Japanese classic cars have gained momentum and garnered momentum and garnered appropriate attention from enthusiasts throughout the world. It’s eye opening to see classics restored to a level worthy of show and race. Santos Renovales Sr. and his son Santos Jr. have been long-time fanatics of older Toyotas including the AE86 and the TE72 Corollas. Santos Sr. especially loved to race his classic Toyotas. Afterall, growing up in Puerto Rico, a landmass of just over 3,500 square miles, drag racing reigns supreme.

Text by Richard Fong // Photos by Michael Ferrara and Richard Fong

Island Drags

In Puerto Rico, there are five 1/8-mile tracks and two 1/4-mile strips within the roughly 100 mile long by 37-mile wide island. The drag racing culture runs in the blood according to Santos Jr., who notes that there are only three things you would likely be into as a Puerto Rican, boxing, baseball and drag racing. Among the drag racers, it’s a battle between rotary power and piston power. As a fan of the latter, Santos has raced reliable old RWD Toyotas since his youth. A resident of Southern California since the 80s, Santos Sr. poured his experience and passion into a rare 1969 KE15 Corolla Sprinter. This racecar was in amazing condition and featured a 537 horsepower, 1.8-liter turbocharged 3T-C engine with a boost of nitrous oxide injection. His quickest time slip in this 1960’s vintage machine was an impressive 9.64 seconds at 134 mph.
This cultural interest in drag racing with old RWD chassis, rotary engines and piston engines could very well have been the true start of import drag racing back in the 80s on the East Coast. It is likely that mainstream attention to import drag racing stemmed from the rise of Hondas in the mid 1990s, but it was the Puerto Rican influence in the 80s up and down the east coast that made the humble Corolla a popular competition vehicle, long before VTEC and the B-series revolution.

New Old Racecar

Unfortunately, when it comes to older cars, parts become more rare as time passes. At that point, the trouble and cost to find replacement parts becomes prohibitive. Looking to go quicker but still in a classic Toyota, Santos sold his KE15 and purchased this 1983 AE71 Corolla in 2009. This newer chassis, which cost all of $500, was favorable to Santos over the KE15 for several reasons. He explained, “The 1969 model had a shorter wheelbase and parts were harder to find. In contrast, the AE71 has a longer wheelbase, a factory four-link suspension and more attainable replacement parts. Plus, we had plans to go even quicker with a different, more powerful powerplant.”

The NLR AMS 1000 electronic boost controller proved essential in the quest for traction and to improve the launch.