1969 Toyota KE10 Corolla Coupe

Description

Introduced in 1966, Toyota’s Corolla is one of the great automotive success stories, overtaking the Volkswagen Beetle to become the world’s best-selling car in the 1990s, chalking up more than 40 million sales by 2013.  Launched in November 1966, the first-generation Corolla was a conventional rear-wheel drive platform with a relatively compact 2285mm wheelbase, MacPherson struts and leaf springs and a solid rear axle at the rear.  Initially available as a two-door sedan, Toyota added both four door and a station wagon in May 1967, along with the optional ‘Toyoglide’ automatic transmission alongside the standard four-speed manual.  The Corolla was powered by a 1077cc engine in order to slot into the 1-litre road tax category in Japan, but from August 1969 onwards Toyota raised the engine capacity to 1166cc and also offered a twin carburettor option (dubbed the 3K-B) on the SL and Sprinter versions.  Simple but well-built, the Corolla proved the perfect first car for a new generation of buyers and was marketed as such but many families found it the perfect second car.  Australia was the first export market for the Corolla and Toyota assembled the cars at its local facility in Port Melbourne from July 1968 until 1999.  Renowned for its outstanding reliability and affordable qualities, the humble Corolla is a Japanese classic in the making, with few survivors of these first-generation models left on the road.