We presume we don’t need to tell you how legendary the 4A-GE engine is, but we will anyway. Most famously found under the bonnet of the Toyota Corolla Levin and Sprinter Trueno twins, both better known by their AE86 chassis code, the twin-cam 1.6-litre four-pot has gone on to become one of the manufacturer’s most famous engines.
Pin that on whatever you feel like. Years of powering some of Japan’s best tin-top race cars, its popularity across the globe for its tunability and ease of swapping into other things, or a certain cel-shaded teenage tofu delivery driver.
Toyota 4A-GE cylinder block sub-assembly
With the earliest AE86s now over 40 years old, though, finding original parts for the 16-valve 4A-GEs still in existence is a task we’d describe as near-impossible at this point. Something which, delightfully, Toyota will be stepping in to remedy.
As part of its ongoing GR Heritage Parts Project, Toyota will be reproducing two major components for the four-cylinder engine.
The block itself, for a start, with the full sub-assembly re-entering production. Although built to the original’s specs, a higher-rigidity cast iron has been used, which Toyota says will improve durability. To allow the block to be more easily placed in front-driven cars rather than just the rear-driven AE86, new bosses and ribs for transverse mounting have been machined in.
Toyota 4A-GE cylinder head sub-assembly
Joining the block is the cylinder head sub-assembly, again with some very slight improvements. Additional machining compared with the original spec reduces the untouched cast surface area, which should keep compression ratios more consistent across units. Dam cap knock pins have been used across the whole assembly now too, to make it easier to work on.
Orders will be taken for the new 4A-GE parts from around May 2026, but in case you’re lucky enough to be heading to the Initial D 30th Anniversary Event at Fuji Speedway this weekend, they’ll be on display.
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