This is the kind of modification I don't disapprove of. Useful improvements to make it more practical to use, and which are undetectable from outside, and don't ruin the period charm of it inside or out 👍
It’s a quality if you use camcorder instead of a phone. I learned a lesson a hard way don’t buy a new phone for camera, buy a Sony Handycam AX100 or Panasonic GH5 instead
12:00. Poor little AudiA3 owner must have been straight on the phone to book an appointment with their therapist having been overtaken by a sixties Corolla! Very sensitive restoration.
These cars were the reason Toyota became so popular. To me as a current late model Corolla owner, although Toyota has kept up with the times,they have lost their way a bit.
Corona RT40 was our family car when I was born. My dad, who had just returned from California to Japan, bought it from my aunt. And its fun it running with 1985 Cerica engine and 5MT! Greatly enjoyed!
What a wonderful car. Restomods don't always work for me, but this one is particularly well executed, and it shows. Even better though, is the rather impressive lack of virus references in the comments. Hubnut never disappoints.
It also shows why certain cars are preferred for engine swaps, including the very American Chevy V8 and LS swaps in Australia: they fit with often no cutting work. It is amazing what will fit in a Datsun 240Z and, the admittedly larger. Volvo 240. Yave even seen the dreaded "LS swap" in a Rover P5, by virtue of the size of it's engine bay, and possibly the better reliability/tunability against a more tradituonal Rover V8. This car is my sort of thing though.
I think these used to be popular with motoring schools in the late 1960s; my Mum had driving lessons in one. I was very impressed with the modifications that had been to it; the owner has managed to uprate the car's performance and appearance whilst still staying true to the original concept of the car (a retro-mod that actually works). It looked a lot like a 4-door Alfa Romeo saloon of the period.
I love this car. Especially the blue and beige interior. From the outside it reminds me of a Triumph Toledo but without the rust or inevitable lopsided ness.
I remember a friend of the family had one of these. Bringing back memories. I can almost smell the vinyl from here. I remember my dad coming home with a Corolla in about 1975. It was used and already starting to rust. After that we upgraded all the way to a Datsun 120Y wagon, which served us well for many years after a bit of work and was the first car I ever got to the ton with the help of a big hill.
I have a 67 all original except the radiator it’s of a 68, a couple rust spots and a bit of fixing needed but I plan on starting to getting it all good this year
I had a 1969 Corona for a few years in the early 70s. Here in Canada, they came with a 1900cc engine. It was really very peppy and fun to drive. Very fun to see this one and to be reminded of all the controls and so on after all these years. I've often wished I could find another one, but, alas, they all melted away here in the land of snow and salt. It is very rare indeed to see one now.
Wow, this was a pure blast from the past for me! My Dad bought a Corona in 1967 in Zambia where we were living at the time and I did a trememdous amount of driving in this car. As I recall a heater and a radio were standard fitment when new, almost unknown in equivalent British cars of the time!. We did a large mileage in the car, even taking my sister to and from boarding school in Bulawayo was an 800 mile + round trip. He kept the car until about 1982 by which time it had done an almost trouble free 300K miles. At about 160K miles the clutch started to slip. My Dad took in in and apparently the problem was not the clutch but the rear crankshaft oil seal leaking and allowing oil onto the clutch plate! As a precaution they did a partial engine overhaul which it still had when it was sold, I don't believe they even did a rebore. It only let him down once, fortunately while I was visiting them, He stalled it at the traffic lights then flooded it trying to restart (My Dad was natural Hubnutter!). I went and rescued him, picked up a new carb needle and seat from the local dealer and all was good again! I have to admit it was a fantastic car in terms of reliability, outperforming British cars of the time many times over.
U mention the radio and that is what I remember most about the shovel nose corona my mother drove me around in early 70s, the working radio and tunes on at a time I couldn't see much over the dash
@@Treviscoe Not brilliant and certainly not as ground breaking as the Mk1 Cortina but something you had to get used to, and of course we usually drove round with all the windows open. The front opening quarter lights which could swivel beyond 180 degrees were a boon though as they would funnel air onto the driver and front passenger. A bigger problem was the sun on the vinyl seats and the fact we normally wore shorts which could lead to fairly severe burns on the upper thighs. We always carried a bath towel draped between the steering wheel and the seat back to alleviate this problem. I remember with affection my first company car in the late 70s with velour upholstery which was superb after the vinyl! Another comment on the sun and its effects, we had in the early 60's a Vauxhall Victor FB which was white on the bottom and gold on the top. After it had sat in the sun for a while you could safely put your hand on the white paint, but the gold would provide severe burns!
Coincidence! My Dad also bought one new in Lusaka in 1967, he drove it on the Zambian dirt roads for 5 year's then loaded up the family and drove to CapeTown where the car was put onto the RMS Windsor Castle destination Southampton, the Corona then gave great service until 1989 with 400k on the clock by which time the UK salted roads took there toll and the car was finally scrapped. Great car and fond memories.
I remember an episode of Mythbusters where they used a two door to stand in for an Aston Martin to test the feasibility of an ejection seat. It was chosen for its vertical sides. It didn't end well for the Corona, as in a later episode it was used to test a myth involving cigarette lighters in a hot car. 😔
The handful of GSS hardtops we got here were faster stock than anything at the same price point apart from a modified or larger engined Datsuns, and a match for a 5.0 Holden in performance, though obviously being a lot lighter helped. Had the same power from that 1.9 twin-cam as a high compression 3.3 Holden 6, near enough, but could make quite a bit more, even then. Great fun to drive.
