1971 Toyota Corolla Deluxe - A Life Remembered

Whatever we’ve done in this whole so-called automotive “scene”, there’s one undeniable truth: you can never do it alone, and to have friends go along on the ride with you makes it all the more sweet. It doesn’t matter what particular genre or style you’re into; it doesn’t matter what make or model you own; it’s the people you meet along the way that makes the journey worthwhile. You could go at it alone and build the hell out of a car—there’s no doubt about that—but then the road to success is a particularly lonely one. That’s why you go to car shows, local meets, and view/post on your favorite Internet message boards: to meet likeminded individuals with similar interests. Many of the friendships and relationships that you develop along the way will exist long after any car build, and most certainly long after your car crew breaks up. It’s a cool and amazing thing to be able to share a mutual interest with people in your life that matter.

To be blunt, and perfectly honest, the ’71 Toyota Corolla you see here is most definitely not the most refined vehicle. It’s a little rough around the edges and far from pristine—and that’s okay. You may see this build and shout out loud that your friend has a Corolla just like this one, that’s way cleaner, has a crazy swap, whatever—it’s probably true, too. As you continue to read on, you will learn to look beyond the car itself and realize what this project truly represents. This Corolla, owned by Henry Mendez, is rough around the edges because it sat dormant inside a garage for years. Today it sees life again on the streets of Southern California because it serves as a rolling tribute to a great friend.

“I originally met my boy Armando back in ’03-04 when I had my Civic coupe,” Henry explains. “I would always see him at weekly car meets that we attended as well as functions that mutual friends put together. Armando was and will always be an inspiration to me. He was always a step ahead of everyone at whatever he did whether it was cars, shoes, skating, girls—he was always living his life to the fullest. We just had a great time whenever we hung out. It’s not like we saw each other every day but whenever we did have a chance to hang out, we would just talk for hours.”

When it came to this hobby that we all know and love, Henry’s friend Armando probably served as his biggest influence. Back then, Armando had a boosted Acura RSX that was all the rage in their circle of friends. It made great power and Armando was never afraid to get on the car and push it to its limits. “He gave me a ride one day in his turbo RSX and it completely changed my life. After I rode in it, I wanted to do all kinds of stuff to my Civic just so I could catch up with him. I even turbocharged my coupe.”