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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe - The inconspicuous conqueror

Name: Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe 1967
Brand: Toyota

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Created on January 12, 2024

Text:

Paul Krüger

Photos:

Bonhams

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - larger hubcaps, bumper horns and additional trim strips characterize the luxury version

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - following the American model, the radiator grille changed several times

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - involuntary hot rod: narrow cross-ply tires at the front, wide belted tires at the rear

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - sloping front, sloping door joints: the Corona seems to lean back permanently

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - still unrestored and only 21,000 miles on the clock

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - once sold new by Rich Toyota in Huntington, West Virginia

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - the rear could also be from a Lancia

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - The rear lights look almost a little Italian. Only the automatic lettering doesn't match

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - gold lettering on the C-pillar

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - nicely curved nameplate on the front fender

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - lettering in the radiator grille, together with stylized star in the large "C"

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - Contemporary advertising sticker: A Toyota was always a sensible purchase

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - Clear cockpit with nothing missing - except in this case the carpet

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - American-style bench seat. The Coupé had individual seats

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - Steering wheel with turn signal actuation via horn ring like the Mercedes-Benz 190 SL

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - Instrument cluster with three clocks, four lights and trip odometer. Interesting: even the "totalizer" counts in tenths of a second

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - self-explanatory heating controls, name panel instead of radio

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - Not only the name, but also the shift pattern of the Toyoglide automatic is similar to the Powerglide from Chevrolet

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - The right half of the dashboard looks somewhat unadorned

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - Brilliant: shimmering golden inlay in the door trim with brushed Corona emblem

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - Fine fabrics: bench seats with brocade upholstery

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Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe (1967) - Unspectacular, but reliable: triple-mounted 1.9-liter four-cylinder engine with 90 hp

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Toyota Corona Deluxe (1965) - in front of the simulated driveway

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Toyota Corona (1965) - unadorned standard sedan

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Toyopet Corona Deluxe (1965) - RT 40-D model for the domestic market with mirrors on the mudguards

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Toyopet Corona Deluxe (1966) - the luxury version for the Japanese market

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Toyopet Corona Hardtop 1600 S (1966) - Model RT 51

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Toyopet Corona Station Wagon (1966) - two-door station wagon model RT 46-G

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Toyota Corona 1500 Station Wagon (1967) - model for Switzerland with a smaller engine

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Toyota Corona Coupé 1600 S (1967) - no B-pillar disturbs the line

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Toyota Corona Coupé 1600 S (1968) - on the Toyota stand at the 1967 Paris Motor Show

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Toyopet Corona Coupé 1600 S (1968) - at the Tokyo Motor Show 1967

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Toyota Corona Coupé 1600 S (1967) - individual reclining seats instead of bench seat

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Toyota Corona Deluxe (1967) - The cockpit of a sedan with automatic transmission

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Toyota Corona (1967) - the trunk is simply easier to load with the doors open

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Toyota Corona (1967) - with the large hubcaps of the Deluxe version

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Toyota Corona (1967) - a direct comparison of the three different models

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Toyota Corona (1967) - floated onto the beach without leaving a tire track

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Toyota Corona (1966) - the left-hand drive export version on a Japanese coast

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Toyota Corona Station Wagon (1966) - Not unlike in America: a station wagon for the family trip to the beach

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Toyopet Crown Deluxe (1959) - with wheel trim rings, different radiator grille and more chrome than the standard model

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Toyopet Corona Deluxe (1964) - sold as "Tiara" in the USA

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Summary

Without this unspectacular box on wheels, "cult cars" such as the Toyota Celica, the MR2 or the Supra Twin Turbo might never have existed. It was only with the third generation of the Corona series that Toyota's rise from Japan's eternal runner-up to the world's largest car manufacturer began.

This article contains the following chapters

From retreat to record-breaking drive
American-automatic
Hints of global success

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

In the pioneering days, those who aspired to make their fortune in the USA tended to overlook a footnote in the small print of the promise of prosperity in the hope of a better life: the land of opportunity offered numerous opportunities for advancement as well as the possibility of failure. And so Toyota's road to the top also began with a brilliant failure. When the American Toyota Dependence opened its first branch in a former Rambler dealership in Hollywood in February 1957, compact import cars were virtually unrivaled on the US market. Those who found the products from Detroit too big or too expensive had to buy foreign goods, so that in addition to sports cars, more and more small cars and mid-size sedans from the Old World found their way to America. Toyota - at that time the undisputed number two on the domestic market - was the first Japanese manufacturer to venture into the promising US market.

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