Initial D-ream

With old cars comes great responsibility. You have to truly love a car to make sure it defies all of its mechanical life expectancies. Whether it's the motor, transmission, or anything else inside a car, everything will fail eventually.
Dream cars, however, are the ones you bring back to life.

This Trueno's Story:

     When Jordan first got into cars he wasn't sure what he liked; USDM, JDM, etc. All he knew was he was looking for something different; something you don't see everyday. But there was something about the 86 he loved. It had clean lines, and it had a sound style that could turn heads. Shortly after Jordan found out about drifting. He saw all of these nice cars, but Keiichi Tsuchiya’s clean 7age Trueno hatchback stood out like a beautiful sideways dream. Jordan told himself "That's the car I want". 
   
     Jordan bought was finally able to buy his dream car in January, 2014. He was home for Christmas, was bored one evening, and was looking on Craigslist like any other day, and there she was, This beautiful Corolla (not as beautiful at the time, but Jordan saw her potential) had everything he was looking for in an AE86. It was a GTS Trueno Hatchback, 5 speed, RWD, and had the iconic flip up headlights. When the seller started the car up it was perfect. Everything worked (that needed to). Jordan's spent a a fairly large amount of money in his dream car; redoing the paint, interior, and doing an engine rebuild. In fact, Jordan didn't see this car for another 4 to 5 months due to not being allowed to have a car in training command.

     Once his friends found out that he loved AE86's they told him that he would like Initial D (and of course he did). Of course, Jordan wishes he could do the things in Initial D, but he also realizes that this car is just fun to drive. "Yeah, it would be fun to drift, but all this car wants it to be driven, that's all. Its little 4age 16v engine with 120hp isn't built for speed, but for the joy of driving."

     The engine ended up giving way in November of 2014, while Jordan was going home for Thanksgiving. He slipped a baring and broke the crankshaft in half. He didn't have the car for another 2 months. Obviously at this point he was heart broken. Even when it's bound to happen, it's always upsetting when something happens to your car. Needless to say, the day Jordan got his car back was one of the best days of his life. Just sitting in it without her running made him feel free again. 

     To this day Jordan's Toyota Trueno keeps brining him joy. Some days he'll just fill up the gas tank and go; an open road, the radio on, windows rolled down and cruising without a care in the world. Just him, the road, and the Hachi Roku. "Everytime I drive my car I'm free from the world, not looking in the mirrors at the past, and not looking at the front windshield for the future. In that time, I'm just driving."

     If there's one thing I've learned in the short time I've known Jordan, it's how much he loves this Toyota. I (like most of you, I'm sure), was surprised when I learned that Jordan loved Trueno's before he knew anything about Initial D. Without Initial D, most of the following behind AE-86's wouldn't exist, but this just shows how deep Jordan's love for his car goes.

     While it's still a work in progress, Jordan has done a great job in restoring his Trueno. Lets face it, it's an old car. There's going to be problems with it. But you can tell in an instant that it's loved. This car is a life-long commitment, and Jordan would have it no other way.

     With the exterior being maintained, and slowly improved, Jordan's Trueno is only moving up. Even with slight modifications it turns heads. A repaint to the body, a remodeled interior, a nice exhaust, and some new rims and this Toyota is good to go! Simplicity is key when you have a car like this.

The interior is another something else. Red, red, red. It's not about shoving money into knobs that reach the ceiling, a steering wheel you can pull off and throw around like a Frisbee, or seats that are meant for fighter jets. It's rare to see a Trueno in America, and it's even more rare to see it in red. Jordan has the right idea with the choices he has made.

     It's just a fun car to look at. Sure, a red exterior is common, and red stitching/accents isn't rare, but this much red is like sensory overload. It's a car that is proud of what it is, and an owner who knows it. With aftermarket seats, belts, and a painted interior, this Trueno isn't ashamed of anything.

     It's refreshing to not have to worry about HP and Torque. For a lot of people, once you take the engine out of the question there's not much left to talk about. That's what separates hobbies and dreams. If there's one thing Trueno's aren't known for it's their power. I think that's a great thing. People love this car for an entirely different reason, and Jordan reflects that.

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     I'd like to thank Jordan for taking time out of his day for Greater East Imports. It's never fun being the one waiting for a photographer to finish circling your car like a hawk, but I enjoyed the time I had with this car, and I'll never forget it.