There is something incredibly awesome about a relatively boring compact car, like this Toyota Starlet, transformed into a high-revving pocket rocket with a motorcycle engine swap. In this case, the KP61 Starlet seen here is powered by a 200 horsepower Suzuki Hayabusa 1.3-liter screamer. That’s the kind of thing this world needs more of.
The car was built specifically to compete in both gravel and tarmac hillclimb events. The first part of the clip shows the car accelerating away from the start of one such event. The remainder of the video is from the car’s recent run at Rod Millen’s Leadfoot Festival.
If you were going to build a motorcycle-powered car, which car would you start with, and what engine would you use?