TOYOTA CONNECT
This model was first introduced here
in 1975, followed by the “wedge’’ and front-wheel driven “slant-nose”, available in sedan, hatch and Avante fast-back body styles. The sixth-generation AE92, produced here from 1988-2006, spawned the Carri and indomitable Tazz, with its buzzing little 1,3-litre engine. The RunX versions of 2001 are
represented by the 180 RX derivative and the 10th
in 2007. More than a million Corollas have
been produced in Durban and it’s still a top-seller in SA.
TIARA: THE CAR-LIKE PICK-UP OK – full disclosure. I’m biased. My first
car was a Tiara bakkie, a 1962 model. It was white, with a three-speed column shift and a third gear so long that it couldn’t get up any kind of gradient. With only 45kW available from its
1,5-litre engine, it was slow and noisy, but it was bullet-proof and cheap to run, for an 18-year-old vehicle. I sold it when I realised replacement tyres would cost me more than the value of the bakkie. Honestly. And now I regret it. It was iconic because – despite all
its flaws – it was based on the Corona sedan and it gave a sense of style to bakkie ownership. Together with the Stout (the pick-up which launched Toyota in SA in 1961), it was assembled locally from 1962 at Motor
THE XV10 CAMRY HAD ENOUGH BOOT SPACE TO FIT A GOGO AND HER KITCHEN SINK, IT WAS COUCH-COMFORTABLE IN THE REAR, IT DIDN’T SAG UNDER LOAD AND IT WAS SUPER-RELIABLE.
that made the ever-popular compact runaround so special. Blue top, red top, silver top, black
rear, it didn’t sag under load and it was super-reliable. It was built locally and was available with a 2-litre, 2,2-litre and 3-litre power plant, with both automatic and manual transmissions. The 200Si was the entry- level model and the legendary 300SEi was the fully-equipped flagship. Discontinued in 2005 (and replaced
by the smaller Avensis), the Camry was the top-seller in its segment in the Nineties. It’s been the best-selling passenger car in the USA for the past 16 years and counting.
COROLLA: TIMELESS
BEST-SELLER 4A-GE. Those are the numbers you need to remember when referring to classic Corollas, as it was these high- performance 1,6-litre twin-cam engines
32
top… it doesn’t matter: all the 4A-GE derivatives, with power outputs ranging from 89-120kW, are still revered for their ability and reliability. The museum’s RXi, with a 115kW
20-valve motor, is the last in a long line of 4A-GE-equipped Corolla and Conquest RSis – a range of models which gained a huge following, thanks to their exploits on local race and rally tracks, dominating their class and leaving some much bigger-engined competitors in the dust. However, it’s also the model that
gave Toyota market dominance in SA and worldwide, starting with the yellow third-generation example in the museum.
Assemblies in Durban and it helped Toyota leap into the top ranks of the South African light commercial market the following year.
AND THERE’S MORE... Other distinguished models in the
museum inventory are a collection of Coronas, including a red fire truck, an Estima Hybrid (never locally available) and a Lexus LFA with a pukka V10 Toyota F1 engine – in a sense, the spiritual successor of the 2000 GT. Some iconic models not represented include the indigenous Corolla SR5 Black Hawk, the TRD Liftback, a Land Cruiser (FJ derivative or original Prado, please), the MR2 and the Conquest RSi. Can you think of any other iconic
Toyotas that should be on the list? Let us know…
-generation Corolla, arriving
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