Option — Shōwa Car Tuning & Buyers Guide (2000 Edition)

‘I really wanted to drive it! I decided that my ideal was to build the strongest Hachiroku possible using the street parts available now. Akira's Levin has some one-off parts because he pursued his own ideal. Even the engine itself isn't something we can normally buy today. But Orido's car carries the determination to show how fast a car we can build ourselves can be. The setup still isn't finished. It has lots of really good parts, so if I put more effort into tuning, I'll make it a fast Hachiroku for sure!’ Orido's love of the AE86 is the same as ours.

Do you know OPT2's Hachiroku World Championship? Jirohachi owner Jiro Sugawara first got deeply into AE86s through that Sunday race. Of course, he wanted to win, but first he aimed to stand out with an imposing look, fitting N2 racing blister fenders to create an unmistakably dramatic exterior. Then came the thought: ‘It would be embarrassing if the engine were slow with a look like this!’ It is unclear whether late editor-in-chief Masa Saito actually said that, but the car was developed with enough substance to match its race-car appearance—even to the point of installing a safety fuel cell. Today it is based on a late-model AE…

AE86 Levin / Trueno

Unlike Akira, Manabu Orido already had several Hachiroku AE86s in his life before becoming a professional racing driver. In his street and mountain-pass days, he used the Hachiroku to hone his driving skills and learn how to tune and set up a car. This is his fourth personal Hachiroku, and even now…

Orido's car is built mainly from off-the-shelf parts; setup is everything.

Manabu Orido

‘Monkey’ Orido, aka…

‘For me, after coming up through drifting, this is one of the cars full of memories. Being able to tinker with this Hachiroku again and drive it just the way I want is incredibly fun.’

Mito Natto Racing — Monkey Orido

Trueno

The displacement is increased with Toda pistons. The connecting rods are JUN, the crankshaft is an HKS 5A-G, and 304°/288° cams are fitted. Four individual throttle bodies from the AE111 are used.

TRUENO

A Z2 airflow meter and Auto Produce BOSS's original computer control this system. Without it, this injected 4A-G would never have reached 220 PS!

An Auto Tech Tsukada turnbuckle-type body brace is installed to stiffen the shell and restore crispness to a body that has accumulated fatigue over time.

The instrument setup centers on a Stack ST8100, with a NEKO AF540 also installed. The dashboard is designed around function.

N2 overfenders…

Form comes first!? The Jirohachi's trademark!

The engine combines the four-throttle setup with a Silvia N2 computer, allowing detailed control. It also has an aggressive tuning package, including Cusco tubular arms and a fully pillow-ball suspension. ‘I wanted to drive a car that felt like a racing car on public roads…’

That philosophy took shape in this Jirohachi: ‘I wanted a car that felt like a racing car on public roads.’

OPT2's ‘Jirohachi,’ aka…

Jiro Sugawara

‘I wanted to drive a car that felt like a racing car on public roads.’

OPTION2

Mito Natto Racing

AUTO MECHANIC

Racing

OPT2 ‘Jirohachi’

This photo is from quite a while ago. Last year, the engine was rebuilt and the current specification was installed. The AE86 belonging to these deeply committed industry insiders is no less impressive than yours!

Optien

Tel: 026-222-2687

1403-1 Inaba-Hizume, Nagano City, Nagano 380-0912

With the cooperation of Auto Produce BOSS

Option — Shōwa Car Tuning & Buyers Guide (2000 Edition)

About this issue

Page 77 — English draft translation