SUBARU LIBERTY GT
TURBOCHARGING WAS A WAY OF TRANSFORMING DRAB TO DESIRABLE AND SUBY DID IT WELL
Subaru has a long history of attaching turbochargers to its mainstream models and turning bland transport into something quite ferocious. The original RS Turbo was a rally winner and followed by the short-lived, twin-turbo B4 before passing the baton in 2003 to the Generation 4 Liberty GT.
The initial 2.0-litre EJ20 engine was smaller than the basic Liberty motor but came with quad camshafts, 16 valves and creative remapping that delivered maximum power at 6400rpm and which hung around almost to the 7500rpm redline.
Manual cars made 190kW, five-speed automatics had 180kW but tuners including Subaru’s own STi could easily extract more than 200kW. Early manual GTs had a five-speed transmission and were geared to reach 243km/h.
Without access to an autobahn that maximum will be difficult to achieve, however the GT hits 100km/h in 6.4 seconds and in third gear whips through the 80-120km/h overtaking segment in 4.7 seconds.
Cars designated GT Spec B and built from late 2006 had 2.5 litres and six-speed manual transmission, however all versions had their output pegged at 184kW.
Liberty GTs came with electric everything, leather trim and steering wheel, a six-speaker CD stereo plus dash display screen. Outside were 17 or 18-inch alloy wheels, fog-lights and a boot spoiler on the sedan. Wagons are spacious for their size, offering decent boot space even when the rear seat is being used. With it lowered there is almost two metres of cargo area and the wheel-arches only slightly restrict load width.
The leather seats, even after 15 years, should still look good and provide decent support plus enough adjustment to make people of most shapes feel comfortable.
Libertys since Day Dot have offered All-Wheel Drive and every Turbo version delivered its torque uniformly via each wheel. When pushed they have a preference for understeer but as people who won rally titles with the old RS Turbo version will tell you, a dab of left foot brake balances everything very neatly.
It is possible to fit wheels up to 18 inches in diameter without doing huge harm to the car’s ride, however low-profile rubber doesn’t work all that well on loose surfaces.
Bitumen rather than gravel is the GT’s preferred surface and fuel consumption on the highway can sneak below 9L/100km. Around town expect closer to 12L/100km.
Standard brakes are up to the task of punting a GT quickly along twisting public roads but struggle if you are a track day type. Rotor, caliper and pad upgrades are available and not ridiculously expensive.
Today’s typical GT will have travelled 200-250,000 kilometres, still be on its first engine but second turbo and sell for less than $10,000. If the engine is struggling, budget $3500-5000 (plus installation) for a decent used motor.
Some GTs have been modified and there are long-term consequences of such changes. Increased boost stresses engine internals and the transmission and a car that sits with its wheels at odd angles on shortened springs can offer all manner of suspension and drivetrain problems.
BODY & CHASSIS
After almost 20 years, even the well-protected Liberty body might be starting to rust. Look at windscreen surrounds, the bonnet lip, floors, doors and sills. Underbody damage is likely too, so check below the front bumper and sills for crush damage. Liberty headlights were ordinary when new and tarnished reflectors make them dreadful. Brand new light units are available, but prices online can vary alarmingly so be cautious and ensure the supplier accepts returns. Make sure the struts supporting the cargo door on wagons don’t collapse, however these aren’t expensive to replace. When test driving, switch off the sound system to listen for wind flutter that reveals door seals are no longer doing their job.
ENGINE & TRANSMISSION
It would be unusual to find a GT that hasn’t undergone some mechanical freshening; even a complete engine and transmission replacement using more recent components. Heat hurts anything sitting close to the turbocharger so cars with their hard-toreach hoses recently replaced are an attractive proposition. Smoke of any kind indicates engine work is needed; blue for piston or bore wear, white denoting a failed turbo seal. Taking oil changes to Subaru’s recommended 10,000 kilometres can accelerate camshaft wear and risk your turbo, so service a GT every 5000 km. The clutch is the transmission’s weak link, so check for shudder and slip and when coasting listen for rumbling from the rear differential.