Twin cam must even rarer than the 1600 S coupes that were rare. Some coverage from Australia on a coupe and pointing out how Australia in 1965 was the largest export market for Toyota and far exceeding the USA then. Also how the reliability at Bathurst 1965 was a big boost to sales on a bang per buck basis. ruclips.net/video/BRxPdKppZRA/видео.html
Then there's a chance it's the one my mum had for a while in the early 70s, in Adelaide I remember being driven around in. I've got a totally original 77 corona wagon in a container I take out about once or twice a year for fun
My late dad had one of these and it brings back cracking memories. I love the modification of having a younger more powerful engine for daily driving. I think the best thing is that it’s reversible and could be easily taken back to stock if you ever wanted to. Nice one Fergus and as always a cracking video from Mr & Mrs Hubnut
Enjoyable video. Thank You Ian and Miss HubNut. Somehow the overall look, stance and sound of the car remind me of the Alfa Giulia saloon of the late 60s.
These were a terrific little car. We had a stock 1.5l one in the 80s. Never let us down. Living in country South Australia, that's saying something. The indicators were controlled by the horn ring, which you would rotate to indicate.
Great stuff Mr & Ms H. Lovely job by Fergus a superb restomod without ruining a classic car, so good that he has kept all the original bits so if required it could be returned to stock.
Nice video Ian, and a superb restomod to boot. Not quite a sleeper but interesting. Always liked the styling of the older Japanese cars too. Early corolla coupé and celica fastback... ooh, sir!
I LOVE the sound of those turn indicators! Tri-colour rear taillamps were mandatory in Japan 🇯🇵 (they might be today as, well), so when the Corona was imported into the US, rear taillamps were all red with the exception of reverse lamps. The dashboard is of that time, and the handbrake they used like it seems forever on Japanese vehicles. While you were smiling whilst driving I couldn't help but smile as well; a restomod makes this classic tractable for modern driving. I do hope this is daily driven all summer, it is quite capable. I even think this Corona was imported even into the early 70's! All this reminds me of the Datsun pickups I drove over three decades ago, everything so similar! Brilliant review!
Here in Australia it was the other way round. We've always had yellow rear indicators but white reversing lights were unknown until these toyota's started appearing. I remember as a kid wondering why there were white lights on the back of them. Couldn't figure it out. Up until that point the orange indicators came on solid whenever you put a car in reverse.
@@Seiskid another car with white reversing lights from 1959 was the Mercedes Benz 220 fintail models. There may be a Toyota connection with these as AMI in Port Melbourne were assembling the fintails at the time Toyota were setting up their first overseas assembly there of the Toyota Tiara. Another feature of the Mercedes was the interior wheel knob to turn the quarter lights, as in the later Corona. Some people also say the later Crown OHC six motor is very like the Mercedes 220 six. Were AMI so proud of what they achieved with assembly of the Mercedes Benz that they showed it in detail to Toyota or did Toyota have one shipped to Japan so they could ostensibly evaluate AMI's capabilities to assemble Toyotas? I think it could only be to Toyota's benefit to have their engineers under stand the then benchmark fintail Mercedes. ruclips.net/video/3Ce5qZ6iZH4/видео.html I also think the first Falcon XP in Fairmont versions had, tacked on, clear reversing lights as standard and optional on other Falcons. From memory of reading prized brochures as a kid. Looked like a clear version of the amber indicator lights that auto electricians sold in their thousands to make old cars without indicators either up to date or legal.
My Scottish Mudder on Law ( God Wrest Her Sole) had one of these, and my English Youth Group Leader. The Australian 2OR and other 21R single OHC engines from the 1982 Celica was what the 24R 2366 was based on, and the 5 speed M40 gearbox was a common swap. My Scottish step mom went back to Gordon for a holiday to vist the family and came back to a twin HKS Weber DCOE conversion of her car via her son Malcom, Dave and Andrew. She hated it's extra performance and gas usage, so she told 'em to take those Bleesed Leakers Off Now!
Holden in Austalia also took years, and then first with the Japanese Isuzu-Gemini. Aussie built Holdens had to wait until the Opel-derived Commodore in 1978.
An Alfa 164 (how my heart cried thinking I could not have it) and now an adorable classic Japanese car. Achingly loveable. There comes a time when vicarious enjoyment turns to existential cry session. At any rate, thanks.
I learnt to drive in Sydney on a 1965 Toyota Corona Automatic.. 2 speed Toyoglide... Very buzzy in first gear.. not bad in top. This was used and the first second car in our family. Dad's car was a 186 cu in Holden Premier with leather seats, front bench. It also had a two speed Power glide transmissions. Super light power steering with no road feel. Corona was a great appliance. Totally reliable. The Premier was so light in the rear end it was dangerous in the wet. A bag of cement in the rear was not enough... Got rid of this car... One more Holden and they bought a new Citroen GS 1220 Club C Matic... This was a motoring revelation for them after 4 Holdens and one Corona. The GS was joined after 3 Years by a CX 2400 Pallas C Matic.
This is such a great video. You've been very honest about your mental wellbeing Ian and I know like many of us you've had some challenges over the last while. Whatever you're doing seems to be working - you seem right back to your enthusiastic and happy self here! Great to see.
A guy I worked with back in the early 70s had one of these. At the time, I thought they were kind of weird. Now, I think they are a very handsome design. Your friend has made some very impressive improvements without losing the essence.
My father's opinion of Japanese cars in the early 70s was 'they're a load of rubbish', which for him, was a fairly common dismissal of anything he didn't like much. That he sold Vauxhalls for a living might also question such an opinion. But even so, I wonder how similar sized late-1960s British and Japanese cars really compared at the time.
@@frglee Reliability and engineering wise they must have been streets ahead of the British based cars. I'm jumping forward a decade or so but my first car in the mid to late 80's was a 1978 Mitsubishi Galant that was the epitomy of total reliability, started on the turn whatever the weather and as me being a young lad it got abuse. Many of my friends Fords, Leylands, Vauxhalls etc were rather a lot less forgiving.
