Durban - The Toyota Corolla has become one
of the most familiar sights on the road, both locally and abroad. Its popularity surged in the 1980s, a period which helped forge its reputation for being practical, dependable and efficient.
Then the mid-1980s saw the 'fun factor' added to the Corolla's list of impressive attributes, by way of the twincam, 1.6-litre,16-valve 4A-GE engine, with cylinder head developed by Yamaha, that turned the mild-mannered Corolla, Conquest and Avante into savage street racers.
Marianhill's Adrian Naicker, 24, a technical assistant at a local non-profit organisation, is the owner of this one, an awesome 1986 Toyota Corolla GLi Twincam 16-valve.
Asked about his hobbies and interests, Naicker replied: “In my spare time I like customising things on my cars. I'm a hands-on guy and failure is never an option.”
1.6-litre 4A-GE breathes in through a ported cylinder head and out through a 'banana branch' mated to a 67mm Brospeed free-flow system.
His Corolla Twincam 16-valve boasts a 96kw Bluetop spec motor that's been rebored to 1mm oversize, with a ported cylinder head, stage II camshafts, and a four-into-two-into-one 'banana branch' exhaust manifold mated to a 67mm Brospeed free-flow exhaust system.
Naicker kept the suspension of his “Twincam” fairly standard, other than installing top and bottom strut braces for improved roadholding, together with a set of Lenso Concept 5 super-light 7.5J racing wheels (wides and narrows), shod with Pirelli 205/40/17 radials.
Minimalist interior is near stock, apart from XTC head unit; Naicker focuses his efforts (and his finances) under the bonnet.
This car features a minimalist sound installation, no more than an XTC head unit wired to the car's obviously well-maintained, original factory-installed speakers.
“The car was my older brother's," explained Naicker, "and was passed down to me eight years ago. I've worked hard to get it where it is today.”
But he wouldn't say how much he'd spent on it.