TOM’s Heritage, the vehicle restoration arm of TOM’s Racing, has just expanded its restoration programme to now include the legendary Toyota AE86 Corolla Levin.
This full-on restoration programme for old Levins will start in Japan first, with prices starting from JPY 13.2 million (RM333,446) if you have a donor model and going up to a whopping JPY 16.5 million (RM416,808) if you ask TOM’s to source one for you.
All-Out Restoration Work
Each restoration job with TOM’s Heritage starts with stripping the car down to its bare bones, where the team will then fix the areas that may have corroded. This process is then followed by the chassis reinforcement works, where TOM’s will add several spot and MIG welding points to increase rigidity.
Next come the attachment works for the body panels, which are made to faithfully follow the original aesthetics and looks of the AE86 Levin while being accompanied by an aerodynamic under panel.
Completing the visual restoration work is the fitment of TOM’s Racing’s signature Igeta four-spoke 15-inch wheels that are now finished in dark silver instead of white.
The interior also sees a fair amount of restoration work being done, all of which is made to faithfully retain the look of the original car. This includes the new urethane seats that are now wrapped in a new woven fabric upholstery, matching door panels, and much more.
Reworked Engine with TOM’s Racing Upgrades
More importantly, TOM’s Heritage also took the time to rework the engine of the AE86 Corolla Levin, featuring some upgrades derived from the company’s vast experience of racing with Toyota’s legendary 4-AG mill.
Derived from the NA1600 racing engine, the 4A-G in the restored AE86 Levin has been bored out to 82 mm from the original 81 mm while retaining the same stroke of 77 mm to see its displacement go up from 1,578 cc to 1,626 cc. This has resulted in the increased peak power output from the stock 160 PS to 195 PS, whereas its peak torque grew from 162 Nm in the original model to 191 Nm.
As of now, TOM’s Racing has yet to unveil any plans to expand its Heritage restoration programme for the AE86 Levin to other markets beyond Japan. But considering the attention to detail and the performance gain this restoration work provides, we’re not surprised to see overseas AE86 Levin owners willingly ship their cars to Japan just to get TOM’s Heritage magic touch.
