Amanda Nulty’s modified Toyota Starlet KP61
It’s not a handbag car,” Amanda tells us. To be fair, she didn’t have to. We guessed as much after the 23-year- old Irish beauty gave it large with a few burnouts in one of the coolest retro cars we’ve ever seen.
Nothing quite beats the sight of a stunning girl with a well-sorted car. But when a modded ride has actually been crafted by the babe herself, it becomes a whole new level of sexy, especially when she can drive it better than most blokes!
“I blame my Aunt Geraldine and my Dad,” Amanda grins. “My Aunt used to race hot rods and take me with her when I was a kid, plus my Dad took me to rallies. There was no hope for me really!”
When Amanda was old enough to drive, her first weapon was a Peugeot 306, which she still has! “It seems I’m good at buying cars but not so good at selling,” she laughs. One look at her driveway proves she’s not joking either. As well as the 306, Amanda has a Sierra, a twin-cam Corolla AE86, a daily driver EP71 Starlet and, of course, the slightly awesome KP61 Starlet.
The Jap-import KP was added to the collection around three years ago and although it was interesting and unusual, the original tired red and black colour scheme did it no favours. Amanda could see past this though and got to work.
The Fresh Midnight purple paintjob was first, expertly applied by Oriel Auto Specialists. Amanda went on to mess around with other bits like wheels and coilovers, but it wasn’t until 2011 when her initial vision became reality.
This was mostly to do with finding the perfect Hayashi rims and getting the suspension right. Rare TRD items were sourced for the rear, while up front an AE86 set-up was used, including Tokico shocks, T3 top mounts and Cusco NRCAs, to give that wicked negative camber.
In terms of performance, the 1.3 4K-U lump has been treated to a high-lift cam as well as a ported and polished head. Twin Mikuni carbs are bolted on and a spunky Martelius manifold mated to a modified AE86 RSR exhaust, helps it to breathe.
The interior still has to be tidied up in the rear, but the custom cage, Nardi steering wheel, sticker-bombed dash, AE92 seat and that crazy Coke bottle gearknob all combine for awesomeness.
Other than the paint, Amanda left the body as it was. Luckily, that includes those funky wing mirrors that really make an impact. The car looks the nuts, especially from the front.
“The KP has turned out exactly how I imagined it would,” Amanda tells us, “that’s why I love it so much.” So do we Amanda, and we love seeing a gorgeous girl with a genuine interest and talent in modifying cars.
STYLING
Midnight Purple respray; high wing mirrors.
TUNING
4k-U with twin Mikuni carbs; ported and polished head; high lift cam, Martelius four-branch into an AE86 RSR mid and rear section modified to fit; DIY Jap rice milk oil catch can.
CHASSIS
Converted to AE86 suspension up front with Tokico HTS adjustable stroke shocks; Cusco NCRAs and T3 top mounts; rear has TRD KP61 rear springs and short stroke shocks; front strut brace; AE86 brakes with project MU pads and discs in front, Hayashi Street wheels 8.5×13-inch on the rear and 7.5×13-inch front; 175/50×13 Dunlop sport 2000 tyres.
INTERIOR
Full bolt-in roll-cage; partially stripped-out interior; AE92 driver’s seat and a standard ‘granddad’ spec passenger seat; Nardi steering wheel; SI KP61 clocks; Retro tape deck; coke bottle gearknob; sticker-bombed dash.