back then… even though the new 911 Turbo S makes almost 400 horsepower more. So you can either compare 250hp to 640hp & let that steal your joy. Or – you can realize that the 640hp of the new 2025 911 Turbo S has absolutely no impact on the fun-factor of the iconic 1994 Porsche 911. I mention Porsches here, because I wanted to illustrate a point. The Toyota GR86 also makes roughly 250hp, and actually weighs a couple hundred pounds less than the 1994 911… which is an impressive feat that the newer car is the lighter car. And – you can buy the GR86 today for less than half of what a base Porsche 911 cost 31 years ago. Both have flat engines too, how bout that. So while the internet praises the air-cooled 911 for being one of the best sports cars of all time (which is true)… it’s also the same internet that criticizes the GR86 for being slow. The point is: Now more than ever, amongst all the comments, criticisms, & unsolicited opinions the internet offers… you have to find YOUR sweet-spot. What are you going to have the most fun in… more of the time. Look…

It’s easy to sell horsepower…

You slap the hood of a new TRX-looking thing… tell the customer how much power the sumbitch has, and middle-aged dudes will pay a 2nd mortgage for it. In the same way, it’s easy to sell EVs to nerds. You just tell ‘em how big the screen is, how much range they’ll get, & that it’s saving the planet… and at that point it’s just a race to see what comes first: Their signature or them…

But what moves a GR86 out of a dealership in today’s market?? That’s more difficult… because it takes customers who know what TF they want & why they want it. Someone who understands that a GR86 is more than the sum of its parts. And someone who cares… a lot… but doesn’t necessarily care about peoples’ approval. That’s a much smaller market.

This GR86 belongs to Cody Self…

Cody works at Heyward Allen Toyota in Athens, GA. When the GR86 came out, it was a must-have for Cody. He had a Neptune Blue model on order, but there were delays if you remember, especially with the 6-speeds. While he was waiting, this Raven Black car showed up at the dealership… and Cody fell in love with it. Black might be easy to overlook in the brochure, but in person, this Raven Black has a boatload of metallic/flake… making it more & more interesting the closer you get.

Cody has chosen his GR86 parts carefully & deliberately & patiently…

And man, it really works. Like… really really works. The more you’re in this car’s presence, the more magnetic it becomes. When a new car is this good-looking AND this affordable (relatively speaking) it’s impossible to NOT start imagining the ownership/fun possibilities. There’s just something about a well-designed sport-compact coupe in a world of crossover appliances. The GR86 is a car that you can drive everyday, and that won’t eat you on consumables, maintenance, & depreciation. It’s genuinely FUN to modify. And – you’ll have more fun than everyone else around you in traffic. It’s a car that you see running down the road… and hands are out the window catching the wind & soaking-up the moment. So many new cars don’t even have that in their DNA anymore.

Tomei extreme titanium dual-exit exhaust…

I can’t overstate this enough: This GR86 sounds awesome. It’s exactly whatcha want. The duel-exit looks sexy. And the titanium is pitch-perfect… accentuating those natural boxer pops. Man if I had a GR86, I wouldn’t want anything else.

Advan TC4 wheels…

These are the Advan TC4s in bronze. They’re sized 18×9.5 +45 with 245/35 Michelins, & Muteki titanium lug nuts. The TC4 is a flow-formed wheel with a classic & light 5-spoke design. They have neat little performance-driven details, like side spoke cut-outs to further reduce weight & improve performance. And – they’re made in Japan. A car like the GR86 is all about using weight (or lack thereof) to its advantage. Maximize the lightness, minimize the unnecessary rotating mass, and embrace the momentum. If you resist skimping, be somewhat selective, and buy the right wheels for your car… you’ll never regret it.

Custom Brembo brakes…

The bronze TC4s are even further accentuated with custom purple Brembo brakes. Cody bought a full Brembo kit from a first-generation 86. He then sent them all the way to Bulletproof Coating in California to get them custom coated in Illusion Purple with gold flake. The fresh brake kit went on the GR86 with Hawk HPS pads, braided lines, and Motul fluid.

Fortune Auto coilovers on the GR86…

Cody chose Fortune Auto 500 series coilovers. The 500 series is designed to be a high-quality street setup. They’re not too brutal for everyday driving conditions. But at the same time, they’re more than capable for recreational track use. In back, Cody added SPL rear lower control arms.

Other touches…

Cody’s done (and continues to do) subtle touches to his GR86. For example, Driven Media smoked overlays tint the non-red sections of the taillights & front markers. Driven Media also makes the hood struts & pulsing F1-style 3rd brake light module. Inside, Cody’s enhanced the cabin with a handmade titanium shift knob from WC Lathewerks. He also added an 11” powered spare tire subwoofer from NVX.

250hp…

In the right car… 250hp is all you need. That’s the sweet spot; that’s where ‘the moment’ is. The GR86 doesn’t exist to break records. Rather, it exists so you can have an absolute blast with 250hp… 365 days a year. And in a world where overdosing a car with power has become the norm, is that even cool anymore? A Tesla is simultaneously one of the fastest AND most disconnected cars on the planet. It doesn’t count. The parameters have changed.