Best Toyota GR86 yet is the 40th anniversary of the AE86 but you'll need to to be a betting man to buy it

Understandably, Toyota is excited to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the iconic Toyota Corolla AE86 that was launched all the way back in 1983. To do so, it skipped the candles and heartfelt speeches but has instead done so in true petrolhead fashion by releasing a special version of the car’s modern successor, the GR86.

Dubbed the GR86 40th Anniversary Limited, only 200 units will be made for Japan only and getting your hands on one will take quite a bit of luck. The reason being that interested owners will have to apply via lottery for the chance to own one.

The GR86 40th Anniversary Limited will only be available in 2 colours, Spark Red or Crystal White Pearl. There’s a nostalgic reason behind the shades chosen for the car, it’s a throwback to the red on black and white on black dual-tone scheme first available on the AE86.

Also Read: Review: 2023 Toyota GR86 - The 'L' license car for keen drivers

It’ll be based on the existing RZ grade and upgrades include Subaru’s EyeSight Advanced Drivers Assistance Suite (ADAS) on manual models that includes autonomous emergency braking, a feature previously available solely for the automatic.

Additionally, the interior goes out of its way to remind that this is one special GR86. The door trims sport a ‘Since 1983 40th’ embroidery while the same words are embroidered onto the floor mats as well.

On the performance side, the 40th Anniversary Limited gets Brembo brakes and Sachs dampers as standard.

As for the regular GR86 models, it doesn’t miss out on some upgrades as well. The lower grade SZ gets the options of the Brembos and Sachs too. Furthermore, it also gets the option of blind spot monitoring and revised stability control for improved driving stability.

On the inside, Toyota has also tweaked the electronic throttle output characteristics to give the driver better modulation of the throttle.

Pricing for the 40th Anniversary Limited model is as follows:

• 3.822 million yen (~RM 120,700) for the manual
• 3.92 million yen (~RM 123,850) for the automatic

For the regular GR86 grades, pricing is as follows:

• SZ manual 3.153 million yen (~RM 99,500)
• SZ automatic 3.251 million yen (~RM 102,600)
• RZ manual 3.476 million yen (~RM 109,800)
• RZ automatic 3.574 million yen (~RM 112,900)