Rafael’s 1980 Toyota Corolla

Photos: Sonia Broman

What’s your name and what do you do for a living?
Rafael Mercado. I’m an automotive technician.

Can you introduce your car to us—year, model, and what’s under the hood?
It’s a 1980 Toyota Corolla SR5 Liftback, powered by the legendary 2JZ-GTE.

What drew you to the Corolla SR5 for a build like this?
It was actually my third Toyota—I just wanted to build something different this time.

Tell us about the drag setup—how far did you take it?
It’s a 3.0L inline-six with a single turbo and a 150hp shot of nitrous.

What was the first serious mod you did? What changed after that?
Swapping the original 4-cylinder for a 6-cylinder gave me a few hundred more horsepower and a ton more torque. It changed everything.

Did you build it to race, show, or just go wild with it?
Mainly for local meetups and car shows. I wanted it to turn heads.

What’s the story behind the wheelie bars? Are they just for looks?
Nope, after dropping in the 2JZ, the torque was insane. The car actually lifted 5–6 feet off the ground.

How does it feel behind the wheel?
Amazing!!!!

Any detail you added just for yourself—not for the crowd?
Yeah, a small hood scoop from a turbo Nissan 300ZX. Just a personal touch.

What kind of reactions do you get when people see it?
Lots of people taking pics, giving thumbs up—it gets a ton of love.

Do you run it at the track, or is it more of a street legend?
Started as a track car, but now it’s a full-blown street beast.

What do you usually keep in the trunk? Anything unexpected?
Just cleaning supplies, haha. I’m big on keeping it spotless.