Toyota’s Hidden Gem – 1966 Corona

If you go down to Toyota’s press fleet facility in Crawley, you’ll see all kinds of modern and exciting machinery. Look a bit harder though, and you’ll also see a proper classic in the guise of this beautiful 1966 Corona.

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Chris Pollitt

It wasn’t so long ago that a manufacturer’s press fleet would be brimming with nothing more than the most modern of offerings. That is, for the best part, what said manufacturer wants to show off, after all. Why keep old stuff on the books? An old car isn’t going to get people shuffling through the doors of their local dealership, is it?

Toyota, Toyota Heritage, Toyota Corona, Corona, Corona front

In terms of generic offerings, the above is true. There would be little point in Toyota keeping an ageing fleet of Avensis on the road. Nobody would ever book them out. However, that’s not to say old cars don’t have their place. As evidenced by this beautiful 1966 Corona, dripping with chrome and covered in a gorgeous off-white hue. It’s a thing of beauty. Beauty that has earned it a place on the press fleet. Toyota, like other manufacturers, has concluded that it’s not just okay, it’s also expected that they would celebrate their heritage. There is a pride to be had from showing the world where you’ve come from. The past is what built today, after all.

Toyota, Toyota Heritage, Toyota Corona, Corona, Corona steering wheel

Toyota, Toyota Heritage, Toyota Corona, Corona, Corona interior

Not only that, these heritage cars serve to show just how far a company has moved on, and in the case of Toyota that’s a long way indeed. This humble Corona spends its days looking out on a workshop full of hybrids or cutting-edge sports cars like the new Supra. The untrained eye may find it hard to believe that the Corona came from the same stable, but it did.

Toyota, Toyota Heritage, Toyota Corona, Corona, Corona Deluxe

So, what about this car in particular? What’s the attraction from us here at Car & Classic? Well, frankly, it’s the condition of the thing. We don’t like to throw the cliched term of ‘time-warp’ out there too much, but this Corona is a worthy recipient of such a moniker. Yes, it’s had some work over the years, a lick of paint here, a running repair there, but aside from that it’s perfect. But crucially for us, it’s not too perfect. Look around it and it’s clear this car has been driven and enjoyed. There is just the right amount of wear to the mats, the seats have been sat in and the leather shows it, it’s a car with life. It’s not some pampered jewel that only ever gets polished. This is a working car – it’s worth very little to Toyota as an ornament, it has to go out and earn its keep, and earn it is does.

Toyota, Toyota Heritage, Toyota Corona, Corona, Corona rear

This is a step up from its past life. This RT40 Corona was actually used as a static display in a local Toyota dealership. However, in ’06, the dealership decided to part company with the Corona and offered it to Toyota GB. There was little debate – Toyota had to have it, so a deal was done, and the Corona was welcomed into the fold.

Having sat idle for long, the little Corona needed some love. It was given a light mechanical overhaul from front to back, consisting of a full service and full inspection, new tyres, the rear semi-elliptic leaf springs have been replaced as has the carburettor – but other than service parts, that’s all that has been changed. Testament, then, to just how well this car was put together. In reality, and having experience of both, the Toyota was a much more solid and dependable option than the Cortina and the Viva that it rivalled in the 1960s.

Toyota, Toyota Heritage, Toyota Corona, Corona, Corona engine

Looking around the Corona as we photograph it, and also getting a cheeky drive in the process, we see just how tight this car is. It’s not fast, but the four-cylinder OHV engine in this Deluxe model chirrups and chatters with a pleasing eagerness. The gearbox is reassuringly crisp, with changes coming via a pleasingly mechanical feeling action. The steering isn’t power-assisted, but it is light. The lush red seats are surprisingly comfortable and the cabin, on the whole feels safe and comforting, not rickety or old.

Of course, our look around and brief go in the car is nothing compared to what it has been tasked with during its time with Toyota. The little Corona is a regular at classic car rallies and events and has even been driven to the Netherlands to go and pay homage to the oldest surviving Toyota, the Toyoda AA.

Toyota, Toyota Heritage, Toyota Corona, Corona, Corona wheels

In doing so, it’s been given a new lease of life. And that’s why we love it when a manufacturer can look beyond the output of its factories and instead look to the past. It’s important to know where you come from, the past is what shapes the future, and in the case of the Corona that couldn’t be truer. Today’s Toyotas are safe, practical and reliable machines, but as its own heritage Corona shows, that’s always been the case, and will be whether a car has 5k on the clock or 50 years of life.

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