Should you’ve ever visited Tsukuba Circuit, you’d be accustomed to the assorted workshops scattered across the outskirts of the complex. Amongst these, in an unsuspecting constructing Koshimizu Motorsports hides some truly remarkable gems.
For the uninitiated, Koshimizu Motorsports – more commonly generally known as KMS – is synonymous with AE86 tuning, particularly inside Group A, N1 and N2 racing circles. When Yoshinori Koshimizu founded KMS 30 years ago, he was determined to refine AE86 tuning, and that’s resulted in cars which might be still actively raced to today. Lately, Koshimizu-san has shifted more towards AE86 restoration work but, naturally, a lot of the cars that leave KMS still receive a few of the signature performance upgrades he’s famous for.
I first stumbled across KMS back in 2018 on a vacation in Japan, catching a glimpse of an AE86 through a half-shut roller door. Being the over-enthusiastic tourist I used to be, I stuck my head in to take a look and received an overwhelmingly warm welcome from Koshimizu-san. I wrote about this transient visit in my first-ever Speedhunters article.
However it was a selected automobile at KMS that made a return visit so essential.
Taking me to his back storage area, Koshimizu-san pulled out an arsenal of keys, swinging open the garage door to disclose Keiichi Tsuchiya’s original TRD N2 AE86. In much the identical fashion this time around, he explained how KMS are still the caretakers of this iconic machine.
On this occasion, I spent more time taking in the small print – namely the many old-fashioned TRD parts and plaques, all still entirely of their original form. It’s hardly you get to spend a superb period of time up close and private with a relic like this, and other details just like the special TRD Nardi steering wheel, Stack dash and TRD striped seat are drool material for an AE86 otaku like myself.
While the automobile still does make very occasional outings, it spends most of its retirement tucked away at KMS. That being said, it was cool to identify evidence of some spirited driving splashed across the rear fender.
Jumping back into the workshop, Koshimizu-san showed us through a few of the current customer AE86s he was working on. The cars are conveniently lined up so as of completion, supplying you with a superb idea of how much goes into these restorations. The furthermost two-door coupe had recently been treated to a completely latest front clip from a donor automobile after a small circuit mishap.
As mentioned earlier, Koshimizu-san’s motorsport-driven approach means each of those cars receives a seam-welded engine bay, reinforcing chassis that within the earliest AE86s are actually 40 years old.
Each of those builds receives a totally refreshed 4A-GE, either 20-valve or a classic 16-valve depending on the client’s preference and requirements. These are often paired with one among KMS’s iconic exhaust manifolds.
With each of those restorations taking roughly 18 months to finish, it’s no surprise that nearly every bolt, nut, fitting and part is either replaced or restored to factory latest. As AE86s begin to demand even higher prices, shops like KMS have develop into increasingly more busy, with many chasing that OEM+ restoration that we see on similar chassis just like the 240Z and GT-R.
Once I acquire an AE86 of my very own here in Japan (I promise, we’re getting closer), I’m almost certain I’ll be spending a while at KMS.
Alec Pender
Instagram: noplansco
This Article First Appeared At www.speedhunters.com
