2016 TOYOTA GT86
NAME: KHRUNAL MAHENDRA // AGE: 25 LOCATION: WELLINGTON // OCCUPATION: ANZ PERSONAL BANKER
NZ Performance Car : Hey, Khrunal. With a car like your NZPC Issue No. 254 cover– making Evo X to live up to, what drew you to the 86 for daily duties?
Khrunal: I was initially looking for something quite sleek; something that would stand out from the hoards of mundane cars on the road; and, overall, something with a bit of fuel efficiency. I already knew that the 86 was the most cheatable car in the world — you can get parts for them left, right, and centre with the snap of your fingers — but I still bought it in the hope that I wouldn’t modify it at all. That’s what the Evo was for — but two years on, and I’ve managed to change the whole dynamic of the car [laughs].
Familiar story, that one! What was the aim once you started modifying the 86? Will it end up the same way as the Evo has?
As much as I say I would like it to look as insane as the Evo, I don’t think I could ever get it to that level. The amount of time and effort that went into the Evo; it was a onetime thing for me. With the 86, I wanted to be able to just have it as a daily that looked badass at the same time; going for a more elegant look was always a mission. I had to tone down my choices a lot from the Evo being so out there.
Tell us about the Sumo kit and how you designed this for the car.
There are other kits out there for this car, but they are quite track-looking. The idea behind creating the Sumo kit for the GT86 was to create an OEM-plus look — something that flowed with the factory lines and gave it that extra hit of elegance it was missing.
Safe to say you achieved it too. The 86 is static whereas the Evo is bagged — which do you prefer to drive?
Yeah, I’ll be honest and say that, while I wanted to have a slammed car on bags and a slammed car on coilovers, I’m starting to feel the struggles of a static set-up. Having it 20–30mm off the ground and running -9 and -7 camber can be quite difficult to daily, especially around Wellington. If I have the chance, I’ll likely bag the 86 so that I can keep it maximum low but also able to get over a simple speed bump [laughs].
Fair call, man — it is a daily, after all.