Driving Perfection on a Budget? Just buy a GT86

Here at Kanzen Motorsports, we cut our teeth and made our name in the market by focusing on the GT86/BRZ platform, one that by any standards is pretty much a modern day Silvia. The car is often disregarded for its relatively low power level, lack of forced induction and ‘meh’ styling from stock – but to do so is a complete misunderstanding of its design philosophy. It was built from the ground up to be a foundation for modification and not only that, they drive so well out of the gates that the starting point you have is already excellent.

If you’ve been thinking of getting into the Toybaru platform, now is a great time to do it. Used prices for early models go as low as 30k AED and with little difference in spec, your choice pretty much extends to transmission and colour. Purists will say that the manual is the way to go, but those that stigmatise the auto are often doing so with a lack of experience of that box.

Yes, the manual is more engaging, but the auto does not limit the driving sensation the 86 platform offers, allowing you to hit the limiter and swap a gear either with flappy paddles or with the stick. It’s also better on fuel thanks to different ratios, so there’s a little bonus for those that go with it.

Anyway, we love the platform for its versatility and with the new car right around the corner, the hype is likely to draw a few of you to pick up a Dubizzle bargain. Here’s a few basic modifications we recommend to transform the drive, should you choose to get into one of the best bang-for-buck driver’s cars money can buy today.

Headers

Current generation 86 models have one famous problem – torque dip. Right around the middle of the rev range the torque briefly levels out, requiring you to drive in a way that keeps you above or below the dip spot if you want the fastest lap times. Headers are one component that help solve that problem and as a bonus, amplify that iconic boxer engine rumble.

Exhaust

If you’re going to do headers, might as well do the rest of the system, right? The versatility of the platform means there’s tons of exhausts on offer with by far the most popular being the Invidia N1, a system that is available through Kanzen Motorsports online shop.

Tune

That extra airflow you unlocked with headers and an exhaust won’t be as effective without telling the car what you’ve done. A tune at Kanzen Motorsports can unlock extra power and torque, giving the car the feel it should’ve had from the factory and eliminating the torque dip.

Suspension and Tires

Though the car handles incredibly well from stock, if you want to reign in the tail happiness and truly be fast on track, a set of coilovers and grippier tires will turn an already deceptively quick car into a really fast one, despite the limitations of the horsepower.

So, what are you waiting for? The 86 is a great platform but with Kanzen’s help, it can be even better. For a fraction of the cost of a new one, you can build one now that is faster, sounds better and offers some of the best handling money can buy – at almost any price point.

Get in touch now and we’ll install the parts you need to experience driving perfection on a budget.