Normally we think of big American cars and trucks being found in barns and garages, not something like this 1967 Toyota Corona Deluxe 1900. But, there it is. This one is listed on eBay with a single bid of $999 and there is no reserve. It’s located in Davison, Michigan.
This Corona “has been inside for a long time” according to the seller. It was “covered 7 years ago…time to free up the garage space.” You can see that it’ll still need to be fully restored whether it was covered or not. Or, you could do what they had planned on doing: “bought to make a v8 unusual sleeper.” Hmm..
The third-generation Corona was introduced right before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and they were made until the fourth-generation cars came out in 1970. Although, they did make a slightly larger Corona II model from 1968 until 1972. I absolutely love the look of the two-door T50 Corona and I wouldn’t mind having a T40 sedan like this one, either.
You can see that this was originally a white car. It’s always disappointing for me to see a car painted but not having a full color change so when you open the doors or hood you can see the original color. With a NADA high retail value of $2,125 this car most likely won’t undergo a full restoration anyway. The interior is a mish-mash of teal fabric on the front seat,black vinyl on the rear seat, and light blue door panels.
The seller says about this 1.9L inline-four with around 90 hp: “engine rolls over” but that’s all they say about it. It looks complete and you can see that this car is equipped with AC. The Corona was more of a luxurious car and this one has a column-mounted automatic transmission which a lot of them did. That would have been Toyota’s Toyoglide two-speed. Is this too much of a project or is it worth the time and expense to get it back on the road again?
Somewhat surprising to see a 1967 Japanese car in Michigan. I had a friend there who bought a ’67 Toyota and found his tires slashed almost monthly. Foreign cars were not looked upon well in Michigan in 1967.
So true. I was driving Toyota’s since 1971 and was constantly harassed and had one Corolla keyed front to back. People screaming at stoplights was common.
Unfortunately, I find that it’s still that way in a lot of areas in Michigan. Try to merge sometime while driving a Toyota, it’s not easy. Most people look straight ahead and will not let you in. I’ve had to drive on the shoulder for blocks in order to get to a spot where someone wasn’t paying attention enough to the #$%! foreign car so I could sneak in.
The only thing I ever found interesting on this car was the way you activated the turn signals.
This one seems to have the option of rotating the horn ring right or left to do that as there is no turn signal stalk on the side of the column.
If a good condition NADA car is $2200, can I have one of those? Seems like even an import like this if in good condition would be worth more.
.
If you can get parts, this would be a fun one to restore. The chunky square body is appealing for the period.
There used to be one of these original owner 1900 sedans putting around my area until 20 years ago. Some guy bought it and within a month had blown the engine. It went to Temple Auto Parts in Batesburg/Leesville. I’ve heard a similar story to Eggsalad. My buddy built a house near Georgia Tech about 1991. Either GM or Ford furloughed workers in the area and several Asian cars were vandalized.
Back from a time when Toyota was a dirty word, especially in Milwaukee. Matter of fact, the 1st Toyota dealer in Milwaukee in the late 60’s was Jack Safro Toyota, and was conveniently located on the outskirts of town. Vandalism was common. These were great cars, and it didn’t take long for them to catch on. I had a friend with a car just like this. It had an annoying tick in the motor. Every mechanic he took it to, said it needed a rebuild. My buddy took the whole motor apart, rebuilt it, upon startup, it still ticked.Turns out, it was a broken spring in the fuel pump. As said, parts for older Asian cars can be a challenge today. Cool find, not many left like this.
Hello
There is a 1968 Toyota Corona 1900 that has been sitting in my mothers garage since 1976.
I want the garage space and would like to try finding someone who wants it rather then junk it.
There is not much rust but the body has some small dents and some poor bondo work.
The interior looks very good.
I have not found a key and think I would have to get it retitled to provide a title.
Do you think this car is something someone would want?
Can you suggest where to advertise?
If so, please advise.
The car is in Saint Paul Minnesota.
It would be nice to get a few hundred dollars for this car but that is not the primary mission
If you have any suggestions I’d appreciate it.
