What does the word "thrill" mean to most people? By the most basic and accepted definitions, it is quite simply, the much needed burst of adrenaline pumping thru one's veins. Often times, an aphrodisiac no greater than that could only be achieved by means of extreme sports; bungee jumping, skydiving, or daring yourself to look down the dizzyingly terrifying heights of the Grand Canyon. A means to make a mundane, rather monotone day generously injected with the rush of being alive and conscious, an extreme way of slapping oneself in the face with fear and excitement doing a daring samba feat on the knife's edge of danger. To some, those daring shenanigans are enough for contentment, but, for the one percent that wants extra, to the very few individuals which dared crossed the limits between danger and absolute fatality, they could have not been more looney. The Starlet Turbos make for good analogies of this selfishly exciting term; a car that weighs impossibly nothing married with a pepper pot of an engine packing brute force, in fact a little too much for what the little nugget could handle. The story of this quite obscure, but well-loved hatchback is quite the interesting one, and this piece shall give you readers an idea of what it is, and what to expect.
Before jumping in to the star of the show itself, let us go back to a good 60 years (as far as this article was made) to 1961, when Toyota debuted their national "people's car", the Publica. Much similar in concept to the Kraut's proud Volkswagen Beetle, Toyota's pea-shaped two-door was simply an automobile made to satisfy all forms of society, hence the name; From bankers to businessmen to chic fashion ladies, all with one big goal: Cheap and reliable transportation which everyone can afford to buy and run, in concept called as the "1000 dollar car". The formula proved to be a huge success, and soon the Publica became a staple everyday car that people would buy and use for their everyday needs. Fast forward a good ten years, and the Pubby' received a much needed model change. Now under the P40/P50 chassis designation, the trustworthy Toyota sedan branched off to create a teenager oriented model called the Publica Starlet, offering a sportier and grander experience to the bread and butter trims. Hence was the start of the Starlet name, and in 1976, Toyota's flagship "people's car" of the time merged to become a sporty, youthful hatchback, known only by its "stage nickname", the Starlet.
Proving itself to be a major success with the amateur boy racers and youths alike, also doubling as the cheaper alternative to Toyota's sports Corolla of the time, the 1600GTs, the P60-generation Starlet soon became one of the many icons of late 70s early 80s street racer pride. By 1983, the world has moved on from FRs, after the groundbreaking debut of the Mini in 1969, the benefits of a front engined, front wheel drive car could not be held back much longer, with rear-wheel drive systems now only being applied to luxury trims and models (only exception being the AE86, signaling the end for FR-driven compact sports). Toyota eventually took the opportunity and got on with the times, finally opting an FF drivetrain on their then-latest P70-series Starlets. It was at this generation where "sporty" became a main emphasis on the Starlet's design and engineering concept. The introduction of the sporty "Si Limited" trim brought about many eyes with it's cutting edge technology and sports-oriented nature, a first for Toyota's affordable compact. However, in 1986, the term became redefined with the unveiling of their bonkers Turbo S and R models. Basically an overpowered nugget with an average sized turbocharger forced down its throat, the Starlet Turbo increased the level of performance Toyota would not have thought imaginable for their run-of-the-mill economy compact.
A new generation of fast hatchbacks emerged afterwards; Mitsubishi slammed the table with their hit Mirage Cyborg Turbos, and Honda re-wrote the rule books with their game-changing EF9 Civic SiRs. Suffice to say, the Starlet Turbo created a competitive class for small-time Japanese compact cars. A first of its kind, and no longer was it considered to be bottom-of-the-pile low, as it could hold off a fight on its own. In 1989, Toyota re-configured the Starlet for the second time and unleashed the P80-series. Considered to be the peak of Starlet fandom, this new generation Starlet was a lot less boxier and a lot more rounder than its predecessor, with Toyota hoping that it could attract the likes of beach bum hotties for its subtly cute and chubby demeanor. Opting for a tamer design does not mean that the Starlet had lost its charm however. The peppy 12-valve 2E engines are now put to sleep in favor of a more powerful, more sophisticated 16-valve 4E engine. A slightly larger displacement, enforced with a double overhead cam design, not only made the new engine much more torque-conscious, but also giving it considerable power increases from the previous single-cam 2E. With the twincam design offering enhanced breathability and power linearity, the use of a turbocharger wasn't far off, and alas, the Starlet Turbo family went on, now with the new up and coming hotshot named as the Starlet "GT" Turbo.