@gilburton For sure. What I was thinking. Common nowadays to say Brit cars were crap, but I would think a 1968 Austin 1800 was streets ahead of the 68 Corona. Space, paint, metal, handling, performance, design. However, I don’t know about build quality and reliability. The Coronas rusted quickly. I also thought the Corona looks kinda cool in a retro way.
What a great car. Fergus did a superb job on the restomod. It looks and sounds the business, and drives like it too. Those wing mirrors look terrific. My Grandfather's last car, a 61 Pontiac Laurentian, came with no outside mirrors. He added a driver's side mirror on the front fender because he believed they worked better than door mirrors. The Carona is an unusual car to see now. Tin worm had most off the road by 1980.
AKA as the shovel nose - rudimentary engineering - my mum had a 73 in burnt orange so reliable unfortunately as us kids hated it after the VW Type3 variant/wagon and mk 1 Celica - finally was replaced by a 78 Alfasud Ti which was fabulous as reliable and in our dry climate rust less an issue and no more than other cars of this era 👍 great review
They weren't completely useless if one spent the requisite number of hours to get them adjusted right, only for some kid to come along and twist them around, along with bending or snapping the radio antenna. Hence the many cars sprouting the bent wire coat hanger.
Wing mirrors are ok on some cars; on Mini's , Morris Minor & 1100s /1300s they can be in the way when working under the bonnet, & can cause a build up of mud & salt causing corrosion & holes, though on cars like the Avenger, MK1 Capri & the Corona just tested,they can look & work ok! They seem to be better suited to a longish wing /bonnet. Though they are really good on a Mk1 Transit.
Wing mirrors are great.they are better than door mirrors.you can see much better behind and to the side of you with a lot less of a blind spot.i drive modern cars and vans but the wing mirrors on my old classic are much better.
I remember a family friend buying a brand new 1968 Corona. His was the same colour blue but had blue tinted windows and a blue interior. He was so proud of the fact it had a cigarette lighter and a radio. He went on and on about how it started first time every time and everything worked perfectly. We had hours of fun reading the instruction manual. The English translation was hilarious. Mum and Dad said they could never buy a Japaneese car as they remembered the war.
Great review Ian. And camera work too. My parents had the 69 Corona RT40 with the 2R. Back in the 80's. Dad did a engine upgrade to the 12R 1.6L. Great car. Traveled all over Western Australia. Had a big roof rack and tow bar. At 70mph the roof rack would howl like Airwolf. Haha. They had it for 12 years. It had a hard life. In 89 my first car was another 69 Corona still with the 2R. Vinyl bench seats, no side mirrors. Tuff, but slow, with character. My next car was a 81 TF Cortina with the 4.1 Litre (Falcon) six. A bit more power. Tee Hee Hee. Bit like the TC you reviewed before.
Just doing a bit of a catch up on Hub videos as I've been very busy the last couple of weeks and what a treat! Fergus has made such a lovely job of a clever, useful mod. I'm feeling how nice it is to drive through your reaction.
One of the few Japanese cars that were imported into 60s Czechoslovakia, and could be actually bought for Czechoslovak crowns. At first it was sold for 110 thousand crowns (Škoda 1000MB cost around 50 thousand for comparison) but the price was soon lowered to 79 thousand crowns.
They weren't really sold on the free market in CZ. There was a state organization called Tuzeks where people from the diaspora could buy western products to their family left in CZ, if I remember well. Skodas were the national product whilst Russian Lada were a little bit more expensive.
@@jurivlk5433 wow, super interesting thanks. The communist economy was obviously more complicated than I ever realised. Feel sorry for the ones left behind at that time but at least they could get some perks if their relatives did well !
@@Nonamenever557 There were also delivered some Volvos or VW Golfs to German Democratic Republic and even Honecker, the leader, drove a western car as the official vehicle! The GDR produced many, many good quality household appliances and electronics for West Germany. The economy of the East wasn't less complicated than the western one and some products were ahead of capitalist products. People weren't stupid in the GDR, in Czechoslovakia, Romania or Bulgaria. Don't forget that it was the Soviet Union that won the war!
Well done Fergus, absolutely my preferred approach to modifying. One of the very best executions I've seen too and Ian's tootle-ability test proves it. What a glorious car. Just need to have a look at those headlight earths... Fantastic!
What a lovely car, I think the front looks a bit like one of the seventies Lancias (can't remember which model but it was a medium sized saloon), the twist knob quarter lights were usually reserved for the more prestigious British marques like Jaguar and Rovers and I remember my dad's 1966 ADO16 just had a little lever. I'm pretty certain that the heater and blower on the 1100 was optional and although dad had one fitted it was only single speed. It was great to hear you say that your mate had not done anything that wasn't reversible, whilst I am a great believer that if a person has a car it's their car, their money and up to them what they do with it I personally don't like it when rare classic vehicles are modified beyond all recognition.
They were actually locally produced for the Australian market from 1965, including a utility version. Australia was actually the largest export market for Toyota at the time, about double what the US was selling.
Easily true. The US market didn't really take to the superiority (in many respects) of Japanese cars until the true Malaise Era set in, and then it still took time, well into the 80's then cars like the Accord and later Camry modeld started to rule.
Some coverage from Australia pointing out how Australia in 1965 was the largest export market for Toyota and far exceeding the USA then. Also how the reliability at Bathurst 1965 was a big boost to sales on a bang per buck basis. ruclips.net/video/BRxPdKppZRA/видео.html
I've noticed that cars have stopped having side indicators again, that coupled with the trend of having front indicators inboard of the headlights instead of on the corners means you can't see the intentions of a car stopped at the intersection of a side street, not a problem if you are already driving on the main road, but if you live on a corner & want to pull out of your driveway & there is also a car on the intersection that runs by your home it is a problem.
