On February 2, 1967, the very first New Zealand-assembled Toyota — a Corona RT40 — rolled off the production line, its arrival officially marked by a ceremony attended by the then Minister of Finance, Harry Lake. Assembly would be limited to 300 cars per year, and the Corona was sold for £570

When Toyota New Zealand launched its latest Corolla in 2007, not only was it the 10th generation Corolla, but its debut also marked 40 years of Corolla production world-wide. Regarded as a people’s car — in much the same way as the Volkswagen Beetle was when finally introduced to the public in Germany during 1946 — the Corolla has been well publicised as the most successful car of all time, boasting over 32 million sales. Some 200,000 of those were in New Zealand.

The first generation Corolla was sold in Japan in 1967, then introduced in New Zealand during 1969.

I owned my first Toyota, if memory serves me correctly, around 1979 — a 1977 Corona 2000 SE. I recall trading it in on the first ever new shape Corona XT that I had seen for sale second-hand while on holiday in Timaru. The Corona XT and XR models from 1979-’82 were a great car for their time. I recently spotted a cream XT five-door liftback in immaculate condition and, even after some 28 years, this model still looked quite smart.

After my initial purchase of the beige-coloured XT in Timaru, I began to deal in and play around with XT and XRs. I always bought beige/tan examples, selling them after I had spruced them up. These Coronas included satin black window frame surrounds, red and chrome GS badges on the front guards and boot lid, black pin stripes, wheel trims, stainless steel splash guards and number plate surrounds, mud flaps, Perspex headlight protectors and other minor enhancements. They sold like hot cakes.

Future Toyota Classics

It’s only a matter of time before we see Toyotas attending classic car events. While I have spotted several early Japanese cars — including the Datsun 120Y SSS, 180B coupe and even a mint condition Sunny — I can’t recall any Toyotas attending a local classic car event. My prediction is that the larger and more luxurious Toyotas, such as the Crown, President V8 and Cressida, will become tomorrow’s classics, particularly the coupe versions of those Crowns and early Cressidas. I guess we would also throw early Celicas into this mix.

On the June 24 1994 I purchased a 1970 Corolla KE11. This particular example was a very rare two-door model. They were produced for the Australian market, where mine was sold new. The original owner, Dawn Bayly, returned to her home town of Christchurch in February of 1974, bringing the Toyota with her. A feature of this car is the fitting of the icon Aussie exterior sun-visor, plus many Australian-related transfers. While the car’s blue interior is still in extremely good original condition, the white bodywork is due for some cosmetic rust repair and repaint. Once it is refurbished, I intend to feature this Corolla in a future article on classic and rare Toyotas.

Family Corolla History

My mother, Jessie, purchased a 1974 Corolla in a very unusual colour — a cross between blue and turquoise, perhaps best described as a kind of duck-egg blue. Mum bought this Toyota when it was about one year old and retained ownership up to the time of her passing away in May 1994. In appreciation for maintaining this car for 19 years, I inherited her immaculate and original Corolla KE20. Having nowhere to keep it undercover, I reluctantly sold it about six months later. The new owner lived in Wellington, and I am sorry to record that this was the beginning of the end. Unfortunately, the car no longer exists — this is one car I now definitely regret selling.

A couple of points of interest regarding Corollas within my family come to mind. My son Paul’s first experience on the race track was when he drove a few practice laps in his 1980 DX Corolla at a track hire day at Ruapuna in 1985. From racing his RX-7 at a classic meeting, he later progressed through the classes to eventually race in the big banger OSCA class.

In 2003 I purchased a 1989 Corolla five-door hatchback for my grand-daughter, Niki, while she was still at Avonside Girl’s High School. The car’s mileage was 294,437km and I paid $1000. Three and a half years later — with 325,243km on the clock and after she had bought a 1994 Toyota Levin coupe with her own money — Niki sold the Corolla for $955. Depreciation of only $45 in three and a half years!

During her ownership, the car gave no major problems, only requiring general maintenance — indeed, Corollas are well known for their reliability over all models, worldwide.

1963 Toyota Toyopet Publica

This cute-looking Toyota is believed to be the oldest known Toyota in New Zealand

The production of a people’s car — small and economical enough to find a place in the lives of working Japanese — has been a central theme for Toyota engineers since the company started. Planning for its first example began in 1954 and it took seven years to complete.

The first model appeared as a two-door sedan in June 1961 with an innovative air-cooled 697cc engine of 21kW (28bhp).

It was called the ‘Publica’ domestically and the Toyota 1000 for export, due to the export model’s 1.0-litre engine.

The example here is a 1963 700. It is actually the oldest known Toyota in New Zealand, and was privately imported from Western Samoa — hence the 697cc engine, instead of the 1.0-litre export engine.

