By Jim Brennan
If you listened to our latest podcast you will find our fascination of peculiar cars, and one of those cars was the Toyota Carina. As Alex has stated, this was a car that was so unremarkable, it lasted in the US for only a couple of years. So, I was slightly surprised when I found one for sale on eBay. So, without further ado, here is a 1973 Toyota Carina.
According to the listing:
This car has been used as daily transportation for the last 10 years or so and is in nice, original condition. The car has spent its life here, in Southern California. It’s registered and drives great. It has been well-maintained mechanically and I would not hesitate to take it on a long trip. The stock 2TC engine was rebuilt at 98,000 miles (I have receipts for the engine) The car appears to be all orignial, except for the mag wheels, which the previous owner told me were a dealership option. I can’t find any indication that the car has been in any accidents, either. The car has power brakes, air conditioning (the a/c doesn’t work, but is all there), AM radio. The car is the deluxe package. The transmission is a four-speed manual and shifts nicely.
The body is pretty straight for its age and appears to have the original paint. The body has a few minor rust spots on the roof, and the trunk. It’s just surface rust, and there are no holes rusted through, just some surface rust here and there. The paint is decent, but someone spilled brake fluid on the driverside-front fender and messed up the paint. I’ve included pictures of these spots. The rear window gasket leaks and probably should be replaced. The interior is in decent shape… the pictures pretty much tell it all. The brakes are good, all the lights, indicators, gauges work. No leaks. All said, a nice, original old Toyota. And as a 1973, it’s exempt from smog testing in California.
The car sports over 120,000 miles, and has a current bid of $1,825 and a buy-it-now price of $2,700. Is this a good buy for one of the rarest Toyotas in the states? See the eBay listing here.
Jeff Glucker
I knew someone who owned a maroon '72 Carina. One of the most anonymous cars ever made, designed to fill the inch-wide narrow crack between the Corolla and Corona and just as dull to drive as any period 'Yota. The only things of even mild interest are those odd, wrapover taillights. Even if you buy it for $1,825, where are you going to find parts these days?
Wasn't the Carina built on the same platform as the Celica? I seem to remember reading that, years ago.
Hey how are you doing!
Just wanted to know if you or you know someone with extra parts! I'm needing dashboard, and weatherstrip for the two windshield! If you do have or know someone! My number is 678)997-8276 or e-mail me pa*******@gm***.com.. Thank you!
It looks like the offspring of an Escort MkII and Plymouth Cricket (aka Hillman Avenger).
What car would I bring back?
<img src="http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Ford/2004_ford_bronco_concept_manu_01.jpg" width="400">
I can't click the thumbs up button enough times.
This was the car my folks had when I was born. The taillights are peerless.
<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3294/2908319573_3c5b9c922b.jpg">
I'd bring back the Road Runner. If a feature doesn't make the car perform better, leave it off to keep the price low.
Certainly a great ideia!
I'd bring back the first-generation Honda CRX.
A buddy of mine's Grandma has one of these in the garage. Unfortunately, its an awfulmatic, though in a car of this vintage, that's a relatively easy swap, no brains wondering where part of the car went and all.
Dodge Coronet and eliminate the Avenger. Something that is better at everything than the Avenger can't really be all that hard to do, and done for the same price. Maybe even with AWD and the 3.6 V6, and definitely a 2 door version.
914-6
<img src="http://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/1970_Porsche_914_6_Rear_1.jpg">
Totally.
wouldn't that be a Boxster S?
Spiritually, yes. Literally, not even close. I was being literal.
There are so many that it is hard to think of them all but all of them are econoboxes of the past. If I had to pick just one though it would be the 1991-94 Nissan Sentra SE-R. It has most of the qualities I look for in a daily driver even if the fuel economy isn't all that great. It's a 3 box sedan, handles well, and is small and light weight. Acceleration is decent too as it runs the 1/4 in 15.50 stock-or about 0.6 second faster than a B16 powered 1999 Civic Si.
Other cars on my list would include: Honda N600, Mk I VW Golf GTI, Austin Mini, Lada 2101, 3 cylinder Geo Metro, Datsun PL 510, Toyota TE27 Corolla, Suzuki Samurai and the compact Nissan pickup.
Dodge Mirada. Definitely, Mirada.
<img src="http://www.tanshanomi.com/temp/challenger-mirada-edition.jpg" width="500">
You are an odd fellow. Lkable, but odd.
Well, think about it. The Mirada was a very large two-door coupe with sporty styling but no real sporting aspirations. The current Challenger is a very large two-door coupe with sporty styling but no real sporting aspirations. Re-doing that plus-size pillowy cruiser to look like a modern-day Mirada would actually be a more appropriate than trying to make it look like a modern-day version Sam Posey's Trans-Am badass.
