 Erin's Black 1994 Toyota GT Starlet has been a slow buildup over the time but the results have been very rewarding with her producing one of the tidiest Black quad headlight Starlets in the country and now with even more power to backup the looks. Owner: Erin May
Age: 22
Occupation: Visual Merchandiser / Interior Designer
Marital Status: Boyfriend
Favourite Pastimes: Painting, Drawing, Airbrushing, anything to do with Art. Waterskiing and going to the beach
Previous performance cars you've owned (year/make/model) and how they compare to your starlet: This is my first personally owned car. Before the Starlie I had my parents Suzuki Sierra and Suzuki Swift, how do they compare?? Well the Sierra did better burnouts: P (around corners anyway) I have however driven other performance cars on a regular basis and I find the Starlet the most comfortable to drive because of its size and surprising power. Make: Toyota
Model: EP82 GT Starlet
Year: 1994
Colour: Black
1/4 Mile Best Time: N/A
Power: My car was dynoed at UniGroup where the gearbox seized on its first power run, so I got a reading of 89.9kw or thereabouts at 10psi. I have not since used a dyno!
Why did you choose a starlet?
I was driving down Parramatta Rd looking at cars, and I’d had a “thing” for imports for a while, I always have to be different. I was eyeing off a GTiR at first, but couldn’t afford the $25 000 price tag! I had seen few starlets around and knew little about them, I wasn’t a huge fan of them till I stumbled across a Quaddie on the way back from looking at the GTiR! I pulled into the car yard and drooled over it for ages! I said to myself “I’m going to get that car” knowing very well I couldn’t afford the $17 000 as I was still studying! With 3 months study left to go, I got myself a full time job and went back to the car yard… it was still sitting there!! I knew it was for me… $500 deposit later I had myself a GT for $16 000 in January of 2002.
What were your main aims?
My main priority was to be different, and to have a car that was really unusual, especially for a girl. I wanted to show people that girls are just as knowledgeable about cars as guys! I also wanted to be quick… not super fast, but quicker than your average hatch.
Engine Details
2 ½ Inch Trust exhaust and Trust muffler ADVAN PERFORMANCE
GFB BOV
Turbosmart Fuel Cut defender
K&N pod filter installed by me - re-installed by Beau
Intercooler standards top mount but looking for FMIC
Standard Computer
Standard CT9 turbo running at 7psi
Wheels & Tyres
17 inch chrome Diablo Racers
Falken Tyres 40 series
Suspension
Standard shocks
Lowered Whiteline springs
Brakes:
Standard
Interior
Momo Silverjet Series steering wheel
Conrero gearknob (titanium)
Conrero boot (this stuff is actually spacesuit material!!)
Conrero handbrake lever
Conrero pedals
The silver parts on the dash etc were painted by me with a flexible self levelling paint and a good paintbrush - it gives a brushed aluminium effect
Stereo/Security
Sony Stealth head unit (black face)
Kenwood 3 way speakers that came with the car from Japan - the Kenwood signs light up!
12” Sony Explod sub
Various amplifiers that I swap between
Full immobiliser and alarm
Exterior
Ricey wish lists, professionally plastered on by me
No bodywork as yet
Problems/Challenges/Build Time
2 weeks after purchasing the car, the turbo was making a screaming noise. Turned out the rear main seal had gone. It was fixed under the 3 month warranty along with a new clutch. As said before, my gearbox seized and therefore had to be rebuilt. I had several problems with the rebuild and am still experiencing problems with 5th gear. I will eventually source a new gearbox and replace it. I had the clutch replaced again with the rebuild. I have replaced the standard CT9 turbo with a new CT9 after the original blew. The damage was done due to far too much pressure (17psi) but it was fun while it lasted! I have slowly added this and that since the time I bought the car. A shortage of funds is the main contributor to little modifications, so I just do what I can with the money I have to spare at the time! I am pretty happy with my car, and I wouldn’t swap it for anything.
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