1969 Toyota Corolla ISF V-8

December 4, 2019 Joseph Dale 1363 Views

Saw this thing come across this on my FB feed, and had to share! An amazing build by Ryan Millen. The car is a 1969 Toyota Corolla, not only is it powered by a Lexus ISF drivetrain, it has been completely transformed inside with the full interior and creature comforts.

We are constantly bombarded with over the top builds that never seem complete. So refreshing to see something like this being built. Hope we see more Japanese classics get this resto-mod treatment.

See the full article at Motortrend.com

Its official name is the 1969 Toyota Corolla IS F V-8. The more complicated answer is that it’s a restored first-generation Corolla with a 2010 Lexus IS F powertrain and chassis.

That alone should arch your eyebrows. But it’s the story behind it that truly matters.

Racer and tuner Ryan Millen, whose brother Rhys is known for being a top competitor in drifting, built this piece of art for Javier Quirós, a well-known Costa Rican businessman whose father, Xavier Quirós Oreamuno, started Toyota’s fourth-oldest distributor in the world. That’s where the back story starts.

Xavier started his business importing American Motors and Toyota cars into Costa Rica. Back in the 70s, Costa Ricans enjoyed racing around a soccer stadium, but Toyota cars were always left in the dust. Having access to both automakers, Xavier had the brilliant idea of putting a Rambler American Scrambler V-8 in a 1967 Corolla. The engine swap didn’t help Toyota at all, and after the car was retired Javier bought it and drove it every day on the streets of San José when he attended college.

“It was the worst!” Javier told MotorTrend. “The cabin smelled like fumes all the time, and it was really uncomfortable to drive.” After three years, the car was sold.

Over the past few years, a nostalgic Javier had been looking to retrieve his father’s car from the junkyard of history.

Unsuccessful in his quest, Javier decided to create his own version—this time with Millen’s help, and with a different approach. Millen didn’t want to re-create the exact same vehicle, given its high costs and hard-to-get-parts. Quirós also wanted the car to be as reliable and as easy to fix as possible. And because the Lexus IS F came with a reliable V-8, Millen proposed to have a 1969 Corolla body married to a 2010 IS F chassis and powertrain. What started as a dream for both quickly became a 12-month project for Millen.

The result is this one-of-one 1969 Toyota Corolla with a 5.0-liter engine that sends an eye-popping 416 hp and 371 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic. Even today, a modern-era, top-spec Corolla doesn’t make even close to half that kind of power.