test
Dean Hanano's 1974 Toyota RA21 Celica is a rare JDM classic packing an 18RG engine, dual Mikuni carbs, and custom builds that turn heads everywhere it goes.
Jessica Castillo's 1974 Toyota Celica features aqua metallic gold pearl paint, 22RTE turbo, T3 suspension, Sharak X-1X wheels—a tribute build to her late father in Murrieta California.
Brian Karasawa's 1977 Toyota Celica Liftback features classic SJ Style, 2R/22R hybrid motor, Hayashi Racing wheels, House of Kolor sunset pearl paint, and 20 years of dedication to build.
Alejandro Gonzalez's 1975 Toyota Celica: 40 years of ownership, former SCCA DSP autocrosser, Mikuni carbs, Dodger Blue paint, middle school teacher's family heirloom and trifecta build.
Romy Tabora Jr.'s 1969 Toyota Corolla Sprinter features 4AGE 16-valve engine, Weber 45 DCOE carburetors, weighs 1600 lbs, and represents 15 years of dedication to classic Toyota builds.
Carlos Castillo's 1977 Toyota Celica features 22RE swap, Techno Toy Tuning coilovers, custom 70s race livery by NLAB Wraps, and built by organizer of yearly 1st Gen Celicas event.
Read Zachary Domingo’s journey in transforming his 1987 Toyota Corolla. Learn about his inspirations, unique modifications, and advice for car enthusiasts.
I have had an 86 Honda Civic Si, 77 BMW 320i, and 85 Chevy truck, and even took a 1970 Suburban to England for 3 years. The Suburban was the first real “build” that I started.
1981 Yellow 2JZ Turbo setup Corolla, a modified classic with power
If I was asked what makes my car unique I’d say that I’ve never seen an old Corolla like mine that had been modernized. These cars have always been stock or Oem plus when I see them but never like this. It’s like a 7-year-olds imagination comes to life.
My first car ended up being a 95 Honda Prelude because that was given to me by my parents. Fast forward a year or 2, I was introduced to the AE86 by Papa Gushi who owned Gushi Auto. I was first attracted to it by its vintage boxy look with pop up headlights.
Luckily for me, two of my import car industry friends who were AE86 experts came to my rescue, namely Sean Igawa of Munkey Wurks Garage and Lawrence Ojas of Intec Racing/Silk Road USA. With a few additional JDM companies getting onboard with my last-minute SEMA build project, my AE86 finally made its debut at the 2004 SEMA Show.
I might be one of the few that didn't get into AE86s because of Initial D. I just always had been attracted to the AE86. Something about the pop-up headlights and subtle body lines, RWD, manual, hatchback, coupe option and it was a Toyota? Love from the beginning.
This Levin had already been mildly customized with Advan A3A wheels, suspension and exhaust but just like every other car I've owned, I wanted to personalize it for me. I wanted to bring back that memory of my first ride as a teenager in a GTS. This meant I would leave the interior relatively stock and make some exterior modifications with JDM inspiration.
Listening to a V8 engine rumble to four-cylinder engines scream. But there was one particular engine that had a very notable sound. It buzzed and loped and at higher revs, it sounded like a lawnmower on steroids. That is the reason why I got into the Rotary Engine.
In all honesty, I was a Nissan guy at first. But it wasn’t till I actually bought a USDM version of this car that made me fall in love with corollas. It’s that old cliché saying. You know it’s the one when you drive it for the first time. What attracted me to this car was my very first D1GP event back in 2004.
The Crown was completely stock and super clean! Engine is a stock 7MGE, 3 litre twin cam straight - 6. The same unit we had in the mk3 Toyota Supra.