During their first 20 years in Australia, Corollas sold largely to conservative customers who appreciated the car’s simplicity and durability. However, complacency set in and by the 1980s the Corolla had slipped behind the likes of Honda’s Civic and the Mazda-sourced Ford Laser. Change was not accepted willingly either by those who bought Corollas or those who designed them and the shift in 1986 from rear to front-wheel drive must have come as a shock to some.
At that time, the basic Corolla shape changed as well, with the company promoting a two-box hatchback shape where the majority of cars previously sold here had been sedans.
The AE90 range launched in Australia during 1986 was fresh and very different, with 1.6-litre engines and competitive pricing. Most local Corollas made 67kW from their single carburettor engines but 1987 brought a version that went out on a limb to bring performance to the mainstream Corolla market.
SX versions were available as a five-door hatchback or the sleeker, liftback Seca. They still had only 1.6 litres, but fuel-injection helped the AE86 engine deliver 86kW and a class-leading top speed of 189km/h. The SX was also quicker off the line than the turbocharged Nissan Pulsar ET although not very frugal; using 11.6L/100km against the Pulsar’s average of 9.5L/100.
Considering the Corolla was almost the cheapest car in its category (just $180 above the less powerful Laser TX3) it did a decent job of keeping the occupants comfortable and entertained. Air-conditioning and a radio/cassette system were standard, plus four-wheel disc brakes and alloy wheels.
86kW SX versions remained the duck’s nuts of Corolla variants until 1989 when a 100kW replacement was released and the dynamic shifted again.
The new car was even faster than the old one – 210km/h possible from the longer, sleeker Seca – and acceleration times, despite a bit of extra weight, matched the SX. Seca equipment levels improved to include power steering and central locking, accompanied by wider tyres.
In 1991 and only 18 months before AE92 Corollas were replaced by an all-new model came the best and rarest of the 100kW cars. The Corolla GTi borrowed its badging from Europe but remained very Japanese in aspects such as build quality and cabin design.
GTi Corollas came only as a Hatch, with no Seca alternative, and the price climbed to $21,000. In a market where similar money would also buy a 1.8-litre Mazda Astina, GTi Corollas weren’t big sellers, and their initial scarcity is reflected by the current market.
Early in 2022 we found just one GTi for sale via mainstream sales sites; a car that looked to be in decent condition and priced slightly below our recommended value for ‘Excellent’ cars.
The best place to look if you are in the market for a late 1980s-90s Twin Cam will be car shows that cater to Japanese vehicles. Don’t confine your search to the cars on display either because a wander through the visitor car park might reveal others worth considering and a card left under the wiper can do no harm.
BODY & CHASSIS
Finding replacement panels in decent condition for an older Corolla is tough but not yet impossible. People continue to wreck damaged cars with minimal rust and there are abandoned projects as well providing bonnets, mudguards, doors and bumpers at $150-400 apiece depending on condition. To avoid the expense of a major body revamp, take some time for a scrupulous prepurchase check to ensure the car hasn’t been in a big crash or suffering serious rust. Ensure that bumpers are sitting squarely and don’t have broken clips. Used parts such as lights, door hardware and even a good grille at $100 pop up regularly but New Old Stock (NOS) items have become scarce.
ENGINE & TRANSMISSION
If you find a Corolla with a sound body that is struggling in the underbonnet area, don’t be dissuaded. Mechanical parts are easily found and not too expensive. Around A$1000 buys a basic kit of pistons, bearings, gaskets and head bolts. Add new timing gears, camshafts, a water pump and crank grind and that doubles your parts cost. Oil smoke from the exhaust and tappet rattles that don’t go away as the engine warms signify costly problems. Cars that are hard to start and stutter when accelerating may need a fuel injector overhaul and perhaps even the injectors replaced. Five-speed transmissions are durable and will keep going even when worn and noisy.
