![]() The U.S.-spec 4K 1,290cc four was rated at either 58 or 62 hp–but the curb weight was all of about 1,600lbs. I’m not exactly suggesting that the Starlet was a drifter in the form that it left the showroom of your friendly Toyota dealership. Or for that matter, almost any other engine that pointed rearward. One could hop up its little push-rod four (available in 993, 1,166, and 1,290 cc versions), or drop in one of the bigger Toyota DOHC fours, a process as easy and common as dropping a big-block Chevy into a ’57. ![]() YouTube has many tributes to the Starlet’s prowess in all manner of speed thrills. Indeed, from very early on, there was plenty of enthusiasm about the Starlet’s racing, rallying, and drifting potential. I’m not sure exactly what “Starlet Unlimited” is, but I’m guessing it’s some sort of enthusiast’s entity. Not everyone was overjoyed by the switch to FWD, and the Starlet was the last connection to old-school RWD–a tossable mini-AE-86, if you will. The Starlet developed a cult following very quickly. It’s the only one in Eugene that I know of (I shot this fine little yellow one in Portland). Even after well over 300,000 miles, it’s never had a significant mechanical issue. I know a guy who picked up a Starlet over twenty years ago and still uses it as his daily driver. Maybe the Starlet was intended to be the Tercel’s backstop in case the latter had teething issues. sales run of only a few years, and its successor, the FWD Starlet 70 Series, never was offered here. The Starlet, slotted below the FWD Gen-1 Tercel, played an outsider’s role during its U.S. The FWD Tercel was born a paragon of reliability, and the first FWD Corolla in 1983 was equally bulletproof from day one. Why? It’s likely Toyota was just being cautious, not wanting to repeat GM’s mistakes in that company’s rush to embrace FWD. But the even smaller Starlet hung in there with its old-school RWD and leaf-sprung rear axle, the same underpinnings that Toyotas had worn when they were known as Toyopets. Toyota’s first major foray into FWD was the Tercel, in 1978. ![]() and Japan) in 1973 with their seminal Civic. Honda redefined the mini-hatchback market (in both the U.S. And they’ve become cult-mobiles in the eyes of their loving owners for the obvious reason of their “right-wheel-drive”. They’re not exactly common on the streets anymore, but that has nothing to do with their reliability–which was legendary, thanks to their well-proven and simple drive train. The last such car was the Starlet, which wasn’t replaced by a FWD version until 1985. This was an economy car, right, for the most part,” Patterson exclaimed after a few pulls in the rear-wheel drive F22-powered 1981 Toyota Starlet.( first posted ) Discovering the RWD Toyota Avanza in Mexico recently made me consider how relatively long Toyota hung on to RWD in their small cars. It’s funny how natural this feels, but unnatural at the same time because it was never meant to go this fast. “ This is one of my favorite Honda experiences I’ve ever had. Weighing just about 1,900 pounds (862 kilograms), the VTEC-powered Toyota Starlet will rev to 9,000 rpm and is good for 240 hp (243 ps). He initially wanted to do a 4A-GE engine swap but opted for an F22A engine after stumbling upon a crashed S2000. The owner, Danny, got this classic Japanese subcompact car for $500. Two, it has an F22 S2000 engine in it, and the weirdest thing of all, it’s rear-wheel-drive,” Patterson said about his recently featured pocket rocket.īesides running on a naturally aspirated Honda F22A engine, it also has the stock S2000 transmission. “ This one, in particular, is special because, one, it weighs 1900 pounds. ![]() The first (P40/P50) and second-generation Starlet (60 Series) enjoy an active rally life due to their rear-wheel-drive configuration.ĭavid Patterson of ThatDudeInBlue YouTube channel recently featured a rare 1981 Toyota Starlet running on Honda S2000 internals. Still, a small community of enthusiasts in the United States are fascinated by its tunning capabilities. for three years (1981 to 1984), making them a sort-of rare find in that market. The Toyota Starlet didn’t have a lengthy presence in the North American market. North America, unfortunately, didn’t get this performance variant. Like most affordable high-performance Japanese imports from the late 80s and early 90s, the 1986 to 1999 Starlet EP71, EP82, and EP91 have a cultic following (depending on where you are located).
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