Working in the automotive industry, I can tell you there’s a reason why you rarely find the “perfect car” at your local dealers. The incredible constraints placed on vehicle engineers, product developers and production staffs define the product they deliver to the sales floor far more than their individual efforts.
However, once the car leaves the showrooms, owners can make modifications based on their own desires, and the final result often shows considerably less…. constraint.
We can argue about the choices this owner made, but this closeup shows much craftsmanship. To my eye, the exterior of this Starlet is flawless. The panel fit, fender flare seams, and paint quality are all A-Number-One.
The interior finish? Bare floor, missing control knobs and a cracked dash pad- It needs a little work…
Still with “Right Wheel Drive” and a smooth shifting Toyota manual, sign me up!
This style was made famous by a grassroots shop named Mizuno Works out of Japan. Speedhunters did a great article on their work. Much like this Starlet, the work and craftmanship is top notch. I am not a fan of this bosozuku style on a Starlet. I admire the clean work. Some Datsun Zs can pull of the flared look and deep wheels though. Great find. I need me a stock 80s Starlet with an interior that screams dated.
I wonder if this has a Mazda rotary in it. That seems to be a common engine swap on Starlets.
Prepare to be amazed: I actually kind of like this. With some decent power, this could be a really fun little ride.
No, it wouldn’t.
How would you know?
Not too different than an AE86 Corolla or 70s Mazda rotary. Crude, but with the right suspension setup, they’ll handle. The power-to-weight ratio is what really does the trick. A street-port rotary or 20-valve 4AG Toyota engine with ~180 hp makes these things really sing.
One of the fastest cars I’ve driven to 60 mph was a Mazda RX-3 with a built rotary. These are about 200 lbs lighter.
Either Mazda rotary or heavily modified 3TC engine from a Corolla from that era. It’s amazing the kind of power you can get out of them, especially the Corolla engine.
Very nicely done, my idea of a properly done ricer (which I actually do like, more so than traditional American hot rods). With the gutted interior (which adds to the effect) all that’s missing is a roll cage. Of course, this leads to the ultimate question – does the performance match, or even come close, to the looks?
With its stock exhaust, I’d say not.
Has no one noticed the exhaust? It looks stock, or very close to it. How ironic; the first thing is usually a performance exhaust (fart can) on these ricers. Which leads me to assume that it may well be stock, or very close to it under the hood.
Probably started with the bodywork before doing the engine.
Doesn’t look like stock exhaust to me. The factory pipe was only 1 1/2″ and that looks bigger than that. It also looks like an oval muffler not round like an OE or OE style replacement.
Unless it has a proper tuned length exhaust some boy racers have woken up to the huge power losses a crap exhaust can create, plenty of these early Starlets alive here and most have been hotted up.
This is not even close to a ricer. Maybe by definition, if it’s still stock mechanically, but this actually looks good, unlike the lime green Eclipse with mismatched rims and graphics on the side.
That’s a TRD widebody, resembling the Starlet N2 race cars.
Cars are meant to be driven, and as Dave accurately noted, very few vehicles came off the line as the best combination of parts, style price for any given person. Given the significance of certain automotive milestones, it is certainly best for at least a portion of certain models be maintained in factory delivered condition. What could be more edifying than taking a foundation provided by your manufacturer of choice, analyzing your performance and aesthetic desires, and then engineering a well constructed solution from the resources available? Unfortunately, we all know too well the prevalence of certain trends which appear to have absolutely no automotive redeeming qualities what so ever. Donk, anyone? There is an indisputable symbiotic connection, however, between Car Guy peacocking and certain advancements in the automotive arts. Nonetheless, it seems to me that integral to the essence of most any genuine car guy is to dig in and get your hands dirty on making your ride de jour as close to your ideal as you can. I will never really get those think that most any given vehicle remain essentially sealed upon delivery from the factory, and either placed in stasis when not the object of its particular congregation of idolators, or merely used and expended as a mere utilitarian commodity. So, I salute the individuality and humanity of the owner of this particular Toyota. It may not be what I want, but he’s trying to get to what he wants, and appears to be displaying a fair amount of skill in getting there.
Not my cup of tea but the work is first class.I usually see horribly butchered hatchbacks driven by a spotty Herbert and his orange faced girl friend,rarely does their car come close to this one’s standard
It should handle like a race car with those wide wheels.
You just never know. I think there must be a number of V6s that would fit in here with little trouble. If you can stick a buick turbo V6 in a chevette (and you can) why couldn’t you do much the same here. There are also some fours that would scream with or without a turbo. Outward appearance doesn’t have to change much. Mufflers can look stock and not be.
I would hate to lose my money betting either way on this one but I would love to have it. Just not enough to put in the time and money this owner has.
The body work is first class and it looks good with no different colored body parts and it does look a bit like it is till being worked on(no carpet, dash etc) so it might get a engine upgrade in the future.
Now all this being said. I would not be interested in this car if I was given it because I am not a fan of rodded out economy cars. If this Starlet was all original, then I would jump on it as not many Starlets are still around in the USA due to not much interest in the car when new due to the fact it was small and only offered in hatch form and came out the same time as the Tercel came out and the Tercel offered a coupe, hatch and sedan and the Tercel looked like a bigger Starlet with the same front end. The Starlet hung on in the USA until 1984 but by that time the car was so out dated looking as it still carried on the same front end as it came out with in the 1970’s and instead of looking like the new Tercel of 1982. But the 82-84 Starlet offered a fuel injected engine so I guess that made the car more quicker
I actually like it!
Some double orange striping along the top of the body…, and it would look even cooler…!
And something done to clean up/minimize the interior.