Startling Starlet

Here’s the sort of feature car we love here at AutoSpeed. No, it mightn’t have a monster turbo but it does have plenty of street performance, handling, visual appeal and it delivers fun by the bucket-load. It’s also a fairly unusual choice – a locally-delivered EP91 Toyota Starlet.

Purchased by Lee Hastings two years ago, this car was once your average 1996 Starlet ‘Life’ econo-box – stock, green an’ oh so mean.

Well, not yet...

Lee always wanted to go mad with the little Toyota and knew there was only one truly cost-effective way to go about it – a half-cut from a Japanese market EP82 Starlet GT turbo. Interestingly, the EP82 and EP91 share the same chassis so the engine conversion was a relative breeze. Lee and a friend did the conversion – a process that took about 10 hours from start to finish. Everything went together without hassle, the factory Starlet GT management and wiring loom being spliced into the original. What’s even more amazing is the total cost for the engine upgrade – just AUD$3500!

About now we should point out that Lee lives and breathes Toyota Starlets – he’s the founder of www.austarletclub.com

In standard form, the Japanese EP82 Starlet GT engine – coded 4E-FTE – is rated at 135hp and 157Nm. Impressively stiff for a 1.3 litre donk. It achieves this with a DOHC, 16 valve head, single turbocharger and top-mount air-to-air intercooler. With a few mods, Lee’s car now cranks out 136hp at the front wheels – approximately double the original Australian-spec output!

It’s no wonder this Starlet runs low 14 quarter miles.

The engine remains stock internally but boasts an ARE front-mount intercooler with custom 2 inch plumbing, a 2 ½ inch turbo-back exhaust with a high-flow cat and single muffler, aftermarket air filter (mounted in the front guard) and a GFB blow-off valve. Boost has also been upped to 12 psi using an A’PEXi AVC-R electronic controller.

A SARD rising rate fuel pressure regulator serves to maintain adequate fuel flow using the stock Toyota injectors. The dizzy-type ignition system remains standard.

One of the most common ailments of high-power front-wheel-drives is marginal gearbox strength. Well, Lee says the stock EP82 GT ‘box is very strong and without any obvious flaws – they are widely used in 12 second Starlets without any problem whatsoever. Note that Lee also used the GT-spec driveshafts during the conversion. The stock Toyota clutch, on the other hand, needs upgrading when the engine receives a few mods – Lee runs a Daikin heavy-duty clutch and pressure plate.

So, far the entire engine and driveline combo has proven 100 percent reliable.

Visually, Lee’s Starlet is also a great combo.

The normally bland 2 door hatch body has been given a boost thanks to Japanese Glanza skirts, headlights, front and rear bumpers, bonnet, grille and tailgate (which has an insert in the centre with reversing lights on both sides). Lee makes the point that, unlike most aftermarket body kits, what you see is all OE quality plastic - it won’t sag or deteriorate. The taillights are also from a Japanese 4WD Starlet. The only aftermarket bit on the body is the clear side indicators.

It’s pretty amazing that this look has been created using mainly off-the-shelf Toyota parts.

The paint, of course, is far from the conservative pallet of colours offered in the Oz-spec Starlet. Lee went for an eye-catching colour called Chrome Orange – a shade inspired by the BA Ford Falcon XR6. It’s a great colour that really lifts the appearance.

White Avant Rally Tech 17s complete the cosmetics and their 205/40 17 tyres do their best to put torque to the road - when you don’t have an LSD, tyre choice and suspension set-up are particularly important.

Suspension wise, Lee has moved up to an EP82 GT front swaybar, KYB rear dampers and King springs (which lower the car by about 30mm). The EP82 GT front strut brace has also been added to tighten the chassis.

Brakes are stock with the exception of slotted RDA front discs and Bendix Advance pads. Note that the Australian-spec Starlet comes with only a drum rear-end.

And check out the interior. The boring grey, grey and grey factory trim is a distant memory thanks to several cans of white vinyl spray, new white door trims and a white leather cover on the steering wheel. As you might imagine, white can be a bugger to keep clean so Lee uses a pair of black seat covers to protect the seats in normal day-to-day use.

Other indoor attractions include an Autometer boost gauge, A’PEXi AVC-R controller and a tacho mounted near the base of the console – the Australian Starlet was never offered with a factory tacho.

The audio system is another killer set-up by Lee. An Alpine head unit sends beats to a high-power amp which, in turn, sends even bigger beats to the 5 ¼ inch front splits, 6 ½ inch rear 2-ways and single 12 inch sub. Note how neatly the front speakers are moulded into the doors.

Yep, it’s no wonder why we really like this car.

It’s an unusual choice, it has a cost-effective engine conversion, it's attractive (yet still practical), economical, handles and goes bloody well.

If you share our interest, you’ll be pleased to learn that Lee currently has the car for sale – peel out AUD$16,000 from your hip pocket and it’s yours. Contact Lee through his website - www.austarletclub.com – if you’re genuinely interested.