Touche. It makes me a bit sad to think how much better the new Challenger would be if it were only 7/8ths as large and heavy.
You aren't kidding about the Challenger bloat. I parked my '94 LeSabre next to one several months back and I was surprised to see that the "ponycar" looked at least as as big as my fullsize family car. Later, I looked up the number and my eyes hadn't deceived me. The Dodge was wider, taller, had a longer wheelbase, and was only an inch shorter overall than the Buick. It was also 600 pounds heavier.
Check it out compared to my ole E30 ragtop and that Town Cow parked next to me down at the Beach 16 show I posted last summer…that thing is huge!
<img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zCnDCJkPVTc/S_BKaX_C5HI/AAAAAAAALxw/JKXnnALfK9M/s1600/1+100.jpg" width=600 end>
Then again, it IS based on a full size family car…
A strange and malaisey choice. Would you chop the roof like this car?
It's no more chopped than the Challenger convertible I based it on. That's the stock windshield hoop; I didn't tweak the windshield in the photo at all.
Only if we can bring this one back as well.
<img src="http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/6162/bamirada.jpg" width="499/">
(The Imperial can come too if it asks nicely)
The real question is, what cars should be produced forever? What are the pinnacles of their ethos?
Make it tomorrow's Hooniverse Asks, because I need some time to think.
The Volkswagen Fox Wagon. I had an 88. It got 45 MPG with the AC on. It was indestructible, and there was plenty of room to sleep in the back. Parts were cheap if they broke at all because it was made in Brazil. Cost virtually nothing to purchase.
It was also the last 2-door wagon sold in the U.S., and we need us some 2-door wagon action, bad.
Italian design with American reliability.
<img src="http://lasvegasexotics.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/detomaso-pantera-gts.jpg">
IMG from LasVegasExotics.net
Tom Tjaarda was born in Detroit dude.
But at least he was living in Turin and working for Ghia 🙂
Who can blame him, I wouldn't have moved back to Detroit either if I had found a sweet gig in Turin. Photographically:
<img src="http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/dusanzidar/dusanzidar0612/dusanzidar061200143/680423-organizzato-il-prosciutto-vino-olive-formaggio-pane-e-pomodoro-da-vicino.jpg" width="400">
<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2437/3710006329_9605e79b23.jpg" width="400">
appear
Yesterday I was making a U-turn onto the feeder road while a yellow Pantera was approaching the intersection from the opposite direction, but stopped by traffic and a red light. The driver waited amoment for the road to clear, and a half a minute later he blew by me at what was probably only 60 MPH but sounded like 160.
I was on my way to the auto parts store and was hoping he had the same destination in mind, but he cruised past it.
hell yes.
Every now and again, Ford tease us with rumours of a new Capri. We dream of a lightweight, responsive rear-wheel drive coupe, with outright power less important than driver involvement. Sensibly priced, it would be a new sports car for the people.
Occasionally, an offical concept pops its head out of the water. In 2003 there was the Visos.
<img src="http://www.cartype.com/pics/4169/small/ford-visos_show5.jpg" width="400/">
Although the coupe had morphed into a hatchback, the two faux-vents on the time implied only too clearly what Ford wanted to reference. Today, though, it seems inevitable that the moment has passed. Any coupe Ford release now is likely to be front wheel drive and wear the usual colossal wheels and bulky detailing. Capri as an idea, it seems, is dead.
For Ford, anyway. Ironically the Hyundai Genesis is a better follow-up than anything from Dagenham or Michigan.
Bears a striking resemblance, less the RWD.
<img src="http://autoners.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/2010-Volvo-C30-Rear-Angle-View-588×443.jpg">
IMG from Autoners.com
I thought the same thing, and AWD is an added attraction. No Capri but fun enough in itself.
I think we're on the verge of a huge resurgence in interest in Japanese cars 65-80. It's not all that visible in the US yet, but is already huge in Australia, and where there is interest, aftermarket parts supply is sure to follow. The models that never lost a following like the Z cars and RX-7 are already so well served that you could practically build a complete car with all-new parts. The early RX cars, Datsun 510 and fairlady, and certain early Hondas are not far behind.
I think the early Japanese export car ethos and design philosophy that seemed banal for decades is finally starting to become appealing again in contrast to the flabby, anaesthetic, overpowered turn that the industry has taken over the last decade. So maybe the Japanese cars won't catch on so much in Europe, where tiny efficient cars never went out, but I bet we'll see more of them at car shows in the US in the next decade. It's just too bad their rust control was so weak and they were unloved for so long, as I don't think there are a ton of them left out there to revive.
Thinking of the main topic here, though, think of all the historic cars that are available in replica, improved replica, or mostly new parts versions:
Porsche 550 Spyder
Porsche 356
early Porsche 911
Datsun 240/60/80z
Datsun 280zx
Jeep early CJ
Land Rover Series I through III
Morgan 3-wheeler
I guess any Morgan
AC Cobra, of course
Lotus Seven. Does nobody make an Elan though?
original Mini
Ogle SX
Chevelle, other muscle cars? Can you get a new 65 Mustang frame?
