Classic Japanese Iron

Scattered around Dhaka are the rusting remains of 60's and 70's Japanese cars: some insignificant; most ripe with potential. When it comes to restoring these previously bread and butter cars, most people shy away because of the amount of work involved in getting them up and running again.
With modern engines and plenty of patience (as well as a fat wallet), you could build yourself a cool project car too. Put away the plans for a Volkswagen Beetle, because a Beetle won't be as fun to own and drive as a Corona RT40 with a blacktop 4AGE engine. Try putting anything other than an air-cooled VW engine in a Beetle, and you'll be struck down by the gods.
Here's our list of the coolest classic metal you can own in Dhaka.

Toyota Starlet KP31

Tiny, rear wheel drive, cheap to mend, and a rock solid body. The KP is easier to handle than other older cars, despite its lack of power steering, and with proper, stiff suspension and good tires, the Starlet can be very agile indeed. Engine options include 4E-FTE's and if you're mad and rich, a 4AGE blacktop/silvertop. Expect overheating issues and possibly the chassis ripping apart, if the rust issues aren't solved.

Toyota Corona T100

Two generations ahead of the RT40, the T100 is longer and sleeker, and obviously more refined. Engines are more potent straight from the factory, and even with the smallest, least powerful engine, it's still a potent car in stock form. Best option would be a 3SGE or a 3SGTE in the engine bay. Samiur Rahman Tushar, whose T100 is pictured above, has completely altered the looks of his car with a few simple additions to the exterior. 

Toyota Corona RT40

Don't let the RT40's demure, elegant lines fool you, this is a fire breathing, tire eating, asphalt shredding muscle car…or not. It can be, though, as the FR layout gives you a range of options for engines and transmissions. 4AGE would be a good choice, but moving the hunk of steel and iron that is the Corona might turn out to be difficult for the 1.6 litre. A 3SGE would be better, with the torquey 2.0 litre having enough grunt to move the car around properly. The engine bay has a lot of space, so if you are brave enough, there are other bigger engine choices available.

Toyota Publica

The tiny “sports car” from Toyota may be eternally slow in stock form, but clean it up and add some modern performance features and it can be a cool, compact car with a lot of presence. The Starlet's precursor had tiny K series engines which were low on power and was barely able to haul the heavy iron body, and rust is a major issue. Unless the floors have rusted away into oblivion, it's a decent base for a project. Check the brake lines, as the Publica brakes are notorious for…not working at all.

Toyota Corolla KE30

Most commonly known as the Corolla Starlet, its basically the Corolla that the Publica is based on. More space means a heavier body, which means a more powerful, modern engine is needed. 3SGE/GTE, and 4AGE blacktop/silvertop will fit easily, and Faizul Hoque's KE30 is proof that a blacktop 4AGE conversion is more than enough for a fun Japanese classic.

Toyota Corolla KE70

A favourite among drifters in South East Asia, the cheap to build and maintain KE70 offers rear wheel drive performance, a well-balanced chassis, Toyota reliability and a strong yet lightweight body. 4AGE redtop, silvertop, blacktop, all are popular engine choices, and it really doesn't take much for the KE70 to look menacing: couple of fender flares, a front spoiler, and lowered stance on classic wheels. There are tons of KE70s around town in both Corolla and Sprinter guise, so take your pick. Look out for the coupe ones, too, since several people have taken them up as projects.

Toyota Corolla E80 platform

There are plenty of E80 Corollas out there, as well as a couple of ultra-cool AE86 Truenos. The first of the front wheel drive Corolla sedans, you can pick up an E80 for as little as 2.5 lakh taka, and after it has been taken to a more or less drivable condition, you can play around with engine options. Minar Hossain Shumon put a 4EFTE turbocharged 1.3 into his E80, while Munir Chowdhury Sakin (Sakin Bhai) upgraded his AE80 and went for more torque in the form of a supercharged 4AGZE. Avoid flashy bodykits and find the right wheels, and the E80 can be a brilliant build with a ton of presence.

Mazda RX7 SA22C

Back in the 70's and 80's, a sports car in Dhaka meant only one thing: a Mazda RX7. The rotary powered beauties filled Dhaka streets and eventually stopped working because of a lack of parts and trained mechanics who could fix a rotary. Nowadays examples of the first generation of the RX7 can be found here and there around Dhaka, rotting away, with ghastly body mods and Toyota Noah engines. Fix one up with a proper engine (even if it is from Toyota) and breathe life back into a Japanese beauty. We found a black, well-kept one going for sale on ClickBD, asking price of Tk 6,50,000.

Datsun 120Y

Datsuns are aplenty in Bangladesh, and the 120Y is the precursor to the Corolla here in terms of popularity. Its not particularly fast or nice to look at, but the raked profile and wraparound, almost modern interior are real plus points. Again, Toyota engines are the cheapest, most viable options, but you wouldn't go wrong with putting in a modern Nissan twin cam engine, either. There are various variants of the 120Y, so know what you're buying.