The AE86 Wall of Shame can’t be complete without today’s entry: the Poser Mobile AE86! This is probably the cherry on top of the cake! The creme-de-la-creme of the Wall of Shame!
So if you aren’t already familiar with the Poser Mobile AE86, the video below will explain it all to you. In a nutshell: in 2005 T-Mobile tried to enter the US mobile phone market. Their campaign revolved around a gang of posers which were clearly from Asian decent that show up in a Sex-Spec AE86 when you’re out of pre-paid minutes. Think of the Bollywood version of The Fast and The Furious. Why they chose this ad is unclear, but either the Asian-Americans were their target group or they were trying to take the piss out of them. Better judge for yourself in their ad:
So what is the Poser Mobile then?
The Poser Mobile is a two door USDM Corolla GT-S or SR5. Which one it is remains unclear, but we could assume SR5 as it features SR5 front seats. But then again, also the interior has been modified and it’s a movie prop. I’ll feature some screenshots from the ad to give you an impression what it looked like in the ad.
Frontend modifications
At the front, the Corolla SR5 AE86 was modified with a kouki JDM Trueno bumper. Or even better, a Vertex front bumper. This is probably the mildest modification done to this car. On the front of the bumper a huge led bar can be seen that scrolls POSER MOBILE in red. Also at the front we find a ridiculous hood scoop that normally would feature as an engine pod on a jetliner and it features (fake) neon. You simply can’t ignore its presence here! The car has been painted in orange, gold and has diamonds on the popup headlights. Ugh!
Skirts and rear bumper
The side skirts and rear bumper appear to be one-offs. These two items are so outrageously Sex-Spec that they might actually be meant for another car.
If one wing isn’t enough
Similarly, the rear wing is also another outrageously silly Sex-Spec item. It looks like it might be better suited on a second generation Mitsubishi Eclipse in one of The Fast and The Furious movies. And then the GT wing on the roof. They must have thought that if one wing doesn’t provide enough downforce, a second one on the roof will fix that! It really looks silly
What happened to the Poser Mobile afterwards?
So you may wonder what happened to the Poser Mobile then. Well, that’s a long story. A few months after the ad aired, it came up for sale for the first time. Apparently someone bought it and kept it for a couple of years. It was spotted abandoned inside a parking garage. Maybe this person kept it for laughs or maybe because it’s a piece of history? Anyway, it wasn’t the last time it came up for sale. The last time the Poser Mobile was offered for sale in 2014 for a mere 1000 dollars! Or was it?
Is it real?
Some people actually doubt whether the car for sale was the real deal. There are a couple of differences between the car for sale and the one used in the commercial. The most prominent difference is the absence of the roof mounted GT wing. Also it doesn’t feature the spinners. However, if you look closer to the original car at the set you can see it has the same wheels behind the spinners. Apart from that it looks quite similar to the one used in the ad. And also, why would you ruin an AE86 to make a tribute to the Poser Mobile?
On the inside we find horrible seat covers, white fur fluffing the dashboard and doors…
And many many gauges mounted on top of the steeringwheel and dashboard. The ones on top of the dashboard appear to be the same two gauges twice. The outer two appear to be generic boost gauges and the inner two as well. So why would you need four boost gauges? On the steering wheel the two gauges appear to be a set of amp and oil pressure gauges pre-mounted in a metal bracket similar to this one.
My verdict on this AE86
Whilst the Poser Mobile was created with a tongue in cheek, over the top and as a parody of The Fast and The Furious, I still find it difficult to accept they took an AE86 and Sex-Spec-ed it. Naturally, this was a different era where many modified “JDM” drove on the streets. Many Honda CRX-es, Mitsubishi Eclipses and Toyota Supras suffered the same fate. On this car, all modifications are irreversible: the roof has been damaged, the bonnet is f#cked, the dashboard is perforated and I can probably continue the list for another two hours. Bottom line: it’s a damn shame it exists!
On the flip side: if it would become available for sale again, should we save it? I would answer with a definite yes! This crazy Poser Mobile Corolla AE86 is a piece of history.
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