Project cars are a labor of love. Daniel Railean’s heavily modified second-generation Toyota Celica in this video is a perfect example of this, showing how years of hard work can create a tighter connection between man and machine.<\/p>\n
Railean became fascinated with Celicas when his brother owned one. Daniel was supposed to get the car as a hand-me-down, but the vehicle died before that could happen. Years later, this Toyota turned up on eBay, and Railean offered his entire savings of 750 pounds ($918 at current exchange rates) to buy it.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the car was a rusty mess, and Railean has slowly built it into a BMW-powered drift car over the years. The engine came from an E46-generation 323i, and the rear end was out of a 2011 3 Series. It wasn\u2019t all Bimmer donor parts, though, because the steering column was from a Renault Clio.<\/p>\n
Railean doesn’t discuss the BMW engine’s output, but the stock version makes 168 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. While these are modest numbers by modern standards, the original Toyota 2.0-liter four-cylinder only has around 100 hp. Plus, the valved exhaust on the current powerplant gives the car a crisp, raw sound.<\/p>\n
Crafting the body was another adventure. For example, Railean attempted to build a paint shop in his shed. A buddy was so disgusted at his technique that the friend eventually took over the job. Later, Railean decided to wrap many of the parts in carbon-kevlar.<\/p>\n