What It Looks Like Inside a Toyota AE86 Drift Car Crash Sandwich

If there's one car synonymous with drifting, it's the Toyota AE86. And if there's one track famous for drifting AE86s, it's Nikko Circuit in Japan. This is where you see huge drift trains, running in perfect synchronicity. Or, nearly perfect.

Here's the onboard of Marcello Trinco at Final Bout, run last week after the Tokyo Auto Salon. It's great to watch the 4AGClub make it to the track early, ITBs barking in the cold morning air. These non-turbo cars have a wonderful mechanical quality to them. These are the last of the rear-drive Corollas, two-door AE86s, and four-door KE70s that preceded them. As far as drift cars go, this is as old-school as you get. To get the most out of them, you put them to their limit, as you'll hear in the video.

And on their limits, sometimes things go slightly sideways. The lead car spins on entry, some drivers bail right and Marcello bails left, collecting the lead car and then being collected himself. It's a vintage Toyota sandwich, pressed. Watch for it around the 7:30 mark in the video.

Drifting is a contact sport, so none of this is beyond the pale. The drivers are OK, and the cars quickly get patched up and brought back out on track. AE86s never die, they just need a little work.

You Might Also Like

• You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox

• Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners

• The Man Who Signs Every Car