The new 4E engine turned out to be a treat. Using the base of the Gi's electronically fuel-injected 4E-FE. Toyota re-worked the naturally aspirated unit with a reinforced bottom end consisting of lower compression pistons, stronger connecting rods and crankshaft to help withstand whatever additional air is put into the tiny four-pot. The head was slightly revised to allow higher lift on the intake camshafts as well as the addition of reinforced valve springs, all in the name of durability, power, and most importantly, torque. As of a turbo itself, it was a small diameter Toyota CT9 turbocharger plumbed to a top-mounted air-to-air intercooler. The previous generation, notorious for its oh-so-80s turbo lag, became the main areas to improve upon with the 4E-FTE by bringing in a revised system with improved turbine design and better technology, in which was undoubtedly it's "2-Mode Turbo" system. Carried over and improved from the previous EP71 Turbos, the system works by having a switch between HI and LO, in "LO", the ECU sends a signal to a solenoid attached behind the turbine to electronically control the amount of air going through a by-pass pipe with the use of an actuator. The actuator's diaphragm opens, and air moves in two ways, lowering the pressure of the turbocharger (0.4 bar, 125PS for LO mode) and in turn decreasing power for the sake of improving response. in "HI", the actuator closes, creating a one-way high pressure passage for the exhaust gases to flow, hence in turn causing boost pressure to increase (up to 0.65 bar, 135PS) and letting all hell break loose.
Its interior doesn't give you any surprises. Not as well thought of as a JZS155 Crown, but not as bland and cheaply made either. It's simply enough. With all the basic necessities that you'll need in a high performance turbocharged three-door. fabric carpets, fabric door inserts, and fabric Recaro LX semi buckets with special Starlet inset striping is all the luxury you can ever get in one of these. The dash is awfully generic, without much to see either, quite similar to a downgraded AE101 dashboard. The speedometer does give you a hint of "fast boy racer" intentions with the coned red zone filling up the last one quarters of the RPM counter. The steering wheel, three spokes, but not as racey as would a Momo Lancer Evolution III wheel would compare. It's simply not a car which you would really think much about the interior. However, what it lacks in interior, kind of makes up for it in handling and overall driving experience. A front mounted MacPherson strut and a simple, yet outdated torsion beam design for the rear made for some wild handling characteristics, especially considering that the GT only ran in 175-section tires with 14-inch wheels. The insufficient traction capabilities, combined with a body that weighs next to nothing (790 kilograms to be exact), and a 135PS turbocharged 4-cylinder, made the EP82 GTs notorious for wheelspin in first and second gears on "HI" boost. Even with the help of the Celsior-sourced TEMS suspension system (now with a damper adjustment setting of "Soft", "Mid", and "Hard", all of which are self explanatory) many owners tend to note the nervousness of the GT's tail when pushed to extreme limits, in part due to its feather light body weight, describing the sensation similar to the EF8 CR-X's scary lift-off oversteer.
Despite the imbalance of power, weight, and handling which caused what could be considered as a "scared shitless" experience by many owners. The EP82 Starlets still became the choice car for many budget-cut teenagers wanting the sense of thrill and excitement as was a higher grade Sprinter Trueno or Civic SiR with about ¥400,000 left to spare. A test conducted by Best Motoring demonstrated just how devastating the GT Turbo can be with a few light modifications, as the wee nugget completely decimated the likes of and Civic SiRs, famous entries of the well-loved "Tenroku テンロク" class cars. In fact, it outdid itself by managing to both outrun a Pulsar GTi-R and stick to the rear bumper of an S13 generation Nissan Silvia K's, a fan favorite of many Japanese FR sports aficionados. The immense capabilities of the EP82 shone even further with boy racers alike, managing to outclass bigger, badder competitors on Sunday Cups, gymkhana events, and dirt trials without breaking even the slightest sweat. It's proven potential, coupled with a ever-growing loyal fanbase, was what ultimately made the EP82 Starlet a definite top pick among many sport compact car enthusiasts. Amateur racers wanting to taste the rigors of professional motorsport can also take participance on Starlet one make cups. Similar in concept with Civic and Mirage one make racing series', where identical cars of the same make and model with similar modifications get pitted against one another in a battle for skill to see who emerges victorious. Still to this day, the one make cups continue strong, although it is relatively underdog when compared to the booming rise of Civic one make races.
In 1996, the EP82 was finally put to rest and replaced by the EP91 Starlets. Based off the new P90-series Starlets and this time being named as the "Glanza", the EP91 brought about more power and fixed the underlying "rodeo horse" handling issue and insufficient traction found in the EP82. The EP71-originated MacPherson strut and torsion beam combo still remained however, but now with a much stronger body adopting additional reinforcements throughout key parts of the chassis, particularly around the B-pillar and roof areas. Toyota's turbo 4E engine was still put into good use with the EP91, now bumped to 145PS, a 10PS increase over the EP82's 135PS thanks to a revised turbocharger design specifically focusing on the shape of the turbine wheel. Finally, by the turn of the millenium, the long history of the Starlet came to a peaceful, heartwarming close, ending an almost 40-year long run of cheap, affordable, and most importantly, fun cars to the likes of young enthusiasts and the budget minded. In it's replacement was the Toyota Vitz, which later became the Toyota Yaris in later years. Still keeping the same affordable, cheap, and fun factor of what made the original Starlet cars such a hit in the first place. In recent times, Toyota unveiled their newest GR Yaris hot hatch, a konky turbocharged 3-cylinder, four-wheel-drive beast of a hatchback grown from the rigors of rallying know-how, although it may seem to be an indirect successor, but it is with no doubt that the GR Yaris pays homage to the original Starlet Turbos, minus the "cheap and affordable" part unfortunately. Do you fancy in owning one of these nuggets? The reader shall decide.
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