After years of tough decisions and hard work, Chris
Abela has finally found the sweet spot of what’s considered acceptable when it
comes to modifying classic cars with his sleeper ’76 Corolla.
In order to tackle the considerable amount of extra power
now on tap, he needed a much stronger differential that allowed for some
occasional tail-happy fun, but that mainly kept everything in check to create a
fast road weapon. Luckily, diff expert and good friend Joey was on hand,
recommending that a Ford ‘Atlas’ rear axle from a Capri would be a safe bet.
These sturdy axles are renowned to be able to handle substantial amounts of
power with little fuss, so after sourcing an old Capri from a scrap yard the
other side of Malta, they began the daunting task of fettling the hefty unit to
fit the smaller dimensions of the Corolla. It’s taken some fine tuning, but
Joey’s handiwork has impressed Chris, who tells us power delivery is fantastic,
even on some of Malta’s famously unrefined roads: “The ride is quite stiff, but
when you open it up, the power delivery feels brilliant,” he grins proudly.
The ride is quite
stiff, but when you open it up, the power delivery feels brilliant,” he grins
proudly.
Using the entire braking system from a second-generation
Celica was the result of one of Chris’ finer moments of madness, after
receiving a tip off that this car proved to be a good donor for uprated parts.
The front lowering springs came from the same Celica, adapted to fit with some
modern performance shocks. Both common upgrades for Corolla owners of the era,
these clever touches only add to the authenticity of Chris’ build, and have so
far proved more than adequate on the pocket-sized coupé.
Choosing the rims
to cover the period-accurate brakes could have been the tipping point in the
styling department, with the temptation of fitting ultra-light, modern alloy
wheels understandably strong on a practicality basis.
Choosing the rims to cover the period-accurate brakes could
have been the tipping point in the styling department, with the temptation of
fitting ultra-light, modern alloy wheels understandably strong on a
practicality basis. But thankfully, Chris put himself back in the mindset of a
’70s tuner before settling on a set of deliciously retro, bang-on
accurate-to-the-era 14” SSR wheels. Check out images of old-skool Japanese
racers and you’ll soon realise that these were the wheels to have on your J-Tin
at the time, the small diameter, subtle dish and inoffensive mesh style being low-profile
enough to allow the gorgeous lines of the coupé to speak for themselves.
Realising this car was now irreplaceable, both in terms of
sentimental value and due to the huge list of custom parts that so much time
had excruciatingly been spent fettling to perfection, Chris figured that he
could justify continuing to add his unique stamp by spraying the bodywork in
his favourite colour. Although not in keeping with Toyota, or even the era of
the car, no one can deny that the Peugeot Miami blue works a real treat, its
deep, metallic sheen complementing the retro lines of the coupé beautifully,
from the stubby front grille through to the distinct kinked rear windows.
After a brief fling with some modern Sparco bucket seats,
Chris switched to a set of timeless Corbeau Classics, finished in the same
vinyl material that helped to define the style of the ’70s. These retro chairs
seem at home in the otherwise fairly standard interior, helping to create the
ultimate street sleeper car when taken on by unsuspecting modern metal.
With one of the most raw, stunning and fastest
third-generation Corollas now in his proud possession, Chris can enjoy his
favourite car for several more years. Although he admits it only really ever
comes out on a Sunday, that doesn’t stop him testing the limits of the
phenomenal engine that so much time and attention has been spent on. When asked
how it drives, he merely replied “sideways” with a knowing smile, explaining
that it likes to wag its tail at the lightest touch of the throttle. And we’re
not surprised. With over double the intended power packed into the flyweight
package that manages to stay well under a tonne, combined with the inspiring
noise of the throaty carbs and whining gearbox, it’s the ultimate drive on the
Maltese back roads.
The ideas and themes that have helped shape this Corolla
prove that sometimes the winning formula results from enhancing what is already
great about a car, rather than drastically modernising and rethinking every
aspect from scratch. Crucially, Chris has maintained the magical ’70s spirit
that was present when his Corolla left Japanese shores almost 40 years ago,
allowing it to wear its coveted SR badges with pride.
Crucially, Chris
has maintained the magical ’70s spirit that was present when his Corolla left
Japanese shores almost 40 years ago, allowing it to wear its coveted SR badges
with pride.