@@HubNut Yeah, on some of these newer cars if they are even there they aren't near the front so you don't see them if there is a car at the side street, I think it should even be a legal requirement that the front indicators can be seen from the sides, not a fan of clear indicators either, you can't see them in sunlight.
Ah, master HubNut still uses his old Jedi mind tricks: " This is not the engine you´re looking for. " Audience: " This is not the engine we´re looking for. Move along." Hilarious :)
Love this! Im a toyota man, love my landcruisers and i thought “geez theres some design elements in the corona that are in my 2020 dual cab cruiser! Lol! Beautiful modifications too. Strange how, i can drive any type of car eg a range rover etc as a company car. I just like my toyotas!
I surprised myself by recognizing that engine, before you said what it was. As much as I am a total car-nerd, the engines themselves never really interested me - I'm more interested in what they deliver than looking at them, yet somehow I saw that this was a 80s Celica engine... I must have been brainwashed by Toyotas commercials in the car-mags of the 80s...
In the late 1970’s I had a 1972 w/ an 18R only the rockers had all fallen off but I and my mom drove it til 1982 when we got a clean Florida 1971 Corolla coupe with VVT 1300 what a gem that was.
I used to have a 70 s Corolla. Faded maroon colour. It needed some welding doing so I took it to a local garage to have a pretty m.o.t. The bloke in the garage said not to bother so I sold it. Wished I had kept it now.
Perfect restoration of an old car . Compare to my dads Vauxhall Victor 101 bought new in 1967 , paid extra for a heater and 4 speed box , no radio or clock , needed de-coke at 25000 miles , rusty at 3 years , fell apart and scrapped before it was 8 .
Hub, These base model Corona sedans sold well in Australia due to economy, reliability and standard features, such as radio and heater, that Australian made cars charged extra. Assembled in Melbourne by AMI. The engine in this version has that Celica sound, albeit with the airbox and filter. Rode in a few of these in my younger years in the 60s.
Sounds a lot more exciting than the originals. There were a few here in Australia in the 70s and 80s. They are one of the nicer looking Japanese cars from that era. The later Coronas sold well in Australia, my parent purchased a 1979 CS Corona.
This is the kind of modification I don't disapprove of. Useful improvements to make it more practical to use, and which are undetectable from outside, and don't ruin the period charm of it inside or out 👍
Couldn't agree more.
The 21R engine was lovely enough as it was, had it in a 83 Cressida.
My father kept this car in Pakistan for 15 years. It had a 1.5 Ltr engine. What a tough car. Your video brings back a lot of memories.
The production quality of your videos has gone up a few notches with Miss HubNut as head of photography!
It’s a quality if you use camcorder instead of a phone. I learned a lesson a hard way don’t buy a new phone for camera, buy a Sony Handycam AX100 or Panasonic GH5 instead
12:00. Poor little AudiA3 owner must have been straight on the phone to book an appointment with their therapist having been overtaken by a sixties Corolla!
Very sensitive restoration.
Corona - NOT a Corolla
@@sirrick59 You noticed my deliberate mistake! I didn’t want to be censored by the algorithms! 😉
@@robinwells8879 The old Corona virus conspiracy trick .LOL
These cars were the reason Toyota became so popular. To me as a current late model Corolla owner, although Toyota has kept up with the times,they have lost their way a bit.
Corona RT40 was our family car when I was born. My dad, who had just returned from California to Japan, bought it from my aunt. And its fun it running with 1985 Cerica engine and 5MT! Greatly enjoyed!
What a wonderful car. Restomods don't always work for me, but this one is particularly well executed, and it shows. Even better though, is the rather impressive lack of virus references in the comments. Hubnut never disappoints.
fabulous car, these old classic japanese models are really lovely and distinctive, i'd have this over an old hot escort any day!
That is how mods should be( think they call it a sympathetic upgrade?) not all that cutting and shutting about, delightful engine.
It also shows why certain cars are preferred for engine swaps, including the very American Chevy V8 and LS swaps in Australia: they fit with often no cutting work. It is amazing what will fit in a Datsun 240Z and, the admittedly larger. Volvo 240. Yave even seen the dreaded "LS swap" in a Rover P5, by virtue of the size of it's engine bay, and possibly the better reliability/tunability against a more tradituonal Rover V8. This car is my sort of thing though.
What a fabulous restomod. Full credit to Fergus for a job well done
Saw the lovely old Toyota and the sunshine and thought it was one from the Oz/NZ trip that had passed me by!
Lovely car!
I think these used to be popular with motoring schools in the late 1960s; my Mum had driving lessons in one.
I was very impressed with the modifications that had been to it; the owner has managed to uprate the car's performance and appearance whilst still staying true to the original concept of the car (a retro-mod that actually works). It looked a lot like a 4-door Alfa Romeo saloon of the period.
What an awesome car, it sounded utterly delicious, credit to the owner really loved this!!!
Great to see you having fun. That’s how to modify a car without ruining it.
Top marks to Fergus
Thank you 👍🏻
Testing a Corona these days. Quite a pun-demic (scnr)
I really like the early Japanese cars
What a nice Corona that is. Very tastefully modded. They were quite common here in Australia in the late 60s into the 70s.
Accolades to Fergus… this one’s a gem! Thanks as always for taking us along.
I love this car. Especially the blue and beige interior. From the outside it reminds me of a Triumph Toledo but without the rust or inevitable lopsided ness.
Yes that’s what it reminded me of.
I remember a friend of the family had one of these. Bringing back memories. I can almost smell the vinyl from here. I remember my dad coming home with a Corolla in about 1975. It was used and already starting to rust. After that we upgraded all the way to a Datsun 120Y wagon, which served us well for many years after a bit of work and was the first car I ever got to the ton with the help of a big hill.
