For years, enthusiasts have practically begged Toyota to build a more powerful version of the 86 coupe; one recently got beat by a Chrysler Pacifica minivan in a drag race. The Japanese brand has made it crystal clear that a significant bump in horsepower won’t happen, so a professional drifter decided to take matters into his own hands.
Named GT4586, Ryan Tuerck’s project began when he removed the 86’s stock, 205-horsepower, 2.0-liter flat-four. The flat configuration opens the door to some pretty interesting swaps. With a little fabrication work or a thick enough wallet, you could drop a 305-horsepower 2.5-liter from a Subaru WRX STI in the coupe’s engine bay and build the ultimate sleeper.
Tuerck took a completely different route: He shoe-horned a 4.5-liter V8 engine from a Ferrari 458 into his humble 86. Left largely stock, the pedigreed eight-cylinder pumps out 570 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and 398 pound-feet of torque at 6,000 rpm. That’s enough grunt to satisfy even the most demanding 86 owner.
Fitting a V8 into an engine bay designed for a flat-four required a nearly endless list of modifications. For example, Tuerck and his team had to cut out the sheet metal right below the windshield, so the GT4586 is no longer equipped with wipers. Because it isn’t street-legal, the solution is simply to hope the weather doesn’t take a turn for the worse, and use a ton of Rain-X if it does.
They also built custom headers so the engine sounds as good as it does in a Ferrari, designed a brand-new intake system that uses carbon fiber components, and moved the radiator to the trunk. The exhaust pipes are now integrated into the front bumper. Upgrades to the interior include a full roll cage which goes through the firewall, and a pair of bucket seats with racing harnesses.
The engine swap was challenging, according to Tuerck, yet the whole build was finished in less than five months. Tuerck and his GT4586 are now taking drift events across the nation by storm. By the look — and sound — of it, the effort put into turning an 86 into a tire-slaying monster was totally worthy it.
