There is a form of plankton known as Corolla calceola or sea butterfly, that is a . The turbo 4AGE in today's Toyota Corolla will ensure it's not a snail, but will its price make you want to slug somebody?

Toyota sedans have never been known for their adrenaline-infusing nature, that capability being left predominantly to their coupes and products of other manufacturers. In fact, a common meme here is that Toyota's are the most beige of four-wheeled conveyances, and when they do show some life we refer to it as beige bites back.

Today's custom and Subaru WRX-aping is just such a biter, but of the question is, will its bark be worse than its bite? If it is, you can blame the fart can poking its head out from under the rear bumper ground effects diffuser that gives the car a precarious departure angle. It at least is consistent with the rest of the car, there being enough skirt here to satisfy any catholic school dress code. That, plus a rear vision splitting wing, mid-hood scoop, and Pamela Anderson driving lights in the custom front valance will excuse anyone in mistaking this Corolla for one of Subie's rabid transit WRX cars.

The resemblance is less convincing underneath however, as while the engine is turbocharged, it sends its ponies to the front wheels only, making it likely an overachiever in being an understeerer. The seller makes no claim of horsepower produced by the pressurized 4age silver top, but does note that it was rebuilt 30K ago and now sports both the Garrett turbo and methanol injection. Also, the car has A-pillar gauges, which add like 50 horses.

The engine is backed up by a MR2 turbo LSD 5-speed transaxle, ahead of which is claimed to be a new Stage 2 clutch. Additional mechanical upgrades include rear disc brakes, white-painted Speed Star alloys and new coilovers. The interior gets the aforementioned gauges, the de rigueur nut-thumper stereo, and custom leather on both the high-bolstered front and stock rear seats.

Overall, the car appears to be in excellent shape, and the seller claims that since being converted from show car to daily driver, it has functioned without fail. The look is appreciably clean and not too ricerrific although the JDM lights and Sprinter badging may be lost on those without spiky highlighted hair or tee shirts.

The Corolla - the car, not the plankton - has never been where you'd go for excitement, at least in four-door form. This custom job seeks to correct that, and appears to be in sufficiently fine shape to do so for some time to come. And now the time has come for you to weigh in on just how exciting is its $5,500 price. What do you think, is that a price that a price that should have buyers making a bee line to its seller? Or, is that nothing more than a buzz kill?

You decide!

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H/T to Ol' Dirty Datsun for the hookup!

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