Some of us cannot get a takeaway coffee home without donating a little to the cup holder. Meanwhile, Toyota has put a test driver in an AE86 with an open cup of water and asked him to recreate one of Initial D’s most memorable scenes. On a wet track, no less.
Fans will know the one. Takumi Fujiwara’s father makes him carry a cup of water during his tofu deliveries, with instructions not to spill it. Keeping the water inside demands smooth, controlled driving, which is rather more difficult when the car is traveling sideways.
Toyota’s real-life attempt puts Keizo Kato, a test driver from its Sugoude advanced skill development department, behind the wheel of a classic Corolla Levin AE86. The pop-up headlights of Takumi’s Sprinter Trueno are absent, but the important passenger is present: a cup of water sitting on the dashboard.
The footage shows speeds exceeding 100 km/h (62 mph), wet corners, and the AE86 sliding across the test track. Inside, the water moves around the cup, giving viewers something unusually small to worry about during a drift video.
And the result? No spill. Kato completes the challenge, leaving the rest of us with fewer excuses for the state of our cup holders.
There is a serious point beneath Toyota’s manga recreation. The video highlights the human sensitivity involved in vehicle development: experienced test drivers assessing how a car feels alongside the measurements and instruments.
But you don’t need to be interested in automotive testing to appreciate an AE86, a skilled driver, and a manga scene brought to life. Keep going for Toyota’s video.
Images: Toyota.