AE101 Mountain Run
It’s not often these days that I find myself out all night, driving home into the rising sun after a long stint of complete scumbaggery — but the day before this shoot was one of those rare occasions. Running on barely three hours’ sleep and an unhealthy amount of energy drinks (I really should have shares in BOOST at this stage), I found myself bleary-eyed, loading up Dave’s daily driver MK4 Wagon. We had an hour-long spin ahead of us to meet up with something special: this gorgeous AE101 Levin that I’d been quietly keeping tabs on for a while.
I’ve known of the owner for some time. Before this Levin, he had a TRUST-liveried AE86 that was the sort of car you couldn’t miss, and he’s been supporting my work for years now. We finally met in person at Dubshed earlier this year, and during that conversation I learned he had this particular AE101 tucked away. Straight away the seed was planted and having seen this in the flesh at a Limerick C&C a few months back — I knew it needed to be filmed.
This isn’t your typical run-of-the-mill Levin either. With a slew of rare Japanese parts and powered by the infamous 20-valve 4AGE, it’s the kind of car you hear long before you see. And once you do see it, that GT-style silhouette has a way of burning itself into your minds eye. It’s one of those cars that feels just right — balanced, different and sharp enough to make you look more than once.
We started the day with some rolling shots on the way up to the Glen of Aherlow. That stretch of road is something else — flowing corners, sweeping views, and a backdrop that could easily pass for somewhere deep in the Japanese countryside. The Levin looked completely at home carving its way through the hills, sunlight flickering across its peculiar shape as we pushed to keep pace for the camera. There’s something about watching an AE101 in motion that just clicks for me, it may well be the scarcity of them in comparison to its newer brother, the AE111 — the sound, the stance, the way it cuts through the landscape. It all feels so period-correct, like you’ve been dropped straight into an early ‘90s Best Motoring video.
From there, we broke away from the mountain roads to hit some quieter spots for static shots. First was an old church, weathered stone walls rising out of the greenery, the kind of setting that instantly gives weight and character to the photos you see here. Seeing the Levin parked up against that backdrop, it was like two eras colliding — the timelessness of the old stone meeting the sharp, boxy lines of Toyota’s golden era. This juxtaposition of rural, agricultural Ireland and a 90s Japanese hatchback is something that really stirs the love of Japanese metal in my mind. Its hard to discern between whats more important, what I just mentioned, or the people behind it all.
We wrapped things up at the Christ the King monument, a spot that’s I’ve heard mentioned numerous times over pints but had never quite made it to see. There’s a certain gravity to the place, perched high above the valley with the statue looking down across the landscape towards the Galtee mountains. Against that view, the Levin sat with a quiet confidence. No need to shout, no need to show off — just existing in its own space, a reminder of how special these cars really are when you take the time to appreciate them.
By the end of it all, the lack of sleep, the ridiculous amount of caffeine, and the long drive all faded into the background. What stuck with me was how good it felt to finally capture this car on film, to give it a proper spotlight. It’s easy to get caught up in the constant cycle of shoots, edits, and deadlines, but days like this remind me why I started doing this in the first place.
The AE101 Levin might not have the same cult status as its older AE86 sibling, but make no mistake — it’s every bit as worthy of attention. And after a day spent chasing it through the hills of Aherlow and framing it against some of Ireland’s best backdrops, I think we did it justice.