The fourth series of Supra took Toyota places it had never previously been. This completely new Supra came in RZ (twin-turbo) and SZ (3.0-litre atmospheric) versions on a shared wheelbase that was 55mm shorter than the previous model. These are a very serious sports car, with extensive use of aluminium body panels and other weight-shedding innovations including hollow carpet fibres. The new version also looked far more aggressive than the conservative MA70 Series; 65mm wider than the previous model and with a 1527mm rear track.
The Gen. 4 delivered great aerodynamics that saw non-turbo versions achieve a 0.31 coefficient of drag. However, the slippery shape was incompatible with high-speed stability, so turbo cars acquired a massive wing that extended almost to roof height.
All versions shared Toyota’s twin-cam, 24-valve 3.0-litre six; non-turbo cars with a five-speed manual gearbox while twin-turbos got a Getrag six-speed. Four-speed automatic was available with either engine.
Even in 168kW ‘atmospheric’ form, the Supra was a serious performer. Local tests saw five-speed cars could slip below seven seconds for 0-100km/h – only a second slower than the turbo auto. To minimize tyre-shredding, traction control was fitted to turbo-engined cars.
The six-speed manual RZ would manage 5.1 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint and 13.7 seconds over the standing 400 metres and while notional power was the Japanese statutory maximum of 208kW, actual output was estimated at around 260kW.
Two levels of trim were available but GZ versions with leather as standard are extremely scarce. Most have Toyota’s hard-wearing cloth and a comprehensive array of electrically operated accessories. Sensibly, Toyota avoided saddling Gen. 4 Supra owners with the troublesome electronic dash fitted to high-end versions of the Lexus Soarer.
Despite its amazing power-to-weight ratio, the TT Supra’s competition record was patchy. Versions with 2.1-litre engines were winners in Japanese Production Sports Car events but the RZ did little beyond that.
Seeking greater efficiency and emission compliance, a VVTi (variable valve timing) version of the 2JZ engine was released for 1998 but ongoing poor sales in the crucial US market saw the Supra withdrawn a year later. Japanese domestic production ended in 2002. Automatic versions, even those without turbochargers, are preferable for everyday use. The six-speed is heavier to use than most Japanese transmissions and becomes tiring after an hour of ploughing through peak-hour traffic.
Non-turbo cars are sometimes promoted to younger buyers (and their parents) as being ‘P Plate friendly,’ however insurance premiums for less-experienced drivers remain high. Twin-turbo versions may attract punitive excesses, so check around the specialty insurance market before committing to buy a Supra.
Turbos in top condition can now exceed $100,000 and these should have some Australian service history plus verifiable kilometres. Unless you’re familiar with cars of the Supra’s complexity, find a repairer who specialises in high-performance Japanese models and arrange a complete mechanical and chassis assessment.
BODY & CHASSIS
Poor crash repairs are regrettably common with Supras and potentially dangerous. Buyers can spot without professional guidance issues like recent welding of chassis rails and inconsistent shut lines. These occur between the bonnet and mudguards or mudguards and doors where panels don’t sit flush. If the car is an Aerotop and fitted with the lift-out roof panel, remove it to check the seals are in good shape. Press down on the rear hatch to check for worn buffer rubbers and water leaks. Hatch struts may need replacement but aren’t expensive. Extreme body kits are prone to kerb and driveway damage so look for cracks, especially under the nose, and loose fitment.
ENGINE & TRANSMISSION
Finding an RZ with its original, unmodified engine might be a struggle and those that have been seriously modified are fraught with potential problems. Standard turbocharger checks are essential – clean engine oil, invoices to confirm the car has been regularly serviced and an effective intercooler. Once the engine is warm and been given a few bursts towards maximum boost, listen for rattling from the turbocharger housings and check the mirrors for any hint of smoke from tailpipes. Look for heat damage to water hoses, cracks or repairs to the air-intake trunking. Camshaft drive belts should be changed every 80,000km to avoid expensive upper-engine damage. Noise and a clunky feel are typical of the turbo’s six-speed transmission, but clutch slip or shudder indicate a $2000 repair bill is imminent.