Toyota AE86 pretends to be a stick-shift EV

Toyota’s booth at the Tokyo Auto Salon this year featured two unusual concept cars based on the legendary Hachiroku – the AE 86. One was allowed to keep its stock engine but was converted to hydrogen combustion, while the other one was remodeled into an EV with a stock manual gearbox still in place.

First things first, though. The so-called Sprinter Trueno AE86 H2 comes equipped with a four-pot engine and two hydrogen tanks like the ones used in the Mirai hydrogen car. The tanks reside in the trunk and are used to power the combustion engine directly with the help of dedicated fuel lines, injectors and spark plugs. Just to reiterate: the principle used here is that of hydrogen combustion, rather than electricity generation using fuel cells.

The other design study is a Corolla Levin converted to use an electric motor from the latest Tundra hybrid along with a battery pack from the Prius. A number of other Toyotas also donated their organs for the project, the company says adding that the engineers managed to keep the per-axle weight distribution virtually unchanged. The stick shift was set up to work with the electric motor in order to grant drivers ‘a unique experience of three-pedal driving combined with the rapid response of the electric motor.’

Both hatchbacks received similar paint coats, mildly revised body kits and new wheels. The main highlight inside is Bride bucket seats that the company acquired in used condition and restored to their peak state using eco-friendly trim materials.