The AE92 Sprinter
The sixth Sprinter, Toyota's twin of the E90 Corolla, went on sale in May 1987, and the AE92 is its 1.6-litre version. It was the first generation built only with front-wheel or four-wheel drive, which made the AE92 Sprinter Trueno coupe, with its pop-up headlights, the first Trueno driven by its front wheels. The range also included a four-door saloon and the five-door Cielo liftback, and gave way to the next Sprinter in June 1991.
The enthusiast's engine is the 4A-GE, a 1,587 cc twin-cam with 16 valves, rated at 120 PS until the May 1989 facelift and 140 PS after it, when it moved to premium fuel. The Trueno GT-Z had the supercharged 4A-GZE instead, at 145 PS and then 165 PS. A five-speed manual or an automatic drives the front wheels. The same facelift gave the saloon a slanted nose and larger bumpers.
What AE92 owners upgrade
Engine electronics lead the list, and the drivetrain follows: on a front-wheel-drive car driven hard, a limited-slip differential is what puts the power down out of tight corners, so LSD upgrade kits sell alongside clutch kits and lighter flywheels.
An old car's cooling system needs looking after, and radiator caps and thermostats are regular buys, as are timing belts for the engine and pads for the brakes. In the cabin, floor mats, pedals and steering boss kits come from the interior range. Bee R, HKS, Cusco, Toda, TRD and Karo are among the names AE92 owners choose.
Genuine parts
Order by body and engine. The saloon, the Cielo and the Trueno each have their own panels, lights and trim, and a 4A-GE and a supercharged 4A-GZE take different engine parts. The May 1989 facelift changed the engines and the saloon's front end, so the build date matters too.
After more than thirty years, cooling parts, belts, hoses and rubber seals are the usual replacements. Genuine parts for the AE92 Sprinter are in our genuine Toyota parts catalogue.
