J's Hachi Hillclimber

[jamiesbrain]

Haha yeah life has been full...plus I also got an Evo too so the interest is completing between them both!
I have put in a decent amount of work on it in the last few months though cleaning it up.

[ae8zn6]

Fair enough, I had an Evo7 for a while a number of years ago, but I wasn't really a fan. What Evo did you get?

[jamiesbrain]

Got a VI TME, just a great drivers car. Unfiltered and direct like the hachi.

[ae8zn6]

OK, must be pretty different cars.

The Evo VII is like a sports toaster... Inside, other than the seats, its all standard bottom spec lancer. Only difference is an "evolution gauge" ie a gauge with Evolution written in it... Super lame. But yeah, not inspiring at all, and super poorly equiped despite they would have been charging like 65k for it and it was a post 2000 car.

As for driving... My race car AE86 was more comfortable... the standard suspension was so stiff that I legit left the seat and hit the roof on some of the potholes on the Hume highway, one of the best roads in the country. Another example, if you hit a small pothole (hell even a line marking sometimes) while accelerating off the line that bump would transfer straight to your body, and so your foot would move ever so slightly, which would send the car straight into kangarooing... Horrible car to drive.

That said there is a lot of hate out there for the early CT9As so it sounds like your car would be much nicer

[jamiesbrain]

Yeah the VII is not a great example. People either love or hate them. Not a fan of the VII. The VI TME has the normal basic interior but with some nice stitching, flash pedals and TME seats. The driving feel though is the unicorn of the Evo's I feel. Enough mechanical grip but standard nice power with minimal lag. It is a truely rewarding car to drive.

The ae86 is such a gokart and very similar in how it feels but tails much more as you would expect.

[jamiesbrain]

So doing auto archeology on the panda and have found out the history of this old lady.

Turns out it was a parts mule for the Drift Kings car in the early days when they were first putting his car together. Mr Takao Kamata Tec Arts owner built mine for that and drift series entries. Over time they threw more and more at it till eventually they moved to another car and sold this one. That owner maintained it and eventually sold to me through the Jap Auctions.

I have been going through the process of slow restoration with it. Getting it clean and back to as it left Tec Arts back in the day.

Pics and vid are in my Insta for it. @jamiechristian76 if you are interested.

Also threw a YouTube vid together with the phone recently.
It's been cleaned and paint renovated with a toothbrush underneath to get in everywhere.

It will be at the Tuned event in July at Yatala coming up. Was meant to be at the All Jap Day just gone had a plug and lead related issue that's since been fixed. Come by and say hi if you hit the Tuned event up.

Cheers

[LittleRedSpirit]

Hell yeah nice work finding the history. Ill try and get out and see this thing for sure! What's the details of the Yatala meet?

[jamiesbrain]

Yeah mate all good,
Its 13th July 12pm - 3pm Saturday.
Yatala Drive in. I think it's a small cover charge to get in. Check the Facebook page. "United Festival 2019 Qld"

Happy to do a QLD meet for 86 owners local who want to have a decent look at it too. Down on the GC at Robina, CBus stadium Carpark or something like that.

[LittleRedSpirit]

Yep, have to say in the flesh this car is the business. All those unique touches from the hands that made it, its really one of a kind.

Great to meet you, Jamie.