Restomodding generally means fitting vintage rides with modern tech. This project, however, demonstrates a bit of what we’d call ‘inverse’ restomodding: dropping a vintage car body onto a new chassis.
Built by racing driver and tuning aficionado Ryan Millen, the car goes by the official name of ‘1969 Toyota Corolla IS F V-8’. An ancient Toyota Corolla produced in 1969 provides the body here – but little else. The body itself has been restored from scratch and polished to top condition.
As for the technical part of the project, Millen sourced the chassis and engine from a wrecked Lexus IS F V8 issued in 2010. He had to widen the Corolla bodywork by 300 millimeters (11.7 inches) and lengthen it by 60 mm (2.4 inches) to fit onto the Lexus platform.
Some of the parts are brand-new. This includes the front bumper and spoiler, the hood cover and the trunk lid, as well as fenders all around. The windshield and the rear window are both aftermarket glass panes originally designed for pickup trucks.
From the technical point of view, the car more or less conforms to the Lexus IS F specification. Rear-driven by a V8 engine with 421 hp (314 kW) and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of torque, it sports an automatic gearbox with a paddle shifter and a Borla performance exhaust system.
Inside, the car houses a sophisticated multimedia system, bucket seats and plenty of other modern niceties.