This particular car is a deluxe model, introduced in July 1963 to add sophistication to economy, and its addition to the range boosted sales by an incredible 70 per cent over the previous year.
Looking at this well restored 700, it’s hard to imagine the impact a little car like this would have on the market.

Gonzo

Cable-Price Toyota, of Greenlane in Auckland, purchased the car in a poor state from a dealer’s yard in Papatoetoe, with the name ‘GONZO’ painted across the bonnet.

From the front, the Toyota does look a little like the Muppet of the same name, and so the tag has stuck to the extent of personalised plates to that effect.

Cable-Price apprentices restored the car’s mechanicals over an 18-month period, and during the rebuild they were surprised to find that many parts — including service manuals and the handbook — were still available new from Toyota in Japan. The body was restored by Lyall Panelbeaters, and the upholstery is by Johnson & Young.

This 700 is powered by an ohv, two-cylinder, air-cooled and horizontally opposed engine which is coupled to a two-stage Toyoglide automatic transmission.

Gonzo has only covered 89,657km (55,710 miles), and its condition is a credit to all the individuals who were involved in bringing her back to almost as she left the showroom floor in 1963. Used mainly as a promotional vehicle, this is the only example of the 700 in New Zealand.

The Publica was available over almost a five-year model run, with a station wagon introduced in June 1962, a convertible version in 1963, a pick-up in February 1964 and an aerodynamic sports car, the sports 800, in April 1965.

This now very rare car is owned by Marcel and Royce Facoory of West Harbour, Auckland. Marcel tells me he was working at Cable-Price Toyota in 1993 when the company was sold and the Toyopet Publica was offered for sale, and he duly purchased Gonzo. Since then it has been placed in some Toyota dealership showrooms as a promotional car. It is currently on display at the

Monterey Park Motor Museum, Hobsonville Road, Auckland.

1969 Toyota Corolla KE10

This early Corolla has been owned by just one family since 1980

Allan Bates of Concord in Dunedin commenced employment in 1961 at the age of 20 with Otago Motors, a large Vauxhall-Bedford dealership in Dunedin. At that stage there were approximately 16 people allocated to the spares division. Eighteen years later, in 1979, the dealership changed to a Toyota franchise. This had the result of the parts team being reduced from around 16 to just five. Allan was fortunate to be one of the lucky employees to be kept on. He spent the last 16 years — prior to retiring in 2001 — as spares manager.

One day, while serving an elderly gentleman — Graham Byers — who had come in to the spares department for parts for his 1969 KE10 Corolla, Allan asked; “If you ever want to sell this car, please let me know, as I would be interested in buying her.”

Around a year later, Byers came back asking if Allan still wished to purchase the Corolla. This was back in 1980, when the car had travelled just 14,201km. Allan duly purchased the red Toyota. His mother was in need of a car at that time, so Allan gave it to her. She drove it for a further 27,849km before passing away.

Allan has now owned the car for a total of 28 years, with the odo reading now at a still very low 63,722km. All the Corolla’s upholstery and carpet is still original and in excellent condition. Even the Toyota dealership sticker, placed on the dashboard prior to delivery when new, is still in place and unmarked.

In 1969 radial tyres did not exist and, consequently, this car was fitted with 600×12 crossply tyres from new.

“I went to put radials on only to find there is no direct cross-over, so I had to fit 155x12s which look very small on the wheels: 600×12 cross to 155×13, so I could have fitted later KE30 Corolla wheels, but they don’t cater for hub caps which my car has.”

This model Corolla was the first of this shape to come to New Zealand, and our featured car could well be the oldest Corolla in the country. Are there any more 1969 Model KE10s left here, or have they all gone to the wreckers?

When Allan’s mother was driving the car, the radiator sprung a leak while travelling between Waikouaiti and Palmerston. The motor overheated and eventually seized. Allan replaced it with a low mileage 1000cc Starlet motor. The motors look identical externally.

“How much better Japanese technology has advanced since 1969,” Allan said, “as I also own a 1000cc Morris Minor and that doesn’t go anywhere near as well.

“Very often if my wife or myself are out in the car, we will find a note under the wipers saying — ‘If you ever want to sell this car please give us a call as we would be very interested.’”

However, Allan is adamant that his Corolla is definitely not for sale.

1969 Toyota Corona RT40

On December 16, 1969, Hector Kerr of Linwood, Christchurch, purchased a new Corona RT40 from the then Toyota agent — Croydon Motors

On the first day of October in 1977 Hector passed away, leaving the Toyota to his wife, Mavis. At this stage it had travelled only 49,695km (30,823 miles). Her son, Warren, then purchased the car from his mother. This Corona is still totally original in every respect. Even all the factory-supplied tools are still in their vinyl kit, all in immaculate condition. The maintenance service coupon book shows that Warren’s dad had it regularly serviced at Croydon Motors up to 1971. At this point the company was sold to Wrightcars, which continued to service the car for the following 12 months.
Well-known South Island racing legend, Trevor Crowe, was in the service department at this time, his signature featuring on the service coupons. SX Garage in Essex Street, Linwood, serviced the car from 1972 until 1977.

