GZ10 Soarer wrote:
Well it pretty much is a MX73 Cressida Coupe, they share the same body style and it's been stated by a lot of people that, that's exactly where Toyota got its inspiration from
Oh yeah another pic when I took it down to the beach this afternoon
This is one of the great misconceptions about the Soarer that it was nothing more than a two door Cressida.
Even though the 1981 Z-10 Soarer filled the gap left from MX-31 hardtop Mark II (or Cressida in the US), the Soarer was the production version of the EX-8 concept car that appeared in 1980. This was Toyota's first large coupe conceived purely for the Japanese domestic market.
Hence why from a styling point of view the Z-10 and Z-20 Soarer's can seem "ugly" and "disproportionate" especially with the low bodyline and large glass areas to people accustomed to "western" automotive styling.
Mechanically, Soarers are very different to Cressidas of the same time period. Trailing link IRS that appeared on the 1981 Z-10 wouldn't be seen for another 4 years until the X-80 Cressida of 1985. The double wishbone mcpherson strut suspension developed for the January 1986 Z-20 Soarer was near identical to the A-70 Supra's released 5 months later.
Hence why these first and second generation cars were so much more than "Cressida Coupes", these were flagship cars that Toyota placed their cutting-edge technology into.
They are great looking, extremely well built cars that are fantastic to drive and after saying that I really want to get my GZ-20 back on the road.
P.S. Really nice car GZ10
Those wheels would look fantastic after a refinish, although they look good now.
