![]() Take an existing car from your lineup – ideally one that doesn’t weigh much – and drop a more powerful engine in, ideally some kind of high-revving NA powerplant (more on that later). The BZ-G was Toyota’s interpretation of the Japanese hot hatch/coupe formula du jour: ![]() A bit odd, considering Toyota never actually took part in this form of racing. The name “Levin” was apparently taken from the town of Levin in the North Island, which was one of the venues for the Tasman Series of motor racing. The AE111 Levin/Sprinter was available with a few different engine options and in more basic spec, but it’s really the BZ-G or one of its variants that you want.įrom what I can gather, the only differences between the Levin/Trueno are some minor visual differences – mechanically they are exactly the same cars, so feel free to cross-shop.įun fact (and one with relevance to Garage Dreams being a New Zealand-based website). The Toyota Corolla Levin BZ-G, also sold as the Toyota Sprinter Trueno BZ-G was the “hot” version of the Corolla Levin/Sprinter Trueno of the the AE111 generation. Conclusion – Remembering The Levin/Trueno BZ-G & BZ-R.Levin BZ-G & BZ-R 0-100 Time & Performance.Toyota Levin/Trueno BZ-G & BZ-R Specifications.A Toyota Levin BZ-R (basically a facelifted, top-spec BZ-G – more on that later) Who knows, this might inspire you to go and find one of your own – and you too could be “Levin the dream”. I was inspired to write this article after coming across this 1995 Toyota Levin BZ-G for sale (more on this particular example later) which reminded me of the existence of these great cars.Īs time and mileage have whittled down the fleet – these used to be a fairly common sight on the roads here in New Zealand – I thought it would be appropriate to do another instalment of “Forgotten Heroes” and feature this superb piece of JDM engineering. One of the best examples of this type of car from the 1990s is the Toyota Levin BZ-G, and the later Levin BZ-R. There’s a lot to be said for taking an everyday car, adding a more potent engine, and then leaving it at that. Sure, an R34 GT-R would be epic, but if you had to pay out of your own pocket then a Nissan Pulsar GTI or Civic SiR is going to put plenty of smile on your dial for a whole lot less money. I’ve always had soft spot for these ‘everyman’ JDM performance cars from the 1990s that were fairly affordable when new, and which managed to combine performance, reliability, practicality and economy in terms of fuel and maintenance costs. However, other Japanese manufacturers were building performance-oriented FWD coupes and hatchbacks, using a similar formula of powerful, high-revving NA engine, relatively lightweight, and improved suspension.įor my sins, this “category” of car is actually one of my favourite. When it comes to front wheel drive Japanese performance cars from the 1990s, Honda is typically seen as the champion, particularly thanks to cars like the legendary DC2 Integra Type R and EK9 Civic Type R.
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