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LOT 9

1967 Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe Chassis no. RT43 20903

Sold for US$12,320 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 9

'From the Maine Classic Car Museum Collection'
1967 Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe

1967 Toyota Corona 1900 Deluxe
Chassis no. RT43 20903


1,879cc OHV Inline Four-Cylinder Engine
Single Downdraft Carburetor
90bhp at 4,600rpm
Two-Speed Toyoglide Automatic Transmission
Unequal Length A-Arm Front, Solid Axle Rear Suspension
Front Disc, Rear Drum Brakes

*The first car sold by Rich Toyota of Huntington, Virginia
*Wonderfully preserved, showing 21,100 miles
*Includes a pristine original tool kit
*A rare and charming Japanese sedan


THE TOYOTA CORONA

Toyota dabbled in the USA starting in the 1950s but struggled to establish a foothold in the world's most important car market. In the early 1960s, they bowed out temporarily to revise the range and return with a more export-friendly lineup. The gamble paid off, and Toyota fostered a reputation for quality, dependability and value that had heretofore been unheard of by American car buyers. Compact by standards of the day, the mid-sized Corona was an outstanding family car, powered by a 1.9-liter "3R" inline four making a useful 90 horsepower, and available with an automatic transmission and deluxe trim to appeal to "feature hungry" American buyers. With handsome straight-edge styling and a distinctive angled front-end treatment, it successfully shed Toyota's previously stodgy image and set the stage for their remarkable success in the USA.

THE CAR OFFERED

This 1967 Corona 1900 Deluxe originally hails from Huntington West Virginia, where it was sold new by Rich Toyota. What makes this car particularly special is that it was the very first car sold by the fledgling Toyota dealership. When the first owner traded it back a few years later, the dealer principle, Mr. Chris Wallace, jumped at the chance to keep the car and display it in his showroom, and it stayed there until the late 1990s/early 2000s when the dealership was sold and renamed Advantage Toyota.

Mr. Wallace took the Corona with him when he retired, ultimately parking it on the roadside with a For Sale sign in the window. It was subsequently acquired by the owner of an Ashland, Kentucky-based new car dealer, and displayed in his large and eclectic museum (alongside saltwater aquariums, vintage Barbies, exotic taxidermy, antique firearms and more). Following an unfortunate encounter with the IRS, his collection was dispersed, and the Toyota Corona passed through the hands of other collectors who, thankfully, recognized its rarity and exceptionally original condition – including the consignor. Through the years, this rare Corona Deluxe has been wonderfully preserved, down to its rare original tool kit, and it survives as a delightful display of Toyota's enduring legacy of quality.

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