idriveaclassic's video: IDRIVEACLASSIC reviews: 70s Toyota Starlet 60 series Starlet

For more details on Adrian Flux, check this link: For those who are watching from abroad and prefer text to follow along, here's the walk around section: In last week’s video we looked at the Renault 18 and so it only made sense to go further afield this week over to the land of the rising Sun - Japan - and with that, taking out a car you never see anymore a 60 Series, second generation Toyota Starlet. I don’t know abut you, but when I think about the Starlet I think of the later 90s bubble shape and I had no idea the Starlet had history steeped back into the 70s. The Starlet was initially launched in 1973 but was never initially available in Europe or the UK, which was a bit of a surprise because as the 70s kicked into life, the Japanese car market had really begun to take shape in the UK and the Datsun Cherry was not only being sold - but being welcomed - by buyers previously very much tied to British car brands. In fact, if you watch Youtube footage of some of the UK 70s motor shows, the presenters actually mention how foreign car makers are appearing at a show which 10 years prior would’ve only seen American and British manufacturers. But Toyota noted this change in the European buying market and when the second generation came to market in 1978, they decided to sell further afield. So whilst this car we’re testing today is a second generation Starlet, it is the first generation which was made available to the British buying public. The 60 series, known as such due to the fact the chassis code was KP60 - was badged by Toyota as their entry level car. It also entered a market in the UK whereby it was competing with other superminis of the decade - so whilst it was an entry level car for Toyota, it very much had it’s own place in the car buying market. It was available in both 3 and 5 door body styles with a rear wheel drive set up. For home buyers in Japan, there was one engine choice: the 1.3 litre but for overseas buyers, you could’ve picked from the 1 litre, the 1.1 and the most popular 1.3 which was an upgrade from the previous model which had offered a 1 litre or 1.2 litre engine. The suspension was slightly altered from the first generation and now saw MacPherson strut and coil spring set up at front which was same as predecessor but for the second generation like this car, it went from leaf springs at rear to four link coil spring system. In line with other Toyotas of the same era, disc brakes were standard and in breaking of tradition and a first for Toyota, the car had rack and pinion steering. The trim levels on these were standard, de luxe or DX offering the same spec, GL, XL, S, Si, SE and Lisse. It’s worth noting the Si went beyond trim finish and offered a fuel injected 4K-E engine and the Sprint gave buyers a wealth of extras including 5 speed box, 1.3 engine, different interior, Toyota Sports Handling suspension and the outside trim was clipped rather glued. The car had a facelift in 1980 and then in 1983 which gave it a squarer look to the front, with real vibes of the Triumph Acclaim and was replaced with the 70 series in 1984, coming to UK market in 1985. Now we’ve had a brief bit of history on the Starlet, it’s time to step inside and I’ll show you the dash layout!