SP Rides: A Classic For Christmas
BY MICHAEL KITCHENS
Name: Dyrell Acosta
Age: 22
Occupation: Aulani and @GKidlifestyle
Hobbies: Cars, videography
Year, Make, Model: 1973 Toyota Corolla Wagon
Color: Seafoam Green with holiday decorations
Engine: 2L original engine, 89mm bore, copper powder coating, dual 40 Webber Carbs, Moroso sleeved
Interior: Custom Crown Royal shift boot, tachometer, gauges, TRD steering wheel
We’re going to bring in the holidays with some style this week as we feature Dyrell Acosta’s 1973 Corolla Wagon that is decked out in Christmas gear with green bottles aplenty (chee-hoo), and classic OEM goodness wrapped up in bows and bells.
Acosta is an old-soul when it comes to imports, having owned some pretty ancient machinery repeatedly over his very young 22 years of life. Most of them have been Toyotas, but all of it can be attributed to his father — who is a fanatic mechanic with a blue Celica that will be soon featured. Together, they’ve formed a bond that Acosta feels is directly impacted by their mutual love for imports. It is due to this passion that such a classic car has been brought back to life.
To start off, let’s talk about how old this car actually is. We’re talking a glorious 44 years old. While it’s not exactly Santa’s newest sled, it is remarkable, in that, it’s still rocking the original, straight-from-the-factory Seafoam Green. In fact, what makes this ride special is that it’s rocking and rolling with a very clean classical style, untouched by the modern trends yet well maintained by Acosta.
Picked up from Craigslist due to its rarity, he’s spent most of his time fixing what was broken and refreshing the faded and worn OEM parts. The majority of work went into getting the 2L engine back to snuff which included a refresh, some copper powder coating, Moroso distributor wires and an 89mm bore with dual 40 Webbers. All of it is just enough to get the ride around in style.
The interior is clean and functional with a set of additional gauges to help monitor the engine life and RPMs. A custom Crown Royal shift boot adds a little bit of flavor while the rest is extremely well maintained and clean.
He’s rolled with a coupe before, but this wagon is his daily driven go-getter meant to do just one thing, and that’s get around and look cool while doing it. The ride is not modified at all — it’s just what it is and that’s pretty cool for being old school.
It’s all for a purpose and that’s to remind people how much potential Hawaii has when it comes to the automotive scene, whether it’s fully modified or just a lovingly, maintained classic. “This car was hard to pass up because there are very few wagons in this state, on the island right now,” explained Acosta.
When asked what meant the most about this ride, Acosta’s answer was straight-forward, “It’s all about keeping the old school imports alive.” With all of the jingle and spirit that this good-old classic has, it can’t hold truer to the joy and meaning of the holiday season. So with that said, Merry Christmas from all of us at Street Pulse!
