Static Corolla

Has North America changed me? Not something I’d be too concerned in asking very often but it does occasionally cross my mind. Its most certainly contributed to my expanding waistline (Thanks Uber Eats, you convenient bastards!). The true answer is something I’m yet to entirely work out but its definitely broadened my automotive horizons. I’ll be unable to reflect on this fully until I return from my overseas adventures, whenever that may be but car culture here differs greatly to what you’ll find in Ireland.

I don’t mean that in a bad way, theres elements of the community here that we would certainly benefit from back home. Theres also some things I’ve seen here that I would happily rub sandpaper across my eyeballs to forget about. Fortunately, Justins Corolla is not one of those things!

This may be a slight diversification of my normal content but at the same time its a modified Japanese hatchback so? Same same?

Having seen this car for the first time back at the StreetKazoku meet, what first came to my mind was that I hadn’t seen a newer modified Corolla hatch in the flesh before, let alone one wearing two-piece SSRs and that crazy looking rear bash bar. I saw significant increase in cars sporting air suspension when I arrived here and whilst I think bags have there place in modified car culture, I maintain a large appreciation for the mad bastards out there who run their machines an inch off the ground on a set of coilovers.

That was once my outlook and place in this world before I realized the price of shipping fiberglass body kits from Japan!

I’ve seen all sorts of modified vehicles roaming around since I landed here but few make me double take and begin to take in the smaller details.

Again, like Callaghans E36, this car holds the title of both weekend car and daily driver. Something which, having ridden in the passenger seat of both cars, is safely reserved for people under the age of 25. Safe to say the anxiety of smashing OEM Toyota bumpers alongside my near-30 year old back were not too keen to daily another lowered machine, E36 Wagon aside, of course.

I can appreciate this car for what it is and I know its currently in many pieces as Justin works on V2 for 2024. Expect to see some updates on this next year!