I like the traditional looking 3 box designs reminds me of my old Fiat 128 or perhaps a Fiat 124.
I have a 67 all original except the radiator it’s of a 68, a couple rust spots and a bit of fixing needed but I plan on starting to getting it all good this year
I had a 1969 Corona for a few years in the early 70s. Here in Canada, they came with a 1900cc engine. It was really very peppy and fun to drive. Very fun to see this one and to be reminded of all the controls and so on after all these years. I've often wished I could find another one, but, alas, they all melted away here in the land of snow and salt. It is very rare indeed to see one now.
Wow, this was a pure blast from the past for me! My Dad bought a Corona in 1967 in Zambia where we were living at the time and I did a trememdous amount of driving in this car. As I recall a heater and a radio were standard fitment when new, almost unknown in equivalent British cars of the time!. We did a large mileage in the car, even taking my sister to and from boarding school in Bulawayo was an 800 mile + round trip. He kept the car until about 1982 by which time it had done an almost trouble free 300K miles. At about 160K miles the clutch started to slip. My Dad took in in and apparently the problem was not the clutch but the rear crankshaft oil seal leaking and allowing oil onto the clutch plate! As a precaution they did a partial engine overhaul which it still had when it was sold, I don't believe they even did a rebore. It only let him down once, fortunately while I was visiting them, He stalled it at the traffic lights then flooded it trying to restart (My Dad was natural Hubnutter!). I went and rescued him, picked up a new carb needle and seat from the local dealer and all was good again! I have to admit it was a fantastic car in terms of reliability, outperforming British cars of the time many times over.
U mention the radio and that is what I remember most about the shovel nose corona my mother drove me around in early 70s, the working radio and tunes on at a time I couldn't see much over the dash
Thanks for that Ron.
What was the car's ventilation like in those temperatures (35+ ^C in summer) though?
@@Treviscoe Not brilliant and certainly not as ground breaking as the Mk1 Cortina but something you had to get used to, and of course we usually drove round with all the windows open. The front opening quarter lights which could swivel beyond 180 degrees were a boon though as they would funnel air onto the driver and front passenger. A bigger problem was the sun on the vinyl seats and the fact we normally wore shorts which could lead to fairly severe burns on the upper thighs. We always carried a bath towel draped between the steering wheel and the seat back to alleviate this problem. I remember with affection my first company car in the late 70s with velour upholstery which was superb after the vinyl! Another comment on the sun and its effects, we had in the early 60's a Vauxhall Victor FB which was white on the bottom and gold on the top. After it had sat in the sun for a while you could safely put your hand on the white paint, but the gold would provide severe burns!
Coincidence! My Dad also bought one new in Lusaka in 1967, he drove it on the Zambian dirt roads for 5 year's then loaded up the family and drove to CapeTown where the car was put onto the RMS Windsor Castle destination Southampton, the Corona then gave great service until 1989 with 400k on the clock by which time the UK salted roads took there toll and the car was finally scrapped. Great car and fond memories.
Actually the rear view right at the end and the sound you might very well think it was a Lancia or Alfa Romeo. Very nice job he's made of that.
Thank you. I drew inspiration from high performance Italian saloon cars.
Lovely car.
i drove a bone stock 79 corona about 15 years ago, it was carbureted but started and drove as smooth as fuel injection. a very refined engine.
For me it has a hint of 60s Guilia. A nice treat for us. Video style really good. Better than TV. Well done HubNut team👍😊
I remember an episode of Mythbusters where they used a two door to stand in for an Aston Martin to test the feasibility of an ejection seat.
It was chosen for its vertical sides.
It didn't end well for the Corona, as in a later episode it was used to test a myth involving cigarette lighters in a hot car.
😔
Aw.
I remember that car. It was a rust free California example. I damned near cried when they incinerated the poor thing.
My brother had a 1970s B210 Datsun that got the then amazing 30mpg when my parent's 18ft long Mercury got 8 downhill with the wind.
Here in the U.S. the car's styling (particularly the nose) often brought comments (not necessarily negative) that it looked like an electric shaver.
I have also seen a Two Door example with an original twin cam engine and a Ute version of the shovel nosed Corona in Australia during the 1970's
The handful of GSS hardtops we got here were faster stock than anything at the same price point apart from a modified or larger engined Datsuns, and a match for a 5.0 Holden in performance, though obviously being a lot lighter helped. Had the same power from that 1.9 twin-cam as a high compression 3.3 Holden 6, near enough, but could make quite a bit more, even then. Great fun to drive.
Twin cam must even rarer than the 1600 S coupes that were rare.
Some coverage from Australia on a coupe and pointing out how Australia in 1965 was the largest export market for Toyota and far exceeding the USA then. Also how the reliability at Bathurst 1965 was a big boost to sales on a bang per buck basis.
ruclips.net/video/BRxPdKppZRA/видео.html
@@johnd8892 The twincam wouldn't be an original engine, it'd be a swap from a 70s Celica.
What a lovely car! Really cool interior
This weird, I just bought a 1967 RT40 today here in Adelaide, South Australia. How's that for coincidence!!
Then there's a chance it's the one my mum had for a while in the early 70s, in Adelaide I remember being driven around in. I've got a totally original 77 corona wagon in a container I take out about once or twice a year for fun
My late dad had one of these and it brings back cracking memories. I love the modification of having a younger more powerful engine for daily driving. I think the best thing is that it’s reversible and could be easily taken back to stock if you ever wanted to. Nice one Fergus and as always a cracking video from Mr & Mrs Hubnut
What an absolute beauty. Your friend has done a great job!
