When talking about the high-performance Toyota Corolla these days, the new GR Corolla is usually discussed. Its high-revving three-cylinder engine delivers no less than 300 horsepower, courtesy of a large turbocharger under the hood. The slightly older Corolla featured in the video above also has a turbocharger, but you won’t find it under the hood. And it has quite a bit of 300 hp.
At the same time, A little bigger Takes us back to the early 1980s. This is the late E70 series Rolla, when the engine sent power to the rear wheels as opposed to the GR Corolla’s all-wheel drive arrangement. It started life as an ordinary four-cylinder car for Jason, the son of the father-son construction team. Piet is the father, and as from the video. Cars.co.za explains, they are known for custom built manufacturing in South Africa. They also have a thing for cars, and Jason decided he wanted something different to drive.
Swapping out the stock four-cylinder for the 1UZ V8 from the Lexus LS400 certainly qualifies as different, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg on this build. The engine features upgraded internals, and a T76 turbocharger feeds the mill to the tune of around 470 horsepower (350 kW). Looking under the hood, the engine swap is one of the cleanest we’ve seen…pretty clean if we’re honest. The turbocharger and all its piping are nowhere to be seen.
This is because Jason wanted to be this Sleeper Blood. Very The sleep turbo is actually mounted in the rear of the vehicle, with custom piping connecting it to the engine. To maintain the appearance of the naturally aspirated engine, there’s even a forged air filter and intake mounted under the hood. Building the custom turbo setup was a nine-month project on its own, but the result is a stealthy Toyota that makes healthy power with virtually no lag. And without a turbo under the hood, engine temperatures remain cool.
A four-speed Lexus automatic transmission sends power to the rear wheels. BMW E36 springs are used at the rear, with Brembo brakes at all four corners. The front suspension is stock, and the Corolla’s simple interior is largely stock as well. The seats have been reupholstered in leather, and new carpets have been laid. Everything else is OG Corolla, right down to the gauges.
Jason did almost all of the work himself and the attention to detail definitely caught our attention. Well, clouds of tire smoke are rising. too Got our attention, but in the world of custom cars, this old Corolla is a cool, unique machine.