On the European car side you could probably do most of a Spitfire, TR2 to 6, MGA or B, maybe an MG T-series or Midget, Sprite, 2CV. On the American, I don't know as well.
Mustang, yes. Early and Mid-year Corvettes. 1957 Chevrolets. Several years of Ford and Chevrolet pickups.
There guys are responsible for Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds, Chevelles, and pickups: http://www.dynacornclassicbodies.com/classic2.htm…
'55 and '57 Chevys…
http://www.danchuk.com/ItemForm.aspx?item=15244
You can add some Model A and 1932 Fords into this list: http://www.brookvilleroadster.com/
Hawk Stratoses
Andy's Modern Microcars: Messerschmitt, TG500 (Tiger), Goggo Dart, Isetta, Scootacar, Kleinschnittger F125, Peel Trident, Peel P50, Bamby and Mopetta
Banks Europa.
Ford GT40: Shelby (limited run of 255 in 2008), MDA (still operating?), RCR, ERA, and Superformance (at least).
RCR also makes 917s and P4s.
Cobra Daytona: Factory Five and Superformance.
Porsche 904: Martin and Walker, Chuck Beck.
various '30s Bentleys: Bob Petersen Engineering
DeLorean
It seems that nearly half of those make some sort of Cobra.
Yeah, crazy about the number of cobra replicas out there, some ridiculously good, like the new Singer Vehicle Design 911. http://www.singervehicledesign.com/
More a Chuck Beck guy myself, though.
Psyched to see that you can buy a new Europa, my favorite Lotus. Also nice that you can get a Goggo Dart, but I wish somebody would reproduce the bigger Glas GT cars, the 1300/1700GT and the Glaserati. Rather have one of those than a BMW of similar vintage.
That Singer is over the top. Alas, I will have to admire from a distance.
as will I.. but that won't stop me from reading every single word on their website and dreaming…
Toyota desperately needs to revive something fun. I know they keep saying the FT-86 is coming but really they need something to revive the image they had around the world as a company that made truly awesome cars. Please Toyota, bring back the Celica GT-Four.
<img src="http://www.parkovka.info/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/celica_gt_four.jpg">
I would bring back any car with these:
<img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/03/78_eldo_t-tops_detail.jpg"> Its not just an option, its a lifestyle.
Totally.
You mean the pillow-tops, right?
They are a life-style.
That's the Toronado XS. I've never seen one of those in person.
That's actually a Toronado XS-R prototype. The retractable roof panels never made to production because of problems with the system. The production Toronado XS kept the huge wraparound window but had a glass moonroof instead of a T-top.
<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3484/3826776233_37c90f3572.jpg">
I love the high mounted hidden lights underneath that wraparound window!
Not to be a total geek here, but it's actually an Eldorado Biarritz. You can tell by the tufted leather seats. Toros used a different pattern, but yes, they were basically the same car.
Yeah, it's too bad the retractable tops never made it to production, but given malaise-era quality, they would have been a nightmare. I still see an XS model occasionally. There used to be a triple white one close by here. And those eye-level taillights were a standard Toronado thing for several years. A friend of mine had a loaded '73 Toronado Brougham, triple black, with the Cutlass 455. It was totally badass.
What's interesting is that the decision to can the retractable T-tops was made at the very last minute. Early '77 Olds brochures featured the XS-R.
<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/t96yci.jpg" width=500>
My short list of cars I'd love to see produced (in some semi-modern form):
Datsun 510 (inexpensive, nice handling, rear drive sedan); I had one of these, bought it for $270.
Mazda 3rd Gen RX-7 (Inexpensive, awesome quick rear drive sports car); I had one of these
Porsche 914-6 (If it was inexpensive, mid engine, awesome handling, sports car); I never had one of these, but my buddy did.
The common theme is low price, but go like scoot.
A 914/6 inexpensive? Um, it cost as much as a 911T new, and that's the big reason why it didn't sell. The third-gen RX-7 cost $32,000 new in 1993 for the base model. That was just a hair less than an LT-1 Corvette. Price eventually killed the Mazda, too.
Judging from as-tested prices in a 93 motorweek comparison I just googled, the third generation RX-7 was between ten and twenty percent cheaper than an LT1, 300zx twin turbo, or Supra Turbo, and about 30 percent cheaper than a much slower 968. Only the relative dog Stealth R/T/3000GT was as cheap. Having been in college at the time, I remember very well that the Mazda was routinely considered the real driver's car in the magazine tests around then. I don't think it was the asking price that killed it, it was the cost to produce them, and the fact that unlike the Corvette and ZX it was crap for GT duty.
