Page 68 - MotorTrend (March 2020)
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FIRST TEST  I  1969 Toyota Corolla IS F V-8


                        hat is this thing?                of a V-8 engine and the swift shifting of a
                          I ask myself this as I delib-   modern eight-speed automatic. This car
                        erately drive the speed limit     has definite head-turning appeal.
                        in an immaculately restored         So what is it?
           W 1969 Toyota Corolla up Inter-                  Its official name is the 1969 Toyota
            state 15 toward Victorville, California.      Corolla IS F V-8. The more complicated
            From the outside, this looks to be a          answer is that it’s a restored first-gen
            pristine vintage Corolla. But a closer look   Corolla with a 2010 Lexus IS F power-
            reveals so much more.                         train and chassis. That alone should arch
              The first clue are the wide fender           your eyebrows. But it’s the story behind it   Costa Rica. Back in the ’70s, Costa Ricans
            flares that give it a more muscular look.      that truly matters.                           enjoyed racing around a soccer stadium,
            Toyota connoisseurs with eagle eyes             Racer and tuner Ryan Millen, whose          but Toyota cars were always left in the
            will then notice that this Corolla is a bit   brother Rhys is known for being a top         dust. Having access to both automakers,
            wider and longer than when it rolled          competitor in drifting, built this piece of   Xavier had the idea of putting a Rambler
            out of the factory. Peering inside, its       art for Javier Quirós, a well-known Costa     American Scrambler V-8 in a 1967 Corolla.
            push-start button, Lexus infotainment         Rican businessman. His father, Xavier         The engine swap didn’t help the Toyota
            system, and sporty seats are by no            Quirós Oreamuno, started Toyota’s             at all, but after the car was retired, Javier
            means from the year of Woodstock.             fourth-oldest distributor in the world.       bought it and drove it every day on the
                     Then, from under the vintage         That’s where the back story starts.           streets of San José while in college.
                          sheetmetal, comes the             Xavier started his business importing         “It was the worst!” Javier said. “The
                                   deep, throaty note     American Motors and Toyota cars into          cabin smelled like fumes all the time, and










           M E R G I N G












            WORDS MIGUEL CORTINA
            PHOTOGRAPHS ROBIN TRAJANO





















































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