Dreaming is a form of planning. That’s what happened with Jorge Azcoitia and a Toyota AE86 Corolla he bought in California.

Azcoitia is a tuner enthusiast who proudly owns a Toyota MR2 AW11. With all the passion he has for his MR2, nothing compares to his AE86. You could say he’s a Toyota man.

Upon finding the AE86, he discovered the car to be in solid shape but had some mild engine and suspension tuning needs. However, Azcoitia said the AE86 had upgraded cams, headers and a catback exhaust system.

“All the upgrades were of high quality, but they weren’t particularly dialed in, especially the suspension,” Azcoitia said.

The beginning of a great journey.

It wasn’t until he brought the Yota to numerous tracks that he figured out what the car was truly capable of. Starting at Adams Motorsports Park in Riverside, California, Azcoitia began to slowly fall in love with the AE86.

He was living the dream bringing the AE86 to Willow Springs International Raceway in Rosamond, California and Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, California. As if that wasn’t enough, he ran behind Formula D drivers Matt Field and Jeff Wolfson at Thunderhill in wet road conditions.

Wanting to see more, Azcoitia tracked his AE86 at legendary Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California. “The Corkscrew is great, but i like even better the corners before and after it,” Azcoitia said.

Unfortunately, with his Visa expiring, he had to head back to Spain. But not without his beloved AE86.

“After all the economic and time investment, I didn’t want to get rid of it,” Azcoitia said. Shipping the Corolla by boat, took 11 weeks to reach him in Spain. Upon receiving his car, he quickly registered it and headed straight to the track, Circuito Del Jarama near his hometown in Spain.

“The gears were perfectly matched for every single corner,” he said. Feeling more ambitious, Azcoitia decided to run his AE86 on Nürburgring with the aim of finishing a single lap under nine minutes. With only nine laps to meet the aspired lap time, Azcoitia struggled early on at Nürburgring. He said that the tires he was using on the AE86 were used at several different track days in the United States and may have been a tad tired.

In the end, Azcoitia was able to complete a lap at Nürburgring in 8:59, mission accomplished.

“Driving this car is not exactly a tail-happy experience as everyone thinks,” said Azcoitia. “During turn-in, the car tends to understeer.” Furthermore, he said it’s great fun driving the AE86, especially if the driver intends to slide on purpose. He also said the most difficult thing is getting everything out of properly driving the car.

“The engine is lively and begs you to rev it all the time,” Azcoitia said. “And if you do, it becomes an amazing experience.”

What are your thoughts on this tuner’s journey with his Toyota AE86? Be sure to share your thoughts below.