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Car Club of the Month
Roku Star
86Phil turns the lowly Corolla hatchback into a work of art
Words by Botchi Santos; Photography by Charles Custodio
The AE86 or hachi-roku Toyota Corolla, the last rear-wheel drive Corolla, was immortalized by Japanese manga artist Shuichi Shigeno in the hit comics / anime Initial D. In August of 2004, Rhett del Rosario, current club President and proprietor of Toycool Garage, decided to bring together AE86 owners and drivers so as to create an environment where fellow owners could exchange parts, information, ideas and spread the enthusiasm for the much-vaunted hachi-roku to other prospective enthusiasts.
Today, two years older and wiser, the club boasts of 70 members, 30 of which are very active in club gatherings and events, including Filipinos based abroad. Some are simply for driving the car hard on fun-runs, track-days and late weekend jaunts, whereas other still are bent on restoring their AE86 to almost brand-new status, sourcing parts and accessories from abroad. Anyone who owns an AE86 with a good attitude and character can be a member, says Rhett, but sourcing an AE86 will be difficult at best, if not totally impossible. Prices range from a low of P50,000 to a high of P300,000 for a mint-condition car with excellent paint and body, plus thoroughly reworked powertrain and suspension. A few members have confessed to spending close to P500,000 on parts and accessories alone! Now that's love!
The club usually meets on favored mountain passes around Metro Manila, as well as in Motorsports Alley, another favored drifter's haunt on weekends. Members range from students, to professionals and entrepreneurs who enjoy a bit of adventure and are fascinated of course by the AE86's mystique and appreciate triumphing over brawns and money with ability and skill, just like the father-and-son Fujiwaras.
For more information about the club, log onto the Club's website: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/86phil/.
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Top Gear Philippines - October 2006
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