Enjoyable video. Thank You Ian and Miss HubNut. Somehow the overall look, stance and sound of the car remind me of the Alfa Giulia saloon of the late 60s.
Nail on the head Tom. You've named the very car which was the main influence I drew from. Thank you.
Great video of a delightful car. A clever and sensitive update of an already very stylish, desirable classic.
I do like a sympathetic OEM plus restomod.
It's like one that rolled out of the factory on a good day.
These were a terrific little car. We had a stock 1.5l one in the 80s. Never let us down. Living in country South Australia, that's saying something. The indicators were controlled by the horn ring, which you would rotate to indicate.
Great stuff Mr & Ms H. Lovely job by Fergus a superb restomod without ruining a classic car, so good that he has kept all the original bits so if required it could be returned to stock.
Nice video Ian, and a superb restomod to boot. Not quite a sleeper but interesting.
Always liked the styling of the older Japanese cars too. Early corolla coupé and celica fastback... ooh, sir!
I LOVE the sound of those turn indicators!
Tri-colour rear taillamps were mandatory in Japan 🇯🇵 (they might be today as, well), so when the Corona was imported into the US, rear taillamps were all red with the exception of reverse lamps.
The dashboard is of that time, and the handbrake they used like it seems forever on Japanese vehicles.
While you were smiling whilst driving I couldn't help but smile as well; a restomod makes this classic tractable for modern driving. I do hope this is daily driven all summer, it is quite capable.
I even think this Corona was imported even into the early 70's!
All this reminds me of the Datsun pickups I drove over three decades ago, everything so similar!
Brilliant review!
Here in Australia it was the other way round. We've always had yellow rear indicators but white reversing lights were unknown until these toyota's started appearing. I remember as a kid wondering why there were white lights on the back of them. Couldn't figure it out. Up until that point the orange indicators came on solid whenever you put a car in reverse.
Never understood the seemingly US only aversion to amber indicator lights.
@@johnd8892 Neither do I! Some vehicles have them, some do not.
@@Seiskid another car with white reversing lights from 1959 was the Mercedes Benz 220 fintail models.
There may be a Toyota connection with these as AMI in Port Melbourne were assembling the fintails at the time Toyota were setting up their first overseas assembly there of the Toyota Tiara. Another feature of the Mercedes was the interior wheel knob to turn the quarter lights, as in the later Corona. Some people also say the later Crown OHC six motor is very like the Mercedes 220 six.
Were AMI so proud of what they achieved with assembly of the Mercedes Benz that they showed it in detail to Toyota or did Toyota have one shipped to Japan so they could ostensibly evaluate AMI's capabilities to assemble Toyotas?
I think it could only be to Toyota's benefit to have their engineers under stand the then benchmark fintail Mercedes.
ruclips.net/video/3Ce5qZ6iZH4/видео.html
I also think the first Falcon XP in Fairmont versions had, tacked on, clear reversing lights as standard and optional on other Falcons. From memory of reading prized brochures as a kid. Looked like a clear version of the amber indicator lights that auto electricians sold in their thousands to make old cars without indicators either up to date or legal.
@@Seiskid an XP Fairmont in original condition with the tacked on reversing lights still fitted.
ruclips.net/video/hzBJtO_TQvs/видео.html
What a lovely machine, bet it gives more modern cars a surprise with that beefy engine.
My Scottish Mudder on Law ( God Wrest Her Sole) had one of these, and my English Youth Group Leader. The Australian 2OR and other 21R single OHC engines from the 1982 Celica was what the 24R 2366 was based on, and the 5 speed M40 gearbox was a common swap. My Scottish step mom went back to Gordon for a holiday to vist the family and came back to a twin HKS Weber DCOE conversion of her car via her son Malcom, Dave and Andrew. She hated it's extra performance and gas usage, so she told 'em to take those Bleesed Leakers Off Now!
Really enjoyed this, Ferg is an absolute gem of a person and has a great collection of cars.
Thanks. Indeed so. Pleased to report that there will be further videos on other members of his fleet...
Thanks David! 👍🏻
Proper reversing lights like an Avenger. Very much ahead of its time. Ford took many years to catch up with those.
Holden in Austalia also took years, and then first with the Japanese Isuzu-Gemini. Aussie built Holdens had to wait until the Opel-derived Commodore in 1978.
Beautiful car, looks a little like a 60's Italian from some angles. Great review, thanks.
An Alfa 164 (how my heart cried thinking I could not have it) and now an adorable classic Japanese car. Achingly loveable. There comes a time when vicarious enjoyment turns to existential cry session. At any rate, thanks.
Nice looking car, well done Fergus.
That's just a lovely car
I really like it 😊
I learnt to drive in Sydney on a 1965 Toyota Corona Automatic.. 2 speed Toyoglide... Very buzzy in first gear.. not bad in top. This was used and the first second car in our family.
Dad's car was a 186 cu in Holden Premier with leather seats, front bench.
It also had a two speed Power glide transmissions. Super light power steering with no road feel.
Corona was a great appliance. Totally reliable. The Premier was so light in the rear end it was dangerous in the wet. A bag of cement in the rear was not enough... Got rid of this car... One more Holden and they bought a new Citroen GS 1220 Club C Matic... This was a motoring revelation for them after 4 Holdens and one Corona.
The GS was joined after 3 Years by a CX 2400 Pallas C Matic.
This is such a great video. You've been very honest about your mental wellbeing Ian and I know like many of us you've had some challenges over the last while. Whatever you're doing seems to be working - you seem right back to your enthusiastic and happy self here! Great to see.
A guy I worked with back in the early 70s had one of these. At the time, I thought they were kind of weird. Now, I think they are a very handsome design. Your friend has made some very impressive improvements without losing the essence.
