10 things people forgot about the Toyota Starlet GT Turbo

The Toyota Starlet GT Turbo was Toyota’s pocket rocket from the 1990s.

Everyone talks about Skylines, Evos, Imprezas, NSXs and so on when it comes to ’90s JDM legends because these iconic models played a huge role in shaping the automotive landscape and JDM culture we see today.

From their appearances in iconic PlayStation games to the influx of aftermarket parts and tuning, it’s safe to say that the incredible influence of Japanese car culture has reached almost every corner of the planet in one way or another, and it’s all thanks to these cars that have now become game-changers.

While these Japanese cars from the 90s were examples of Japanese culture until the early 2000s, there are also many underrated Japanese cars that were built during those golden years that also deserve their due recognition.

One of them was Toyota’s pocket rocket of the 90s, the Starlet GT Turbo. It’s time to take a trip back in time and hear some interesting facts about this fun turbocharged hatchback from Toyota.

So let’s get to know 10 characteristic things about this little Japanese legend that is on the verge of disappearing these days.

So that the old may remember and the young may learn

10. The father of YARIS

Toyota’s most famous hot hatch in modern times, the GR Yaris, was born from a series of hatchbacks that began with the Starlet in 1973. It wasn’t until 1986 that a high-performance Starlet was released in the Turbo S variant, which we’ll talk about later.

1999 was the last year the Starlet was sold as Toyota’s subcompact hatchback. It was then succeeded for the new millennium by the Toyota Vitz/Yaris, which had two generations of the sporty RS/T-Sport version that preceded the GR Yaris.

9. Popularity in the JDM scene

Like other major JDM cars of the 90s, the Toyota Starlet had a lot of potential for increased performance mainly due to its turbocharged engine, which could produce more power with a few targeted interventions.

Furthermore, some Toyota enthusiasts would commonly swap the Starlet’s engine as an easy power mod with the larger EE90/EE100/EE110 Corollas, as both shared Toyota’s small-displacement E-series engines at the time.

Fortunately for us here in Greece there weren’t many such examples and they usually opted for the turbocharged engine upgrade.

8. Third generation: EP71 Turbo S

The third generation Starlet was the first model to switch to front-wheel drive in 1986 and with it came a high-performance variant called the Turbo S.

It had the 2E-TELU 1.3-liter 12-valve SOHC dual-mode turbo engine with 105 horsepower and 11.5 lb-ft of torque, which had plenty of punch in the mid-range and easily moved the 725kg car!!.

7. TEMS

Back in the JDM era of the 90s, a lot of advanced automotive technology trickled down to even their entry-level cars. One example is the Toyota Starlet, which featured Toyota’s 90s active suspension called TEMS. Basically, Toyota’s Electronic Modulated Suspension had two modes that either increased or decreased damping force depending on road conditions, adding a level of ride refinement to the Starlet that can only be found in more expensive luxury vehicles.

6. Fourth Generation: EP82

In 1989, a new Starlet appeared on the Japanese market with a more rounded body style and interior, and received new 16-valve twin-cam engines. This variant of the car’s engine and high-performance models were renamed the Gi and GT Turbo.

These new high-performance models had a different bumper, headlight and taillight design from the standard models. The last GT Turbo model was the most recognizable of this generation of Starlet, with its quad headlight design (QUAD LIGHTS

now hard to find as spare parts) and the integrated air intake in the center of the hood.

5. 4E-FTE ENGINE

Replacing the 2E-TELU was the 4E-FTE, a twin-cam, 16-valve engine that produced 133 horsepower and 116 pound-feet of torque. It is the most powerful E-series engine Toyota has ever built.

It was built exclusively for the Starlet GT Turbo and later the Glanza V, but Toyota enthusiasts often used the 4E-FTE as a popular engine swap for the Corolla, Tercel, and Sera models.

4. GT ADVANCE

There were limited editions of the GT Turbo that were built in the latter part of the fourth generation Starlet model cycle. They were called the GT Limited and GT Advance.

Under the hood it had the same engine, but the limited edition (advance) models had different steering wheel designs and some even had Recaro seats. They also had a factory Toyota rear roof bar, some models had ABS in Japan, and some other lucky models in the series were equipped with a TRD limited slip differential.

3.Fifth generation:: EP91 Glanza V

The last high-performance Starlet was called the Glanza V and replaced the GT Turbo in 1996. It still had the same 4E-FTE engine, but it had a new close-ratio transmission called the C56.

Toyota offered a lightweight version of the Glanza V intended for use in motorsport that lacked air conditioning and had manual windows. But otherwise, the standard Glanza V still put up impressive numbers for its time, officially going from 0 to 62 mph in just 8.2 seconds.

2. Engine Improvements

With its low compression ratio and reinforced internals (not forged engines but with better casting of the components always according to the standards of that time), the Starlet GT Turbo engine could easily handle higher boost pressures without the need for significant reinforcement, a pressure with proper reprogramming and proper peripherals up to 1.2 bar pressure provided safety. A common practice for 4E-FTE enthusiasts is to replace the stock CT9 turbo with the larger TD04 from Subaru or Mitsubishi.

Who among the older generation can not remember the silver GLANZA V of “ANAKIN TUNING GARAGE” a workshop known for its “STARLET nest”

which without interventions in the internals with a pressure of 1.2 bar and properly selected peripherals had produced almost 220HP on the dynamometer and if I remember correctly 30kg torque??

Continuing…..Some even choose to replace the 4E-FTE using the larger 5E block for more power. Combined with the TD04 and when properly implemented with an autonomous engine management conversion, it could reach 200 whp relatively easily.

1.Motor Sport

With its lightweight chassis and turbocharged engine, the Starlet GT Turbo has managed to stand out in a number of races

Toyota now uses the Yaris to compete in the WRC, but back in the 90s, the EP81 had its own place in motorsport history by winning the WRC’s A5 category at the grueling Akro Rallyπολις.

Check out this Old School T-Shirt with the favorite Jdm rocket of the 90’s that we prepared for you.