Tag Archives: t40

Toyota Corona ads like this helped establish the brand in the US

Toyota’s entry into the US market was famously disastrous. The Toyopet Crown was built for crowded Japanese alleys, not wide American highways, and its troubled launch almost sent Toyota back to Japan entirely. What redeemed the company was the introduction … Continue reading

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In its 26th year, Toyotafest is still going strong — a brief history of TORC, the Toyota Owners and Restorers Club

We’ve been attending Toyotafest every year since JNC started in 2006, and it’s consistently one of our favorite events. Last year was the 25th Toyotafest, which means the show itself is now old enough to wear historic plates, buy collector … Continue reading

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Toyota South Africa celebrates 60th anniversary

Toyota South Africa is celebrating its 60th anniversary today. The subsidiary was established in 1961, just four years after Toyota got a small foothold in California with the S30 Toyopet Crown. It shows just how rapidly — and perhaps optimistically … Continue reading

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Japan brought out its best cars for the Tokyo Olympics in 1964

The 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo was a turning point for Japan. They were the first Olympics to be held in Asia, and Japan was ready to rejoin the world as a symbol of modernity. As a show of its … Continue reading

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SHOWA SNAP: Kawaramachi-Sanjo, Kyoto, 1972

Kawaramachi-Sanjo, a shopping and nightlife district just northeast of the historic Gion section of Kyoto, was a lively spot after the sun went down. Sharp cars would cruise down Kawaramachi street, past a Fujiya Grill. On this particular 1972 evening, … Continue reading

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The new Corona Pandem kit is here

The widebody masters at Rocket Bunny are preparing to launch a new kit for the T40/T50 Toyota Corona. The latest subject for their popular line of Pandem-branded kits may seem like an odd choice, but we think it’s one that … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: Stuck at home because of the corona virus? Download a papercraft diorama for your Toyota Corona race car

The Japanese website of Brother, the printer company, has an astounding array of things you can do with paper. There are coloring books, greeting cards, forms, business card templates, and a whole lot more. Naturally, there is also an insane … Continue reading

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Toyota closes museums, Megaweb, for coronavirus

COVID-19 is no laughing matter, but sometimes the jokes write themselves. Toyota has closed several of its facilities in Japan, including the Toyota Automobile Museum and Megaweb showroom, due to the coronavirus.

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Kidney, Anyone? A well preserved 1968 Toyota Corona

The RT40 Corona is easily one of the most underrated Toyota classics, which is why it was the subject of one of our illustrious Consider the Following articles. Given how instrumental it was for getting the Toyota name into the … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Japanese Automotive Invitational 2019

Now in its second year, the Japanese Automotive Invitational seeks to introduce the idea of collectible Nihon steel to a crowd that considers a 1954 Ferrari 375 MM not classic enough. Located at the Infiniti booth that sits just outside … Continue reading

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EVENTS: The Final New Year Meeting, Part 01

It is with a heavy heart that we bring you this report on 2019’s New Year Meeting, held on the fourth weekend of January, for it is also the very last New Year Meeting. period. Twelve years ago, JNC became … Continue reading

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Toyota Corona spotted on latest Tarantino movie set

Spotted on the set of the latest Quentin Tarantino film were a Toyota Corona RT40 and a Volvo Amazon sedan. The film, called Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is set in 1969 and centers around the Sharon Tate murder … Continue reading

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How the Corona convinced Florida’s first Toyota dealer to sell these weird Japanese cars

Today there’s a second “first Toyota dealer” story on the interwebs, but this one comes from Florida rather than France. The story of how Dave Zinn in 1965 opened the Sunshine State’s first showroom for a then-obscure brand called Toyota … Continue reading

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Consider the Following: RT40 Toyota Corona

With the prices of the most popular models entering unattainable status for a lot of younger JNCers, we felt it necessary to highlight some painfully overlooked yet still affordable (for now) nostalgics. Welcome to another Consider the Following installment, in which we consider the RT40 Toyota … Continue reading

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EVENTS: All-Toyotafest 2017, Part 03 — Fun to Drive

“Fun to Drive” was the tagline of Toyota Japan for much of the 1980s, and it was absolutely true. Toyota once had a whole portfolio of stylish, slingable cars that were also — and this is a key component of fun … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Just a reminder that Toyota is cooler everywhere that is not the US

So at this point we’ve seen official ads featuring classic Toyotas in Japan, Colombia, the UK, and Australia. Now, three new videos have emerged Down Under featuring a trio of dedicated enthusiasts and their classic Toyotas. These include the original owner of a 1976 … Continue reading

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GRAND TOURING: Chubu and Kinki, Part 01

After a longer than usual break between our tours, we decided to take a full week off and continue our Western Coast explorations through the Chubu and Kinki regions. As we embarked, the outer bands of a seasonal typhoon loomed over Japan. … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Australians explain why the “shovelnose” was so important to Toyota

The RT40 Corona was hugely important in the US, saving Toyota’s skin after an embarrassing debut with the S30 Crown. However, that was nothing compared to the way it utterly transformed the Australian market for Toyota when it debuted in … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2016 All-Toyotafest, Part 03 — Sporty Fours

As we saw in Part 02, Toyota has had no shortage of grand, powerful machines powered by the legendary straight-six. However, the company built its fortunes on millions of inline-fours. Using its vast production reserves, it has over the years been able to bestow … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2016 All-Toyotafest, Part 02 — Straight Sixes

As engines go, the Toyota straight-six is one of the best conceived by humankind. Smooth as Suntory whiskey, as long-lived as a mountain, and capable of stupid amounts of horsepower in later iterations, they are a triumph of automotive engineering. It’s no wonder the … Continue reading

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