krf automotive: TOYOTA CORONA 1.8 - Part 3

T40, T50 series

third generations

Production	Sep 1964—Jan 1970
Assembly	Toyota City, Japan Shinjin Motor, Korea Christchurch, New Zealand Australian Motor Industries, Port Melbourne, Australia
Body style	4-door sedan 2-door hardtop coupe 3-door van 5-door station wagon 2-door pickup 5-door hatchback
Layout	FR layout
Engine	1,198 cc 2P OHV I4 1,350 cc 3P OHV I4 1,490 cc 2R OHV I4 1,587 cc 4R OHV I4 1,587 cc 12R OHV I4 1,591 cc 7R, 7R-B SOHC I4 1,897 cc 3R OHV I4
Transmission	2-speed automatic 3-speed manual 4-speed manual all-synchromesh
Wheelbase	2,420 mm (95.3 in)
Length	4,110 mm (161.8 in)
Width	1,550 mm (61.0 in)
Height	sedan 1,420 mm (55.9 in) coupe 54.1 in (1,374.1 mm)
Curb weight	sedan 2,140 lb (970 kg) coupe 2,205 lb (1,000 kg)

The third generation was introduced September 1964, and was known in Japan for its range of body styles offered. Aside from the sedan, variants included a 2-door hardtop, a 3-door van, a 5-door station wagon, two pickup variants, one of which had an extended cab with a canopy, and a 5-door hatchback, which looked reminiscent of a Renault 16. The Corona appeared with a distinctly different appearance on the front of the vehicle, utilizing a slanted front and encompassing quad headlights within the boundaries of the grille.

Previous generations used a single, two-way headlight installed on top and separate from the grille. The Italian designer Battista Farina assisted in the appearance of the new Corona. A public demonstration of the new Corona's performance was done on the Meishin Expressway, where the new model was tested to 100,000 kilometres (62,137.1 mi), and was able to sustain speeds of 140 km/h (87 mph). The Corona was released one year after the debut of the Corona's traditional competitor, the Nissan Bluebird. Toyota introduced a smaller vehicle to address the market that needed a more fuel efficient vehicle, called the Toyota Corolla in March 1968. This allowed the Corona to increase in size and offer more passenger and cargo room over previous generations.

The Toyota automatic transmission, dubbed Toyoglide, was introduced on this version of the Corona. The 4R (12R in Australian Versions) engine that had a displacement of 1587 cc was equipped with a twin SU carburetor (Australian models with 12R engine had one double barrel Aisin downdraft carburetor), and was capable of 90 bhp (67 kW; 91 PS). Disc brakes were also introduced for the front wheels. Exports of this Corona proved popular in the USA and Europe, with increased engine performance and durability improvements over previous versions. In September 1967, Toyota was producing 80,000 cars, with 30,000 being the Corona.

This was the first Corona assembled in New Zealand, from February 1967 at Steel Brothers' Motor Assemblies in Christchurch.