During the first 20 years of ownership Warren used the Corona very rarely, essentially it was only driven when WoF time arrived. However, recently, due to lack of use, the brakes seized, which entailed a complete overhaul. Now Warren has begun to drive the Toyota on a regular basis.

Believe it or not the Corona is still fitted with crossply tyres as per original. Warren intends to replace these with a new set of radials. I have assured him that he will notice immense improvement in both the straight-line tracking and cornering ability once radials are fitted.

In my opinion this RT40 Corona is highly likely to be the most original example left in the world. With the odometer reading at only 88,343km (54,894 miles) at time of writing, this car may also have travelled the least distance of any other 1969 Corona. Warren has never attended a classic rally in the car, but now intends to use it mainly for this purpose. The events he intends to participate in include the annual Twin Rivers Classic Car Parade, the Annual North Canterbury Classic Tour, and the annual Ashburton Rotary day out for classic vehicles, to name just a few. The Corona will be joining the ever-increasing number of early Japanese classics coming onto the scene of late.

Other than the Vintage Car Club, there is no car club that caters for Warren’s 1969 Corona. Perhaps the time has come for a club to be established, nationwide, to cater for the ever-increasing numbers of well preserved Japanese vehicles recently coming to light. There are, in fact, a number of early Japanese classics currently being restored in Christchurch. I also know of some being held in storage for future restoration. Most, but not all, are the more rare-models — coupes, two-door hard-tops and sports models.

1974 Toyota Corolla KE20

Bryan and Margaret Ross of Paraparaumu on the Kapiti Coast are the proud owners of this 1974 Toyota Corolla KE20

Mrs Phoebe Wilson of Upper Hutt purchased this car new from Cable-Price, the Toyota agent at Porirua, on October 18, 1974. According to the car’s service book, which is still in the manufacturer’s holding slot, she took delivery of the Corolla on October 22. The first two services (1000 and 5000km) were carried out by Cable-Price, Porirua. However, from November 1976 (9936km) until February 1984 (35,235km), the car was serviced by Whittaker Automotive of Upper Hutt.

Bryan and Margaret purchased the Toyota from Mrs Wilson on November 15, 2001, with the odo showing 55,657km. A friend of the couple, who had serviced the Corolla after Whittaker Motors, told Bryan of the pending sale. Mrs Wilson was no longer able to drive and was understandably reluctant to part with her blue Corolla. When Bryan drove away from her house she had tears in her eyes.

The original owner’s manual and touch-up paint are still in the glove box, while the ‘Cable-Price Toyota’ transfer is still affixed to the bottom of the rear window.

Bryan and Margaret have three daughters who love to go for rides in the Toyota, which the family plans for once a month. The eldest girl, Olivia, is now aged 17, and Bryan is hoping to teach her to drive in a year or two. The same will apply with Gabriella aged 14, and Natasha aged 12, when their eligibility comes around.

The car attracts a lot of attention when out on the family Sunday outing, and the couple have turned down several attractive offers by potential purchasers.

Toyota Mechanic

Bryan started work as a motor mechanic in 1976 at Rossmore Toyota of Upper Hutt, a company which his father owned. Bryan can clearly recall working on dozens of these KE20 Corollas, so he has a bit of a soft spot for them.

Recalling his days working on Toyotas, Bryan says, “Toyotas were very easy cars to train as a mechanic on as they were mechanic-friendly. I remember doing the automatic transmission on a ’73 Crown Coupe, which was an almost exact copy of a Borg Warner 35 transmission. I was still an apprentice at the time and it was my first transmission overhaul. It was absolutely perfect, changing at the precise speed that it was supposed to and no leaks. I was very happy. I also remember doing a complete engine overhaul on an RT40 Corona. I would like to own one of those now, as they are really nice to drive and very cool.”

1974 Toyota Crown Super Saloon

The Crown Super Saloon was the equivalent of the modern Lexus, one of the most luxurious cars manufactured by Toyota during the early to mid ’70s

These cars competed with the likes of Ford’s Fairmont and Holden’s Statesman for local buyers looking for a more luxurious vehicle. Having owned, new, both the XA Fairmont and HQ Statesman during 1973 and 1974, and now this example of the Toyota Super Saloon, I am in the fortunate position to compare all three models. Although I have to say that, despite the fact I am a Ford man — having owned 38 Fords since the age of 16 — I did not like the Fairmont as much as the Statesman.

