Easily one of the most unusual cars of the last few decades, this 1991 Toyota Sera is only the second one we’ve seen here on Barn Finds – at least of the 1991 model version. They were all very similar to each other, but not really similar to any other car ever made that I can think of. You rarely if ever see butterfly doors on a car that isn’t an exotic sports car.
Even the side view tells you that something unusual is going on here and was going on in Toyota’s design studios in the late 1980s. The Sera was made for about a half-dozen years, from 1990 to 1995, and they’re very rare to see on the roads here in the U.S. today. Mainly because they weren’t made for this market, but also because just under 16,000 of them were built. The side windows on the butterfly doors have the glass-in-glass look of a Subaru SVX, which came after the Sera.
Now that’s a hatchback, or maybe more like a lifting rear window. There’s no easy way to get into the rear storage area as you can see but there is one. Air-conditioning is standard equipment, due to all of that glass, as are interior roof panels that can be removed on nice (not blazing hot) days. If you want to draw a crowd, park this car next to a McLaren F1 or Saleen S7 – both having butterfly doors – at a Cars & Coffee event and see which one has more people around it.
Hey, who put the slide in backward? As a Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) car, the Sera has right-hand drive and most of them came with an automatic transmission. There was a five-speed manual available but cars equipped with that transmission option rarely come up for sale. This is one of the nicest ones I’ve seen, the underside looks almost spotless and that’s fairly rare for a JDM car.
The seller didn’t provide engine photos, the one above is a screenshot of the great video they provided here on Vimeo. This is Toyota’s 5E-FHE, a 1.5-liter DOHC inline-four with just over 100 horsepower and about the same amount of torque. The automatic transmission sends power to the front wheels and the seller has this example posted here on craigslist in Spokane, Washington. Here is the original listing, and they’re asking $11,900. Have any of you seen this model?
Probably a really neat car to drive at night or on a cloudy day. I can’t imagine how you are not baked alive in the sun without a serious window tint job.
It’s “different”, and being in Aus, I doubt the A/C would cope with the extreme heat. Probably why it’s a JDM only car.
Unless you drive with the doors up for airflow,😋
New engine oil and filter!!
Wow, what a neat car( eeep), the doors( made me do it, They Drive by Night ref.) the colorful interior,( blah) the RHD,( good heavens) ,,,oh, by the way, I bumped my head yesterday with no obvious damage,,,it’s a bit of denial really, the Asians time after time have shown us superior examples for cars, while we slogged along in Pintos, Vegas and Gremlins. The Asians knew, this was the future of transportation, and only a matter of time before Americans would take hold. For some reason, we went full circle with that, and back to gas guzzling 4 door pickups after a 30 stint with small cars. Guess they just weren’t our cup of tea. After some of the most beautiful cars come by here, it’s tough for me to even call this a car. A ’63 GP it ain’t.
The Japanese kept the best tech in their country. This car features projection headlights as standard equipment. It also features automatic temperature control.
The mechanicals are the same as a Tercel. The door and hatch struts can only be obtained in the UK now as new OEM are long gone.
A big thing with this is NO service history. It will need a timing belt and water pump. If I remember correctly the oil pump has issues.
It’s a cool car. Small and looks way faster than it is. Car was engineered for short Japanese roads. This is not a highway cruiser. It will but it and you will be miserable.
On hot days you will bake. The A/C won’t keep up. I lived with one for three years. It was cool. Not a keeper
Fantastic style and the doors are definitely an eye catcher. But I can imagine after the thrill of opening them a few times and showing them off at a car show, you would come to realize you paid 12k for a Tercel with a nicer body. Id love it if it was cheap but I can buy a lot more fun and practical vehicle for the money.
I’ve seen a few of these come up locally, from time to time, and have always been tempted. But, RHD in a world designed for LHD has always seemed unwise (even though a *lot* of RHD-only vehicles appeal to me).
I believe these are built on the Tercel chassis, so I would expect to get at least half a million clicks out of it.
Driving it as a daily once you get over the weaving it seems natural. RHD is the way to go.
I own a ‘93 with manual transmission. I love it! Lots of fun to drive. Summertime driving here in Florida can be a bit warm but not terrible, and I never put the roof panels in.
Oh, the humanity! I love cars like this. I know being 6’5″ I’m like the Great Dane that thinks he’s a lap dog. Power output would be similar to the ’92 Colt we had with around 92/93 HP and torque. Roll into the throttle and once moving will produce lively acceleration. I’m the guy who likes square cars but the flowing designs that followed reflect my altar ego.
An oddity for sure. And what is amazing that, out of the 9 comments so far, a majority have either encountered one, know a lot about them, or have actually owned one.
I have had mine for 6 years now, sadly an automatic. I would MUCH rather have a manual shift for entertainment reasons.
I removed the enormous ‘sound bar’ and amp that took up so much space under the rear window, and allows my using the room offered with the rear seats folded flat.
The car does receive a lot of attention, due to the unusual overall shape and its doors. It’s somewhat dull to drive, but is easy to own and use. I replaced the timing bellt, water pump, spark plugs and battery, all common stuff I had in stock as a repair shop.
The roof inserts are handy and useful, as a sunny and warm day can leave it uncomfortable inside. It has corner sensors as original and stock, handy when parking.