Toyota Corolla GT-S (1984-1987)
Another Toyota icon earns a spot in my rapidly filling gagrae. This model was a hallowed icon of the sport of drifting, a discipline that originated on the winding roads of Japan. Like with the Cressida, the value of the AE86 generation Corolla GT-S is on a meteoric rise on the used car market. North American examples still in order are becoming increasingly rare, while a Japanese import can easily top $25,000.
It’s not hard to see why. A nimble coupe with mechanics that really revolutionized things with rear-wheel-drive architecture is the kind of car that makes its driver smile – and makes me want one.
I recently drove the new 2022 Toyota GR 86 , as it happens, and I couldn’t help but feel it comes even closer to what Toyota wanted to accomplish in 1983 when it introduced the new GT-S version of its affordable Corolla coupe.