Our featured example was purchased new on January 1, 1974, at Queenstown, by Edward John Willetts. I have learned from several people who were associated with the maintenance of Toyotas during his period of ownership that Mr Willetts was an extremely fussy gentleman, and would go to some lengths to make sure his ‘pet’ Crown was looked after when requiring service maintenance.

He kept this car in as new condition until his death in 1992. The odo reading at this stage was only 33,453km.

A lifetime friend of Mrs Willetts’, Irene Crawford, bought the Crown from her on September 7 of that year. I subsequently purchased the car from Irene on September 12, 2000, at 92,217km. It was just a coincidence that the day also happened to be my 60th birthday!

These Super Saloons, which were assembled in Japan, were a higher-specified model than the normal Crown. Their most redeeming feature was the beautiful brocade upholstery, as opposed to the plain vinyl of the base Crown. Our feature car also has power-assisted steering and brakes, electric windows and automatic lock-up on all doors once about 20kph is reached. Little luxury features include a self-seeking AM/FM radio with both front and rear speakers and fade control. Even the rear seat passengers can control the radio. I was amazed to find the car was also fitted with a factory eight-track stereo player. Eyeball courtesy lights must have been quite advanced for 1973, as would be the safety red lights on each door. With smoking quite prevalent back in the ’70s, it is not too startling to find that several cigarette lighters and ashtrays are also fitted. However, judging by the condition of the entire car, I am not surprised to see that they appear to have never been used!

This car is a real pleasure to drive. So smooth in every way. The wipers are completely silent, as are the electric window motors. Wide arm rests both front and rear add to the relaxed feeling, whether driving or being chauffeured. I recently took a friend of mine, Malcolm Graham, for a short demonstration ride. Malcolm knows quality automobiles when he sees them, having been the owner of a 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and currently being the proud owner of a 1994 Bentley Turbo R.

Malcolm was very impressed not only with the Crown’s overall condition and originality, but its sheer quality. It may not be in the same league as his Bentley, but bear in mind that this Toyota was designed and built some 21 or 22 years before Malcolm’s upper-crust car, not to mention the price difference when new, or now!

Perhaps if there is some downside to using this Toyota on a regular basis, it would be its economy. Compared to today’s modern vehicles the Crown is thirsty. The 2.6-litre motor, coupled to the three-stage automatic, returns only an estimated 14.8l/100km (19mpg). However, as I use this cruiser on only very special occasions, that is not an issue.

My Crown will shortly be placed in a new museum in Christchurch which contains over 200 cars — although I will retain ownership of this Toyota.

1984 Toyota Cressida

In the March 2009 issue of NZ Classic Car I wrote a diary entitled Classic Central South Island Tour. This was about a trip Lorraine and I did in our camper through the central lower South Island in November of 2008. On day seven, while passing through the township of Waimate, we spotted a green 1963 Vauxhall Victor. This very original car belonged to Mr Ray Collett. We illustrated a photo of Ray with his Victor on page 80, and I mentioned that he also owned a future classic, that being his 1984 Toyota Cressida. These luxury — for the time — big cruisers drive just superb, albeit down on power compared with today’s big sixes.

Ray Collett was born in Invercargill on May 26, 1926. Educated at Invercargill Primary, followed by a year at Technical College, Ray left school to begin work in the sawmilling industry, where he stayed for his entire working life. Over the years he has owned many cars, mainly the Vauxhall marque, dating back to the old Vauxhall 10/4, 14/6 and so forth.

The 1963 Victor mentioned earlier Ray purchased from his father in June of 1978. He retained ownership right up to about seven months ago, selling it to John Stewart of Christchurch. This Victor now resides in the Stewart Family Collection with about 300 other classic cars.

The Toyota Cressida illustrated here, was purchased by Ray when new, from Timaru Toyota on March 16, 1984. While Ray can’t recall the precise price, he says it was just over $26,000.
While the Cressida was under warranty it was driven back to Timaru for its check-ups and servicing. However, since then Whitehorse Motors of Waimate has carried out all the work and servicing required. Not that there has been much in the way of repair work needed. Typical of Toyota vehicles worldwide, Ray’s Cressida has had very little go wrong with it in his 26 years of ownership.
With the odo at 143,475km at time of writing, 84-year-old Ray cannot recall any problem cropping up in all that time. My bet is that, providing this future classic received all its regular up-keep servicing, you can double that distance before any major mechanical work is required. While I have seen a very small number of coupes in the model preceding this car’s shape, that being the first Cressida in New Zealand, the square-ish 1979-’82 models, I have never seen a coupe in this model. Did Toyota produce them?

Words: Trevor Stanley-Joblin, Photos: Sean Craig, Adam Croy, Bryan Ross, and Trevor Stanley-Joblin

This article is from Classic Car 231. Click here to check it out.