Drifting Is A Family Affair For The Toyota GR86

It’s no secret the Toyota GR86 (and its twin, the Subaru BRZ) is a fun car. The car’s front-engine, rear-drive layout is the oldest recipe for automotive fun in the book. Well, that and a manual transmission. Given those attributes are more important than power, as the car’s “only” 228 hp so clearly indicates, Toyota is pretty dead-set on showing the world you don’t need a Formula Drift car to have some sideways fun.

In fact, much of Toyota’s marketing for the new 86 hinges on this. The brand has shown the car alongside the Supra and the famous Initial D Toyota AE86 before, and it’s done it again. However, you could argue this time it’s far more impressive, given the short length of the teaser, among other things.

If you haven’t watched the above video, it only measures 30 seconds long. Toyota shows the newest GR86 alongside the previous generation 86, and of course, the famous Initial D star car. In short, there’s basically 30 seconds of drifting, with each car never more than a few feet from the other. The video below, however, gives a much more in-depth look at what went into the video. Best turn on those subtitles, as the behind-the-scenes video is only in Japanese.

It’s certainly worth the watch. Those crazy transition shots between the cars are all handled by a single guy and a drone. Honestly, this guy could put anyone in Top Gun to shame with his skills. The operator wears a headset that gives him a first-person view of everything the drone sees, including those shots where the drone drives through the cars. Yes, that happened for real. No computer trickery.

Skillful drone piloting aside, we’ve got to give the drivers some props. Staying in a tandem drift while a drone flies through your car isn’t an easy feat. It’s also an obvious showcase of how well the GR86 handles. If the car can hold a tight tandem drift during a film shoot, then it’ll be more than capable enough for buyers. At least, that’s what Toyota hopes to say with these films.

Teasers like this one are incredibly important for the GR86. Because it doesn’t draw buyers in with its spec sheet, Toyota has to compensate. Films like these two appear to be how the brand wants to handle it. The car is consistently tied to Toyota’s roots in Japanese car culture, and the AE86 from Initial D makes regular appearances alongside the newest car. After all, what better to emphasize the 86’s prowess-over-power philosophy than with the most widely-known example of that outside the Mazda Miata?