I wanna be a Starlet???

I know, I know.. Youíve had a quick look through the pictures and thought, "What the hell are those Starlet pics doing here?"

Well, fear not, this is the new ride of Dion Casey. Dion previously owned an í86 Turbo CXT, and as a part of the deal to run a feature, he asked if we

would include a couple of pics of his starlet (After much arm twisting we reluctantly agreed...damn Toyotas - Ed.) For those that donít know, the Starlet is actually based

on the Charade, using the same floor pan. Toyota bought Daihatsu a number of years ago, and as such, many of Toyotasí smaller cars now end up with Daihatsu parts in them. So, I guess in the end, itís only fair that we have a look at the Starlet. In the get up and go department Dion has added a Toyota Paseo intake manifold, Paseo extractors and a Paseo inlet cam! (Why not just buy a Paseo? Ed.) The standard airfilter has been replaced with the

customary Ram Pod air filter and a 2-inch mandrel bend exhaust helps to get the nasties out. The car has been lowered 3 inches to fix the 4WD stance and itís legs have been replaced with a nice set of 15x7 CSA wheels. As you can see in the pics a custom-made nudge bar has been fitted (Maybe the 4WD stance should have been left alone? Ed.) and custom graphics help to set the rest of the mood externally. Internally a customised interior includes a 4 point harnesses and SAAS steering wheel. Tinted windows with 20% tint help to keep the rays out and following the tinted theme are tinted headlights and taillights. Without going into too much detail it also has a big sound system (with the funky steering column control). Just what Dion means by big, should perhaps be left up to the imagination.

Dionsí old ride was an 86 turbo (CXT) Charade. Dion was bitten by the modification bug and the Charade was soon far from stock. Starting externally the Charade was black and to add that special touch the wheels, wipers, mirrors and grille, where all given a lavish coat of Fluro Red! Now, the CXT was no slouch, but Dion felt it could do with a few more readies under the hood. A 3 inch mandrel

bend exhaust provided the necessary ingredients for removing the gases, but what about the rest of the engine? Well, a performance cam and re-jetted carbi helped
the get up and go. The final touch was to mess with the turbo. After all, who can resist messing with a turbo charger? (Certainly not me! Ed.) The turbos boost was adjustable between 6 and 17psi. Internally, a boost gauge helped to keep an eye on things under the bonnet. But why stop there? Four point RPM harnesses, 14 speaker CD stereo, shortened shifter and to keep the gear box in
shape, a rally clutch. The car did a 13.68 at Eastern Creek, but spilt a piston with about 20 meters to go!! In the end Dion opted for a new a car, which as youíve just heard is now a Toyota Starlet? A good decision?

Well, ask a Charade owner, and I think you know what the answer will be. NO!