1969 Toyota Crown Mark II – Driven To Write

Toyota’s First Supra-Car

Toyota City upstages Europe.

_{Editor’s note: A version of this piece was originally published in April 2016 as part of DTW’s Japan Theme.}

From a purely commercial perspective, the Toyota motor company appears to have fared perfectly well without the benefit of image-building halo cars. While enthusiasts have been well served by innumerable performance versions of regular production models over the intervening decades, the Japanese car giant has largely eschewed outright exotics. Not so fast however. As long ago as 1965, crowds at the Tokyo motor show were captivated by the introduction a sleek and beautifully proportioned coupe from that most cautious of Japan’s burgeoning carmakers. Deliveries began two years later, but by the decade’s end, and after a mere 337 cars, the Mayfly Toyota 2000 GT disappeared as quickly as it had emerged.

The story (as commonly told) begins in the early 1960s. German nobleman and designer, Graf Albrecht Goertz^[1] had forged a successful consultancy in the United States, having been involved in the design of a number of post-war BMW models, most notably the acclaimed 507 roadster. Commissioned by Nissan to assist in the design a two-seater coupe, he is said to have drawn up a low-slung concept, a running prototype of which was subsequently built for Nissan by Yamaha. Nissan’s management however opted to adapt their in-house Fairlady model along different lines, introducing it as the highly successful 240Z in 1970.

Undeterred, Yamaha pitched the concept to Toyota and to their surprise, they elected to Continue reading “Toyota’s First Supra-Car”

Comfort Food

Catch a Crown Comfort while you still can.

In what now seem like very distant times, procuring the services of a taxi in New York would inevitably see one on the vinyl-clad rear seat of either a big yellow Checker, later a Chevrolet Caprice Classic or Ford Crown Victoria, whereas in swinging London an Austin FX4 “black cab” or its similar looking successors.

Nowadays virtually all these once ubiquitous vehicles have been succeeded by more modern, cleaner, more efficient but at the same time also much less characterful replacements. The minor sense of occasion one experienced as a tourist has gone as well since Toyota Prii and such now Continue reading “Comfort Food”

For Sale in Switzerland – Japanese Rarities

Japanese cars from the eighties and even before have more or less disappeared from our streets.

Nobody seems to care for giving them collectors’ item status, except for some exotic sports cars maybe. All the bigger was my excitement when I discovered two Japanese everyday cars on dealers’ lots recently. The first example is a 1979 Datsun Sunny estate in a very nice pale metallic green, typical for this time. Continue reading “For Sale in Switzerland – Japanese Rarities”

Rarities: 1971 Toyota Crown

On my way to the Sommer’s Car Museum in Naerum, north of Copenhagen before Christmas, this caught my eye.

This is a car which bears close scrutiny. It has distinctive high level indicators and running lights, set over a nicely demarcated lamp-and-grille assembly. Continue reading “Rarities: 1971 Toyota Crown”