Matt Farah is lucky to have the opportunity to jump into the cars of strangers for simple joyrides. Posted on ” target=”_blank”>The Smoking Tire, Farah gives a 1984 Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno a run for its money on a track in New Zealand.

Trueno owner Jared Rush had much to say about his car in regards to its capabilities and limitations. He said it may not be fast but its high revving 4A-GELU 1.6 liter 20-valve four-cylinder “Black Top” engine can keep up with Porsches through the corners.

Rush is the president of Hutt Valley Motorsport Club Inc., which consists of members in all aspects of motorsport. Rush’s auto club is based out of Petone, New Zealand.

Built on weight reduction and great tuning, Rush’s Trueno is a blast to drive according to Farah. Rush said he grooves his tires and adjusts tire pressure to achieve maximum grip, regardless of the weather conditions. That’s serious.

Consequently, Farah got to experience a car that slides so effortlessly given the Trueno’s rear-wheel drive layout and long-standing heritage. With most hatchbacks today running a front-wheel drive layout, the Trueno was one of the last hatchbacks to be produced with a rear-wheel-drive setup.

Observing Farah getting this Trueno sideways, he makes it look easy despite his lack of drifting skills, perhaps, due to that aforementioned heritage, all AE86s have a predisposition to power sliding. Overall, this Trueno is the epitome of handling over power, one of the few ‘momentum’ cars to match the Mazda Miata.

What are your thoughts? Feel free to share them below.