1999 Starlet Glanza V: The uncrowned prince

Start a conversation with any petrolhead about Japanese Domestic Models (JDMs) through the ages and you'll be met with a wave of sweet reminiscence of the 1990s. Widely lauded as the golden era, the 1990s saw the birth of JDM superstars: the Supras, Skylines, Evolutions, and Type Rs – the classics that define Japanese automotive excellence.

While these icons had the world in a trance, the engineers in Japan crafted many more cars that flew under the limelight. One of these unsung heroes is the Toyota Starlet Glanza V, a hot hatch that could blaze past its more recognised cousins in the industry and unfortunately, past the public eye too.

The three door hot hatch, with a smaller frame than its Honda and Toyota Corolla counterparts, had a 1.3 liter turbocharged engine powering its front wheel – the ingredients for a pocket rocket recipe.

In this issue of Wheels, we take a look at one of the finest Glanzas to roam the country. Khandaker Hasib Rafin's 1999 Glanza V, that he's owned since 2018, remains one of the freshest remnants of the underrated superstar in the country. 

Hasib said in an interview with TBS, "The first week I purchased the car, I drove it to my hometown. To me this is still the best memory I have with this car after owning it for the last four years."

This particular unit had passed hands from one avid enthusiast to another and by the time it made its way to Hasib, it already had significant aftermarket modifications to its name. But the petrolhead took it up by a few notches by turning up the heat on this hot hatch.

Starting with a K&N intake to replace the stock setup, Hasib went on a tuner joyride with his Glanza. Following his intake came a Speedvision CT9 Turbo, paired with an HKS BOV. 

For exhaust, a Roadrunner divorced downpipe paired with a screamer pipe makes Hasib's hatch the best sounding rendition of the Glanza we've come across at Wheels. All that and a bucketload of more performance mods such as an HDI Electronic Boost Controller, a Walbro Fuel Pump, a Fidanza lightweight flywheel, and many more make it so that if you ever cross paths with Hasib's Glanza V when it's stretching its legs, you better not blink! 

But when you do manage to catch a glimpse of the hatch rocketing its way across Dhaka or taking a sip of gasoline, it's a sight to behold. 

Cosmetics was also on the list of Hasib's priorities. Draped in a classic shade of white, the Glanza V sits on top of BBS rims wrapped around Zestinos that please the eye of the passerby and the enthusiast on top of them. 

An aftermarket Livesport spoiler has been added to the rear along with a tastefully built custom ducktail spoiler. For the untrained eye, what previously would've been a run of the mill 1990s hatchback is now a head turner. And for the keen eyed petrolheads of the community, everyone, especially at Wheels, relishes the opportunity to capture Hasib's beautiful build on their phone for a timeless memory.

In that poetic sense is where lies this Glanza's biggest achievement: capturing the essence of JDM's golden age despite not being crowned with the princely accolade it deserved.

Hasib maintains that his favorite mod by far is the work done on the boost controller system. He challenged himself to reach 13 PSI of boost with his stock ECU. After this boost chasing journey, the Glanza V now produces heaps and bounds over the stock horsepower. 

A regular Starlet Glanza V, from the factory, makes about 135 bhp of maximum power at 6,400 rpm and 157 Nm of maximum torque at 4,800 rpm. Given the aftermarket performance upgrades, the exact sum of Hasib's Glanza V  remains unknown. 

Whatever the current power output, it makes this sub 1-tonne hatch leave trails of fire through the streets of Dhaka on cold Thursday nights.

"I love driving this car! It drives amazingly well, especially when considering the handling", said Hasib. 

While the automotive world has been struck by awe with the revival of Toyota's fun side in the GR Yaris, it stands to point that Toyota's heritage in building hot hatches has always followed the simple recipe of a petite form, front wheel-drive and a driver-first design. 

Undoubtedly, while the world failed to recognise the Glanza V back in the 1990s, Toyota returned to their roots when they dug out the inspiration for the new generation of hot hatches that has the automotive world hysterical.

The unsung hero of the 1990s paved the path the GR Yaris and the GR Corolla were built on – the classic Toyota recipe for a pocket rocket. For that, we applaud Hasib and his efforts to give the uncrowned prince of Toyota hatches the swan song it deserves.