Thanks,
Dan
That’s easy Dan! List here it on the site: https://barnfinds.com/sell/
Does anybody here know about the VINs for these cars? I did a search on Google and 2 cars came up with the same first 4 digits as this car has RT43, but they were both 1968 models.
I did that because the featured car has a side marker light on the front fender which was not mandated until 1968.
Does anybody know what the first four digits would be for a 1967 Corona?
RT43 would be the correct first four digits on a 67 Toyota Corona, I have one,
Miguel, I believe the light you are referring to is a front fender signal repeater. The ’68 and later ones had a one inch square red light on each rear fender for DOT specs.
These T40 Coronas were pretty bulletproof, mechanically, including the legendary Toyoglide automatic. The model’s propensity to rust, was what usually killed ’em.
I think, Miguel, that you’ll find that the ‘side marker’ lights up front were turn signals, something that was very commonly found on European cars, as well as Japanese of that era.
If this one is as solid as it looks, one of you guys should snap it up. It might not be a coupe with a four-speed (“0-60 in 16 seconds”), but there are not too many of this model left. Just don’t plan to turn it for a profit. Drive it and enjoy the ride…
Neat find, Scotty! I agree, the two-door hardtop is a real looker, but these “shovel-nose” sedans are cute in their own way, too, and this is the car that really established Toyota in the U.S.
Story time: in 1970, my grandparents and my great aunt and uncle (my grandmother’s brother and his wife) bought houses next door to each other. They had six kids between the two families, ranging in age at that time from 6-12. My great uncle had one of these Coronas—and, yup, they’d pile all of those kids into that car. I’m tempted to find one and see if my mom and all of my aunts and their cousins could still cram in…at this point it would be like one of those telephone booth stuffing contests, but I don’t think their joints could take it!
Thanks, Nathan, and all. I’m a sucker for these old Japanese cars, I can’t help it. This is the ’69 Coupe that I was going to buy: https://13252-presscdn-0-94-pagely.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/a-3.jpg It looked like such a jewel and the seller was asking $8,000. I paid to have it inspected since it was several states away and the report and the photos that the inspector provided weren’t quite as kind as the sales photos looked; as usual. I offered $7,000 and that didn’t work. I’m sorry now that I didn’t just grab it for $8,000 since it’s probably worth close to twice that now a couple of years later. It was a 5-speed, by the way; even more painful.
Scotty I think the car is a problem based on color combinations alone apart from whatever else it needs.
My first car was a ’71 Corona, with automatic on the column and front bench seat. Loved that car. It was powder blue with a darker blue interior. It was the follow-on body style that was more ‘formal’ looking than the shovel-nose, and certainly less distinctive but quite a bit larger.
The NADA value doesn’t seem right – these are
going for good money,when in great condition.
I dig the period cb radio and a pillar mounted spot light.
I tried to sell mine, looks like they were both the same color, my 67 Toyota with rusty rockers but the rest solid had a bid of $1,235.00 and then the guy cancelled the bid at the last minute, sent me an email offering me 400 dollars for the car…..I decided to keep the car instead.
I just saw that one for sale, Frank! It looks much nicer than the one above for sale here but the listing went away before I could get to it.
Well, I might list it again, I had two cars for sale, one sold, so I thought I’d keep it….my rocker rust looks bad, but actually, it’s just the rocker and quarters and those are easy fixes.
Frank,
Please let me know if you reconsider selling your car.
My first car was a red 67 Corona and I loved everything about the car… My father sold it out from under me when I went off to college (can’t have cars at school the first year). I have had my eye out for one the past year. I think it would be fun to tool around town in again.
Absolutely, All I wanted was 1235 bucks for the car. If you’re interested, I can send more pictures. my email is frankfay40@hotmail.com
another photo
Hi everyone. I have just found a 1967 4 door Corona Sedan, 49,000 original miles, restored. It needs a new cable to open the hood, a fuel line and some cosmetic fix to the weather strip on the driver’s side door. Otherwise, it appears pristine. I’m thinking of making an offer but need some input from some of you pros. I am not a collector, just a regular person who saw this car in the showroom of a local Toyota dealer and I am smitten! Any thoughts?