Toyota invests in classics from the 1980s, but this time with a hydrogen engine

Toyota is investing in its classics from the 80s, transforming old models into electric or hydrogen-powered ones. The multinational did not go into details regarding their performance.

Recently, Toyota announced two classic examples from the 80s. The first is the Corolla GT-S, also called AE86. The great differential of the vehicle is due to its engine. One of them was developed with an electric pickup truck motor, while the other got a hydrogen engine, one of the great bets of the Japanese automaker for the future.

Learn more about the new classics of the 80s

The novelty with hydrogen and electric engine will be featured at this year's Tokyo Motor Show and, according to the automaker, is a great demonstration that vintage cars can live on the road even with increasingly stringent sustainability standards in terms of emissions.

The AE86 H2 concept, as its name implies, uses a combustion engine capable of burning hydrogen instead of gasoline. Fuel is stored in two high-pressure tanks in the trunk.

Toyota claims that modifications, which include new fuel injectors, spark plugs and fuel lines, were kept to a minimum in the process of converting the model to a hydrogen engine, even retaining the original car's manual transmission.

The second model is the most modest and, with the name of AE86 BEV, the model combines the same electric motor used in the 48 horsepower Toyota Tundra hybrid pickup with the battery of a Prius Prime plug-in hybrid. The automaker points out that, in order to maintain the sustainability of the project, the seats and seat belts were also rebuilt using recycled material. For now, no performance numbers on the electric car or with a hydrogen engine have been revealed.

Other companies also seek to electrify old models

In the end, this type of project made by Toyota is not unique, the South Korean Hyundai also bet on the reconstruction of a classic with a hydrogen engine. The brand presented a retro concept last year, inspired by the style of hyundai pony coupe of 1974.

Akio Toyoda, CEO of Toyota, even stated at the event that he would like to support similar initiatives in the near future. There are many people who plan to enjoy life with their favorite cars. Although the AE86's conversion technology is still being developed, Toyoda hopes to allay fears that it won't be possible to drive the beloved cars once the world becomes carbon neutral. On the contrary, there is a path that it is possible to follow.

At the opening of the event, the Toyota executive also states that selling only electric cars will not be enough to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Thus, the idea of ​​converting polluting cars into the streets could be a great ally to reduce emissions.

Toyota could mass-produce the hydrogen-powered Corolla Cross 

Toyota continues to invest in a multi-energy approach when it recently presented its new model Corolla Cross H2, a prototype equipped with a hydrogen combustion engine, to show that there are other ways to achieve emission neutrality besides electric cars.

In fact, the Japanese automaker now continues to focus on hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery electrics, however without prioritizing a single propulsion. 

In its press release, the company points out that it provides the opportunity for its customers, from more than 170 countries and sales regions worldwide, to reduce their carbon emissions today, regardless of their daily demands or location. The Corolla Cross, which could go into series production, features a 3 liter 1.6-cylinder turbo engine from the GR Corolla with high-pressure hydrogen direct injection technology.

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