The Toyota 86 has been described as being rather unique in it’s sector. A joint project between Toyota and Subaru, it delivers almost like a sportscar for way less of a price, thus bringing performance to us more-or-less regular folk.
It comes standard with Subaru’s legendary two-litre boxer engine, bringing enough krag to do the zero to 100km/h sprint in 7.7 seconds.
For Shakier Brenner of Grassy Park, however, this would not quite do the job and he pulled the powerplant out of his 2012 Toyota 86 and replaced it with the equally legendary, if not more so, Toyota 2jz.
Shakier, obviously a Toyota fan, tells Bobby Nitro: “Originally I was after a Supra but I couldn’t get my hands on one, so I thought this would be the closest thing to a Supra.”
That would explain his choice of engine, as the inline six-cylinder twin-turbo 2jz was the flagship performance powerplant that brought such fame to the Supra almost two decades ago.
Shakier, whose daily drive is a Toyota Hilux, says the love for cars and bikes has been in his blood for as long as he can remember. With this 86, however, he has not done much more except for BC coilovers and a new set of wheels off the shelf. Other than that, he says, “the car is completely stock all round”.
Asked what his motivation was in getting such a car, he says: “This car was built purely for fun to boost up and down the streets of Cape Town.”
It seems, too, that he is happy with performance despite the 2jz’s fame for being easy to add power to. He says: “Right now there’s nothing else I’m aiming for yet as I’m just enjoying the car.”
Bobby had to ask about the reactions of people when he pulls up and Shakier replies, rather mysteriously: “I only drive the car at midnight, so people don’t really get to see it out on the streets.”
He adds that he is already driving his dream car and, if he were to choose a member of the Cape car community that he admires, it would be the late Shaheen Barmania of Suspect fame, and his drive to succeed.