What was once a common sight, is now a once-in-a-year kind of deal, if you’re lucky. While there was a time where these were everywhere on Irish roads, it felt almost surreal watching the two cars drive to our shoot location not long after Christmas Day last year. One person that ‘gets’ them is a friend of mine, Sean Hennessy, who reckons he’s owned around 27 Toyota Starlets over the years, including both the EP82 and EP71 photographed here. They might be niche, but they’re also the unsung heroes of Japan. However, they would become notorious and have since almost been completely blacklisted by the majority of companies here.Įven today, the acronym ‘JDM’ conjures images of S-bodies, RX-7s and the like, but so often we overlook cars like this. At this point in time, motor insurance was normally based on engine size, so with just 1.3-litres, the Starlet turbos were hugely popular with young drivers, as Irish insurance companies weren’t really aware of their performance levels at the time. Particularly popular in EP82 GT Turbo and EP91 Glanza V variants, the little Toyotas became renowned in Ireland for their tuning potential. The streets were filled with more affordable Honda Type Rs, AE86s, and perhaps most of all, the humble turbocharged Toyota Starlet. While cars like the Supra, GT-R and NSX might have been the Japanese poster cars of the late ’90s and early ’00s, the reality on the ground here was a little different. At first, it was just run-of-the-mill commuter vehicles, but people quickly started to realise the potential of JDM performance models, too. We are particularly lucky in Ireland to share the same side of the road and car as Japan, so naturally a lot of Japanese used exports made their way onto our shores. It’s a form of car culture that has made its way into every country around the globe, in one form or another. To be fair, most months here could be considered Japan-themed, but that’s more to do with the incredible influence JDM car culture has on the world. The only problem with celebrating a Japan-themed month on Speedhunters is that it’s just another reminder that I don’t live there.
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