SEMA 2022: Larry Chen Debuts Toyota GR86 ‘Daily Drifter’
Is this GR 86 a drift car or a daily driver? YES! Larry Chen built a track-ready sports car that can also be driven every day.
The GR86 is a terrific sportscar and can be a great platform for building a full-fledged Formula Drift racer. However, the car we have here is not a base GR86 nor a 1,000-horsepower dedicated drift car. This car perfectly straddles the line between racer and daily driver. The car was the brainchild of Larry Chen. He wanted to build something reminiscent of a Formula Drift car. But keep it to something that an average car enthusiast could afford to build and maintain. Mission accomplished. Chen brought his car to SEMA 2022 to show everyone exactly what went into the build.
What went into the build was a lot. But again, it walks the line between racer and daily perfectly. The car makes only 300 horsepower. We say only not because 300 horsepower is not insignificant, but the looks of this car would have you believe that the figure is actually much higher. Let’s take a look at some of the details.
Power
As with any car build, we need to start with the power. This example gets its extra horsepower courtesy of a HKS GT2 Supercharger Pro ZD8 kit with an intercooler. It is a nice upgrade for sure but not an overwhelming monster. The GR86 is not about huge power numbers. We respect Chen for keeping to that approach with this build. It is easy to be tempted to stuff as much power under the hood as possible. But this car is about low cost, reliability, and low running costs as much as performance. The 300 horsepower sings its tune via a MagnaFlow NEO series cat-back performance exhaust. A 6-speed manual transmission with a Toyota GR short shifter.
Bodywork
It looks like a racecar doesn’t it? That is thanks to a whole host of bodywork and aerodynamic tweaks. Carbon fiber plays a prominent role as well. There is a carbon fiber hood, carbon fiber front splitter, carbon fiber rear wing, carbon fiber side skirts, and a carbon fiber rear valence.
Other Highlights
There is a lot that went into this build, so we are not going to list every single part. But there are few more major components that we want to share. There is a coilover suspension and a Toyota GR prototype strut tower brace. The interior has a pair of race seats with a 6-point harness and a 4-point roll cage. Slowing the car down is a set of StopTech 4-piston brakes front and rear.
Where To Buy
You can’t order a GR86 directly from Toyota that has all the hardware that is found on the Chen car. But all of the components are available. And thanks to Chen bringing his build to SEMA 2022 we all now have the roadmap. So, if you want a car just like it all you have to do is order all of the parts that you need.
Images: Joe Kucinski
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