That is a super nice example, the perfect useable classic.
I really admire and adore 1960's/70's Japanese motors, they put our British motors of the era to shame in every way.
My father's opinion of Japanese cars in the early 70s was 'they're a load of rubbish', which for him, was a fairly common dismissal of anything he didn't like much. That he sold Vauxhalls for a living might also question such an opinion. But even so, I wonder how similar sized late-1960s British and Japanese cars really compared at the time.
@@frglee Reliability and engineering wise they must have been streets ahead of the British based cars. I'm jumping forward a decade or so but my first car in the mid to late 80's was a 1978 Mitsubishi Galant that was the epitomy of total reliability, started on the turn whatever the weather and as me being a young lad it got abuse. Many of my friends Fords, Leylands, Vauxhalls etc were rather a lot less forgiving.
@@wessmith3161 They seemed to rust just as quickly as British cars unfortunately.
Equipment for the price was and still is the Korean maker's MO later on.
Don't forget build quality was way ahead too.
@gilburton For sure. What I was thinking. Common nowadays to say Brit cars were crap, but I would think a 1968 Austin 1800 was streets ahead of the 68 Corona. Space, paint, metal, handling, performance, design. However, I don’t know about build quality and reliability. The Coronas rusted quickly. I also thought the Corona looks kinda cool in a retro way.
What a great car. Fergus did a superb job on the restomod. It looks and sounds the business, and drives like it too. Those wing mirrors look terrific. My Grandfather's last car, a 61 Pontiac Laurentian, came with no outside mirrors. He added a driver's side mirror on the front fender because he believed they worked better than door mirrors. The Carona is an unusual car to see now. Tin worm had most off the road by 1980.
AKA as the shovel nose - rudimentary engineering - my mum had a 73 in burnt orange so reliable unfortunately as us kids hated it after the VW Type3 variant/wagon and mk 1 Celica - finally was replaced by a 78 Alfasud Ti which was fabulous as reliable and in our dry climate rust less an issue and no more than other cars of this era 👍 great review
Wing mirrors..., yes i remember those. They were almost completely useless. Great car though thanks for the video Ian.
They weren't completely useless if one spent the requisite number of hours to get them adjusted right, only for some kid to come along and twist them around, along with bending or snapping the radio antenna. Hence the many cars sprouting the bent wire coat hanger.
I love my wing mirrors thank you very much. Don't have to look out the door to see behind you. (1972 Hillman Avenger.)
Wing mirrors are ok on some cars; on Mini's , Morris Minor & 1100s /1300s they can be in the way when working under the bonnet, & can cause a build up of mud & salt causing corrosion & holes, though on cars like the Avenger, MK1 Capri & the Corona just tested,they can look & work ok! They seem to be better suited to a longish wing /bonnet. Though they are really good on a Mk1 Transit.
Wing mirrors are great.they are better than door mirrors.you can see much better behind and to the side of you with a lot less of a blind spot.i drive modern cars and vans but the wing mirrors on my old classic are much better.
I remember a family friend buying a brand new 1968 Corona. His was the same colour blue but had blue tinted windows and a blue interior. He was so proud of the fact it had a cigarette lighter and a radio. He went on and on about how it started first time every time and everything worked perfectly. We had hours of fun reading the instruction manual. The English translation was hilarious. Mum and Dad said they could never buy a Japaneese car as they remembered the war.
Great review Ian. And camera work too.
My parents had the 69 Corona RT40 with the 2R. Back in the 80's. Dad did a engine upgrade to the 12R 1.6L. Great car. Traveled all over Western Australia. Had a big roof rack and tow bar. At 70mph the roof rack would howl like Airwolf. Haha. They had it for 12 years. It had a hard life.
In 89 my first car was another 69 Corona still with the 2R. Vinyl bench seats, no side mirrors. Tuff, but slow, with character.
My next car was a 81 TF Cortina with the 4.1 Litre (Falcon) six. A bit more power. Tee Hee Hee. Bit like the TC you reviewed before.
Just doing a bit of a catch up on Hub videos as I've been very busy the last couple of weeks and what a treat! Fergus has made such a lovely job of a clever, useful mod. I'm feeling how nice it is to drive through your reaction.
Beautiful preservation of a classic. My very first car was a '72 Corona here in California in white with automatic gearbox. Lot's of good memories.
One of the few Japanese cars that were imported into 60s Czechoslovakia, and could be actually bought for Czechoslovak crowns. At first it was sold for 110 thousand crowns (Škoda 1000MB cost around 50 thousand for comparison) but the price was soon lowered to 79 thousand crowns.
That’s so interesting I never knew you could buy non soviet cars at that time, was it open to normal citizens?
They weren't really sold on the free market in CZ. There was a state organization called Tuzeks where people from the diaspora could buy western products to their family left in CZ, if I remember well. Skodas were the national product whilst Russian Lada were a little bit more expensive.
@@jurivlk5433 Actually, all Coronas were sold trough motottechna not Tuzex!
@@jurivlk5433 wow, super interesting thanks. The communist economy was obviously more complicated than I ever realised. Feel sorry for the ones left behind at that time but at least they could get some perks if their relatives did well !
@@Nonamenever557 There were also delivered some Volvos or VW Golfs to German Democratic Republic and even Honecker, the leader, drove a western car as the official vehicle!
The GDR produced many, many good quality household appliances and electronics for West Germany. The economy of the East wasn't less complicated than the western one and some products were ahead of capitalist products. People weren't stupid in the GDR, in Czechoslovakia, Romania or Bulgaria. Don't forget that it was the Soviet Union that won the war!
Well done Fergus, absolutely my preferred approach to modifying. One of the very best executions I've seen too and Ian's tootle-ability test proves it.
What a glorious car. Just need to have a look at those headlight earths...
