AE86 vs. Ferrari 348: A Closer Look at the Cars of Driver Battles Episode 2
Toyota Corolla versus Ferrari—sounds like a mismatch made in heaven, right? After all, the Corolla is one of the most basic, economical and affordable cars in the world. And a Ferrari? Well, it’s a Ferrari—what more needs to be said?
Not so fast, you’d be remiss to call this battle based on manufacturer alone. While David Westfall’s ’92 Ferrari 348 GTS is the type of car you may have had a poster of as a kid, it’s not going up against your aunt’s clapped-out Corolla here. We’re talking about Colin Frost’s heavily modified ’87 Corolla AE86, a car that’s been honed for doing stuff exactly like this. Let's take a closer look at them both...
’92 Ferrari 348
It’s hard to call any Ferrari “affordable,” but a car like David’s ’92 348 might be as close as it gets, especially if you go back more than a decade to 2007 when he purchased it from a friend after making him a “lowball offer.”
David is far from the typical Ferrari owner that you might find hanging out at Cars & Coffee. In fact, the San Diego native is much more known for his Lexus SC300 drift car. Before that, he cut his teeth at the track in his engine-swapped Honda Civic.
While David’s ’Rari might not have the same face-ripping power as its modern supercar counterparts, the naturally aspirated 3.4L V8 is still impressive. With its gated manual transmission that has all but disappeared from modern supercars, the car is something any enthusiast would be happy to have in his or her garage.
As far as the specs go, David’s 348 is darn close to stock. Bumping power a bit are a Steve Maxwell exhaust and intake manifold beside an upgraded ECU. AP Racing brakes help slow the car down, and if you’re wondering where those wheels came from, David replaced the original ones with a set of 18s from a 360 Modena.
’87 Corolla AE86
Orange County resident Colin Frost has an extensive background in the SoCal drift scene, and his résumé includes stints in Formula Drift and countless hours behind the wheel at regional drift events. Colin is especially fond of the legendary Toyota AE86 Corolla and purchased his first one for $500 back in 2003.
Colin acquired his current AE86 from a friend in 2011, though the car’s history goes back even further than that. Originally built in 2006 for light track use, the Corolla fell into a state of disrepair before Colin bought it, when he pulled it from a field where a group of goats had claimed the car as their own.
In the years since, Colin has rebuilt the Corolla into a dual-purpose drift and grip vehicle. Under the hood, it’s sporting a lightly upgraded AE111 20-valve 4A-GE swap.
Pair that with custom BC suspension and a Kaaz LSD out back for a rippin’ good time. Outside, the Bentley Green Toyota wears a Levin front-end conversion, wide front fenders, rear fender flares and a huge GT wing from Big Country Labs, a company Colin co-owns.
Our setting for this battle is the Streets of Willow just north of Los Angeles, and both cars are running fresh Nitto NT01 tires to keep things even. Will the power of the Ferrari win out over the nimble AE86?
