How This Naturally-Aspirated Toyota AE86 Broke 1 Minute at Tsukuba Circuit

Takumi Hayashi’s Carbon Junkie Toyota Levin AE86 track monster is built for time attack and managed to break the one-minute barrier at Tsukuba Circuit back in January this year. Even for cars like the Toyota Supra Turbo and Nissan Skyline GT-R, Tsukuba’s one-minute barrier is considered the tuner’s equivalent to Mount Everest—many people spend their whole lives chasing that time. And for an old naturally-aspirated Hachi, the climb to the summit is exponentially more difficult.

Under the hood, the Carbon Junkie AE86 retains a 16-valve 4AGE engine tuned to 220PS, or about 216 horsepower. It’s an impressive figure for an N/A AE86 for sure, but 1-minute Tsukuba challengers often boast power figures that are twice as great. So how does Hayashi-san manage that disadvantage? Lightness - we’re talking about a full-carbon diet.

The Carbon Junkie AE86 took about six years to develop. In that time, its aero bumpers, massive front splitter, custom hood, hatch, door skins, roof, fenders, chassis-mounted GT wing, quarter glass, virtually everything, has been converted to dry carbon fiber. Inside, the cabin is completely stripped and the factory dashboard has also been replaced by a carbon fiber panel housing a RacePak digital gauge cluster. Is it overkill? Maybe, but the numbers don’t lie: Hayashi’s carbon 86 with full aero weighs less than 800kg—less than a Lotus Elise.

As tuners have moved on to more powerful platforms like the Mitsubishi Evo IX or more aerodynamic platforms like the Mazda FD3S RX-7, it’s exciting to see Hayashi-san stick with the old icon and continue to push its envelope. We can’t wait to see what’s next for the Carbon Junkie Hachiroku.

Check out Hayashi’s 59.234-second lap at Tsukuba Circuit below: