Listen To This Insane V8 Toyota Starlet Hillclimb Monster

Ah, the Toyota Starlet. A humble little hatchback that, frankly, never really has been all that interesting outside of the Gran Turismo hero Glanza V and mega-rare GT Turbo. So yes, the ultimate platform to turn into a V8 hillclimb monster then. Wait, what?

Yes, thanks to YouTube channel HillClimb Monsters, you can appreciate an absolutely monstrous creation by Finnish national Mikko Kataja. Based on the shell of a KP62 Toyota Starlet (and not a spaceframe chassis as is often the case with these cars), this hatch is running a double Hayabusa V8.

Originally, this Starlet had been running hillclimbs (including Pikes Peak) with a 4A-GE engine before the RP-FE V8 was crammed into the bonnet, said to be producing over 400bhp while screaming all the way to 11,000rpm.

All of that power is sent through a six-speed sequential gearbox, and the whole package weighs just 740kg. We assume that gigantic wing on the back is doing a lot of heavy work to keep the Starlet on the ground.

There’s footage of the Startlet at two events from the back end of last year, including an onboard from the Schotten Hillclimb, which only gives us more appreciation of Kataja's talent behind the wheel.

Granted, it’s not all plain sailing. He got things spectacularly wrong in footage from the Eichenbühl Hillclimb, carrying too much speed on the exit of a corner leading to a cinematic crash. Fortunately, he emerged OK, and the car is apparently in the process of being rebuilt to return to action this year. All the more reason to respect him, really.

In case you’re looking for more Hayabusa-based hillclimb action to fill your Friday afternoon with, let us direct you to a few bonkers examples. We picked out this tube frame Fiat 500 earlier this year with a 10,500rpm redline for its four-cylinder, and previously another running a double-’Busa V8.