---
title: "This Hayabusa-Swapped Toyota Starlet Hillclimb Car Sounds Like Killer Bees on Steroids"
description: "A recent video shows the KP61 Starlet delighting the crowd with its incredible exhaust note at the Leadfoot Festival, an annual hillclimb event in New Zealand."
date: "2018-03-27"
modified: "2018-03-27"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/19656/this-hayabusa-swapped-toyota-starlet-hillclimb-car-sounds-like-killer-bees-on-steroids"
categories:
  - "Builds"
  - "Culture"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Toyota News"
tags:
  - "Engine Swap"
  - "Hayabusa"
  - "Hillclimb"
  - "hot hatch"
  - "New Zealand"
  - "starlet"
  - "Toyota"
---

# This Hayabusa-Swapped Toyota Starlet Hillclimb Car Sounds Like Killer Bees on Steroids

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/03/0.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

It's common for people to take a small car and [swap in a big engine.](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/14764/small-car-big-engine-this-geo-tracker-is-powered-by-a-twin-turbo-chevy-v-8>) But this tiny Toyota Starlet hatchback turned hillclimb monster with a four-pot from a Suzuki Hayabusa sport bike that revs to the heavens is a reminder that sometimes [an appropriately-sized powerplant](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/14866/this-1989-suzuki-swift-has-hayabusa-motorcycle-power>) can still get the job done.

[A recent video](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAciRjzH3dI>) shows the KP61 Starlet delighting the crowd with its incredible exhaust note at the Leadfoot Festival, an annual hillclimb event in New Zealand. Built by the [Sanderson Racing Team,](<https://www.facebook.com/hayabusastarlet/>) the gutted hatchback sports a 1.3-liter inline-four engine putting out 200 horsepower at an ear-splitting 11,400 RPM. Helping manage all that power is the six-speed transmission from the Hayabusa as well, which sends the power back to a rear end from a Toyota AE86.

https://youtube.com/embed/cAciRjzH3dI

With the interior gutted, the whole thing weighs in at just over 1,700 pounds. [An extensive *Speedhunters* profile](<https://www.speedhunters.com/2015/03/built-to-thrash-a-homebrewed-hayabusa-kp61/>) reveals this is no backyard build; the team behind this venomous hatch has put together an incredibly well-sorted and reliable car. In the [hillclimb](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/17221/watch-this-howling-audi-r8-lms-demolish-a-hillclimb>) video, its small size gives it the effect of a rocket-powered go kart hurtling towards the sky. It looks and sounds absolutely hilarious.

This isn't even the first swapped Starlet we've seen around these parts. [Check out this slightly older model](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/16424/watch-and-hear-this-4a-ge-powered-toyota-starlet-rev-its-heart-out-climbing-mt-washington>) that's been blessed with a 4A-GE Toyota inline-four engine and converted for professional rally use, and try to resist an impulse trip to the classifieds.

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)