The 914/6, on the other hand, really was disastrously overpriced for its segment, which is odd as the 914/4 was originally priced about half of a 911S, a much more appealing ratio.
According to the Sept 1992 Popular Science comparison test, the RX7 was only about $2,300 less in base price than the Corvette LT1 ($31,300 vs. $33,600). The problem is that previous generations of the RX7 weren't even close to being Corvette competitors either in power or price. Mazda made the same mistake as Toyota and Nissan in the 1990s – they moved their sports models so far upmarket that people who wanted them before could no longer afford them. The RX7, Supra, and 300ZX were now being pushed as supercars. All three along with the MR2 suffered huge sales declines in the US as the '90s progressed, and none were left on the American market by 1998. The RX7 also had some serious quality problems in its third generation. That didn't help sales either.
The older RX-7 was definitely measured against the Corvette when it was new, despite the price difference. Here's a Car and Driver comparison at the time in which a first-gen RX-7 beat a Corvette: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparisons/a…
Here's one from Road and Track where a first-gen RX-7 beat a Corvette by a lot when both were equipped with automatics: http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/comparison/four…
First of all, the Car and Driver test was widely inclusive, even by its own admission. A Fiat Spider vs. a Porsche 924 vs. a Corvette? Come on. Second of all, both tests date from the end of the aging Corvette C3's life cycle, when the car was at its weakest. By the time the second generation RX-7 was introduced for 1986, the Corvette's performance and handling were an order of magnitude better. The point remains that Mazda priced itself right out of its natural market by the mid-'90s. Even after the third-gen was introduced, the price kept climbing year after year due to the strengthening yen vs. dollar. The final 1995 RX-7s were pushing $40,000 with a few options.
I want my Chevy Sprints back. Shut up, I know I ain't right in the head. I still miss them. I'd buy one, but they've all but disappeared. There's someone in my neighborhood that taunts me with one, a silver 5-door like the two that I had. One day imma steal it from her.
How about pick-up trucks that aren't as big as class 8 semis?????
Looks at the F150 for example. It's as big as a F350 was 6 years ago.
I'd also like to see the return of SMALL pickups like the Ford Ranger. Not every needs a beast that has enough torque to yank down a redwood just to make the odd run down to Home Depot.
On that subject, how about a truck with a stick shift?
Yes! I'd like another Toyota pickup, 2WD, 5 speed, bench seat, crank windows, no frills beyond a radio that I can plug the ipod or a USB memory stick into. And I'll install that myself, happily.
According to the title, my '95 F-150 weighed just 4150 when new. That's a SuperCab, 5.0/4R70W, power windows/locks/seat, A/C, tilt, cruise; every option except the auto-dimming rearview mirror and power mirrors. Even loaded, it's lighter than the base trucks are now.
And yes, a lot of people would like to see a new Ranger, or the one that just launched for the rest of the world.
My only memory of the Carina was one that a dealer had on display at Jack Murphy Stadium in October of 1971, a 72 model I assume. So why was it memorable, you ask? (I thought you'ld NEVER ask). Because it was sitting on the concrete pad atop the right field bleachers (this was before the stadium was fully enclosed as it is today) and Willie McCovey JUST missed hitting it during batting practice before a game against the Padres. That was about a 500 ft poke if your interested. If your not……..
then quit bothering me and get off my lawn.
Trabants.
For muscle
<img src=http://www.coupe-desire.com/pictures/8/888//AMC_AMX.jpg>
For a city car
<img src=http://image.automotive.com/f/features/impp_1006_nissan_heritage_car_collection_part_1/28632478+soriginal/impp_1006_04_o+1933_datsun+type_12_phaeton.jpg>
Seriously….think of it as the performance of a smart car without looking like a pregnant egg
Escort Mk1
<img src="http://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/1973_Ford_Escort_Mk1_Race_Rally_Car_For_Sale_Front_1.jpg">
BMW 3.0 Cs
<img src="http://image.automobilemag.com/f/features/news/25_most_beautiful_cars/6709188+w440/0610_z+1971_BMW_3.0CS+25_most_beautiful_cars.jpg">
Volvo P1800ES
<img src="http://www.allsportauto.com/photoautre2/volvo/1800es/1971_volvo_1800es_break_07_m.jpg">
Alfa Romeo GTV
<img src="http://dvpratt.com/cars/74GTV/Splash.jpg">
Ford RS200
<img src="http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/crop/200511/1986-ford-rs200-evolution_460x0w.jpg">
Audi Ur Quatro
<img src="http://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/1983_Audi_Ur_Quattro_Euro_Turbo_Quattro_Coupe_Front_1.jpg">
Among others.
I salute your good taste, fine sir! The sexiest suggestions of the day.
Fine choices all around.
I call shenanigans on this one. You stole all my choices! 😉