Fantastic!
Trying to think of a Corona joke but I have nothing.
Masks are not mandatory.
You need to think harder and come up with a good Corona joke. It would go viral.
There’s one thing that this car and my beetle have in common, they both have wing mirrors. This is a cool car.
I haven't seen one of these live in over 20 years. This one is deliciously improved, not ruined.
A car from the 1960's being reviewed by Ian. Peak Hubnut. Love it!
What a lovely car, I think the front looks a bit like one of the seventies Lancias (can't remember which model but it was a medium sized saloon), the twist knob quarter lights were usually reserved for the more prestigious British marques like Jaguar and Rovers and I remember my dad's 1966 ADO16 just had a little lever. I'm pretty certain that the heater and blower on the 1100 was optional and although dad had one fitted it was only single speed. It was great to hear you say that your mate had not done anything that wasn't reversible, whilst I am a great believer that if a person has a car it's their car, their money and up to them what they do with it I personally don't like it when rare classic vehicles are modified beyond all recognition.
Lancia Beta.
Yes, very similar front end to the Lancia Fulvia.
Cracking review as always, another car that put a smile on your face.
They were actually locally produced for the Australian market from 1965, including a utility version. Australia was actually the largest export market for Toyota at the time, about double what the US was selling.
Easily true. The US market didn't really take to the superiority (in many respects) of Japanese cars until the true Malaise Era set in, and then it still took time, well into the 80's then cars like the Accord and later Camry modeld started to rule.
Some coverage from Australia pointing out how Australia in 1965 was the largest export market for Toyota and far exceeding the USA then. Also how the reliability at Bathurst 1965 was a big boost to sales on a bang per buck basis.
ruclips.net/video/BRxPdKppZRA/видео.html
This is my favorite generation of the Corona. Absolutely love these.
I've noticed that cars have stopped having side indicators again, that coupled with the trend of having front indicators inboard of the headlights instead of on the corners means you can't see the intentions of a car stopped at the intersection of a side street, not a problem if you are already driving on the main road, but if you live on a corner & want to pull out of your driveway & there is also a car on the intersection that runs by your home it is a problem.
Pretty sure side indicators are still required by law, though you're never quite sure where they will be fitted.
@@HubNut Yeah, on some of these newer cars if they are even there they aren't near the front so you don't see them if there is a car at the side street, I think it should even be a legal requirement that the front indicators can be seen from the sides, not a fan of clear indicators either, you can't see them in sunlight.
Very nice conversion, makes a classic a useable everyday car. Far better then sitting in a garage all year.
Fantastic stuff mate !
1900 cc was only engine in the usa. came with 3 and 4 speed manual and 2 speed toyomatic
Ah, master HubNut still uses his old Jedi mind tricks: " This is not the engine you´re looking for. "
Audience: " This is not the engine we´re looking for. Move along." Hilarious :)
Fantastic car with a great camera lady. Thanks miss hubnut.
Good modernisation of a classic 👌
Beautiful through simplicity!
The design reminds of the Lancia Fulvia, which was first produced in 1963.
Absolutely sterling work from your camera person. Excellent
This is the way to do modifications, probably the best I have seen.
Love how the car twists when revving. Reminds me of my Mk2 Vitesse.
My uncle had one, and my childhood best friend's dad had one - lovely cars. Thanks for sharing.
Love this! Im a toyota man, love my landcruisers and i thought “geez theres some design elements in the corona that are in my 2020 dual cab cruiser! Lol! Beautiful modifications too. Strange how, i can drive any type of car eg a range rover etc as a company car. I just like my toyotas!
Excellent Camera work Mrs Hubnut, enjoyed that.
Wow what a lovely car, looks and handles great. Top marks to the owner.. 🙂👍
I surprised myself by recognizing that engine, before you said what it was. As much as I am a total car-nerd, the engines themselves never really interested me - I'm more interested in what they deliver than looking at them, yet somehow I saw that this was a 80s Celica engine... I must have been brainwashed by Toyotas commercials in the car-mags of the 80s...
Excellent work done by your friend
These cars were enormously popular here in Oz back in the day.
In the late 1970’s I had a 1972 w/ an 18R only the rockers had all fallen off but I and my mom drove it til 1982 when we got a clean Florida 1971 Corolla coupe with VVT 1300 what a gem that was.
I used to have a 70 s Corolla. Faded maroon colour. It needed some welding doing so I took it to a local garage to have a pretty m.o.t. The bloke in the garage said not to bother so I sold it. Wished I had kept it now.
Wow, that Toyota in that color really catches my fancy. Beautiful.
A good looking car! Kind of staid and handsome at the same time! Sounds good too.
Perfect restoration of an old car . Compare to my dads Vauxhall Victor 101 bought new in 1967 , paid extra for a heater and 4 speed box , no radio or clock , needed de-coke at 25000 miles , rusty at 3 years , fell apart and scrapped before it was 8 .
Hub,
These base model Corona sedans sold well in Australia due to economy, reliability and standard features, such as radio and heater, that Australian made cars charged extra.
Assembled in Melbourne by AMI.
The engine in this version has that Celica sound, albeit with the airbox and filter.
Rode in a few of these in my younger years in the 60s.
The clock needs a discreetly added second hand that acts as a rev counter yet remains stock. The first vid I've commented twice on. I want that car.
Great video now you need to work out how to transfer the smells in the boot to your subscribers Couldn't wait to hear this beast go go go 👍👍👍👍
Great video hubnut just like you've been back to new Zealand with your Japanese car reviews top job
Sounds a lot more exciting than the originals. There were a few here in Australia in the 70s and 80s. They are one of the nicer looking Japanese cars from that era. The later Coronas sold well in Australia, my parent purchased a 1979 CS Corona.