Throwback: Classic Corolla with Modern Lexus V8 Power
The Lexus' IS F has been gone for a while now, but it lives on in spirit in this beautiful classic Toyota Corolla.
Restomod Perfection
Since its inception, enthusiasts have essentially worshiped Lexus' naturally-aspirated 5.0-liter V8. That engine lives on today, but unfortunately not in the Lexus IS F. But it is the motor that powers this pristine, restored 1969 Toyota Corolla owned by Javier Quirós and built by renowned racer and tuner Ryan Millen. Even better, the folks at MotorTrend were even able to take it for a spin recently.
Photos: MotorTrend
Feeling Nostalgic
Quirós' father started Toyota's fourth-oldest distributor in the world, first importing vehicles into Costa Rica back in the 1970s. He even went so far as to swap a Rambler American V8 into a '67 Corolla, a car that the younger Quirós eventually bought and drove. He sold it three years later and eventually found himself trying to locate it, with no success.
Powerful and Reliable
Thus, the obvious alternative was to create his own version of a V8-powered Corolla. But this time around, he wanted something a bit more reliable and more easily repairable. That made the Lexus IS F an obvious choice, along with the fact that it's a Toyota product. Thus, the engine and transmission made its way into the car, but they aren't its only Lexus components.
Lots of Work
Millen also went so far as to fit the entire IS F chassis underneath this old Toyota. As you might imagine, that required a ton of work, including cutting the body in half, making it 11 inches wider and 3 inches longer, and shortening the Lexus chassis by 14 inches. The fenders, front fascia, trunk, and hood were all custom built and fabricated to fit this new layout.
Difficult Build
Millen also sourced parts from all over the place, including a windshield and backlight from a pickup truck, a grille from Japan, and emblems from Spain. "I've built plenty of race cars in my life, but those are way easier to build than this," Millen told MotorTrend. "It's pretty wild when you have the idea of what you want to do and then begin actually doing it."
Fun and Comfy Cruiser
The chassis and drivetrain weren't ripped from some mint IS F, thankfully. Instead, Millen sourced them from a totaled car from California. The entire concept of the build was to construct something that was fun yet comfortable to drive, thus the addition of fully adjustable coilovers. Most everything else is stock, save for a Borla exhaust.
Finished Product
Needless to say, all of Millen's hard work paid off and MotorTrend came away impressed after some time behind the wheel. "It's happy to drift and exit corners at whatever power oversteer angle you wish," testing director Kim Reynolds said. "Very communicative and obviously good power." "Once underway, the engine really comes alive and roars," added Road test editor Chris Walton. "Upshifts were very smooth, though slowish by today's standards. In the end, the acceleration was right on top of an IS F. Fun!"
Pay the Cost
Not that we're surprised by any of that. The IS F is fun enough to drive, and we imagine that shaving some weight only enhances that experience. Unfortunately, if you want your own IS F-powered Corolla, it'll cost you. This one reportedly cost a cool $250,000 to build, in fact. But when you consider the ridiculous amount of work that went into it, that makes perfect sense.
Photos: MotorTrend
Check out the how-to sections of ClubLexus.com for help keeping your car in great shape.