A Secret Stash of Toyotas
Sometimes you have to drop everything when an invitation comes along. I got a message from Conor Browne a few months back, and he asked if I wanted to tour his stash of Toyotas and beyond. I had heard about the collection for years, but he was looking to downsize the load and asked if we could showcase the cars to shed some light on the stuff he had for sale. This worked perfectly for me as I wanted to see this stuff in person, showcase the unexpected treasure hiding in the unassuming Irish countryside and get some excellent content out of it all.
Conor has a fairly nice collection of 86s, all lining up when you come into his yard; the roof wasn’t on the shed then, so it made for some excellent lighting cast on the Levins.
Some of these were bought to be turned into UK spec machines, which Conor told me was his preference.
Others were being left as is, like this Trueno, which we featured on the site a few years back when a guy called Micheal called over from Scotland.
How good is this little Corolla II
You might have noticed from the photos a lot of these were fresh in from Japan, with the writing still on the glass.
Various examples had excellent parts, like this track machine above; you’d love to know their past.
Getting stock from Japan is getting harder and harder as the price climbs on this stuff, so people are taking whatever pops up and taking the gamble.
These red-over-black examples are Conor’s Pride and joy; this is one of the first ones he purchased many moons ago, an original UK spec example.
I could look at this view forever.
The engine bay of the Scottish Trueno remained untouched. This was such an excellent car to drive.
This was a UK spec he had recently finished. It’s common for lads to turn Japanese spec models into UK specs in Ireland.
A hidden starlet turbo EP71 is awaiting restoration.
The engine bay for his Toms 1.5 4wd replica is inside one of the various sheds.
What a view!
Boxes and shelves of spare parts for all the cars he enjoys collecting are getting rare, and he has the means to collect and store them. What’s nice is Conor will sell stuff to others; he’s been doing so for years, and many parts get distributed around.
How about this new EP71 Starlet turbo? Conors first love was starlets.
This Renault five Group B replica was a new venture for him, steering away from the Japanese collection; what an incredible time for Rallying.
I appreciate his varied taste in cars and cultures; he picked up this GX61 Kaido-inspired Corona not too long ago; it was one of the most fantastic cars in the garage.
This little EP82 Starlet Turbo stole the thunder—13700 km on the clock; it’s probably one of the last immaculate low mileage examples.
Showroom condition!
Some of the rooms were jam-packed with parts for various builds, with starlet parts in one room and 86 bits in the other.
He wanted to have separate piles for separate builds.
Out the back, a few more starlets from the collection, a 4WD converted to RWD silver monster, which he has had for years and a freshly acquired yellow GT Turbo.
Our friend Dayo started this project many moons ago; Conor bought it and took the car to the next level.
In the next room, a wild Doobie kitted EP82 starlet Turbo with a fully forged heart.
Next to it was this ultra-rare Starlet Canvas top which Conor hopes to restore in the coming years.
Outside was one of his newer purchases, this old Crown; how badass is this?
A little pristine Ep71 non-turbo starlet fresh in from Japan switched a front end which wasn’t offered in Ireland.
I’ll leave this one here; I know we did a two-part feature on his shed, but I figured some photos would be lovely to accompany that for everyone who appreciates good photos or two.