1971 Toyota Corolla Has A Turbocharged Mazda Rotary Engine And Spits Flames For Fun

While the 1971 Toyota Corolla exudes old-school JDM charm, this particular TE27-generation Corolla called the "Boogeyman" is wildly different. It comes with a rotary engine from a Mazda and a transmission from a Hilux - a crazy combination, thanks to the mind of Hawaii native Riley Kamahele.

Why Boogeyman? It's because Kamahele used to race it exclusively at night or in the wee hours of the morning, terrorizing everything in its path. Famous car photographer andDatsun 240Z ownerLarry Chen dug deeper into this Frankenstein Corolla to see what makes this one of the most exciting cars we've seen.

This TE27 Corolla is Kamahele's first car, given to him by his dad at age ten. It's now powered by a modified 1.1-liter 12A Wankel rotary engine, turbocharged and borrowed from a first-gen Mazda RX-7. He deliberately chose the smaller 12A over the typical 13B to make a statement. We're not complaining, though, as both enginesproduce an impressive soundwhen tuned.

Pineapple Racing, known locally as a rotary specialist, took care of the extensive modifications on Kamahele's Corolla. It now has a CX Racing turbocharger, an ethanol/methanol fuel system, a Haltech ECU, a second-generation RX-7 Turbo II clutch, and a five-speed W50 transmission from a Toyota Hilux - a similar build toanother TE27 Corolla drag car, also from Hawaii.