Since I’m still at this Toyota event, I figured I may as well keep all Toyotonic and use an old Toyota for today’s Cold Start, so enjoy this majestic 1972 Toyota Crown, complete with its signature monobrow design that I think gives it a sort of stern, serious look. On some of these the indicators were integrated into the brow, but not this one, though it does wrap into the side marker lamps, classily.
Also interesting is seeing some of the things crowed about on this luxury car, and how they’re dirt-common today:
Power locks and being able to open the trunk from the inside? Good luck finding any car today without those, but at one time, that was steaming-hot shit.
Two cigar lighters, though, that’s pretty much gone.
We had a Toyota Crown wagon when I was a kid. Whatever Toyota did to get a reputation as a builder of reliable cars, it didn’t come from our Crown. Think it was a ’69 or ’70. It would fail to start and fail to stop on a regular basis. Was only 2-3 years old at the time.
We had a Toyota Crown wagon when I was a kid. Whatever Toyota did to get a reputation as a builder of reliable cars, it didn’t come from our Crown. Think it was a ’69 or ’70. It would fail to start and fail stop on a regular basis. Was only 2-3 years old at the time.
But have you seen the station wagon version, Jason? This particular one has had som slight, er, modifications…..
https://i.redd.it/jv0adu44lew71.jpg
Always liked these Crowns, enough American-inspired Coke bottle styling to feel familiar, but enough other cues to let you know it’s something quite different
I’d imagine the hard sell at the time was that it was the most expensive thing in Toyota’s lineup, and still seemed small by domestic standards
My 2019 Fiesta doesn’t have any way to open the hatch from the inside.
I do love these Crowns though, I really wish Toyota stuck with the Crown in the U.S., they’re fantastic cars. I think the 80s and newer Crowns would have sold quite well here but by that time, Toyota was all in on Lexus and the Crown would eat into Lexus sales too much.
Good luck finding any car today WITH a cigar lighter, let alone TWO.
Pretty much every car has the lighter socket. The whole shebang is under $10 at your auto parts store, if you can’t find a junker car to donate one. Dunno if the factory wiring is up to the load, but with such a short duty cycle, it probably doesn’t matter.
My Mondial has two – one for front and one for rear (ha!) passengers. It also has a socket in the glovebox.
But they are all that weird slimline fitment so I can’t use a normal 12V plug to charge my phone.
The monobrow makes it look like it’s thinking really hard. Or annoyed. Like Bert of Bert and Ernie.
Or Sam Eagle. They’re also the same shade of blue.
I’d drive it. I found one of these in Seattle a while back. It’s a unique car, that’s for sure.
I believe it’s what eventually evolved into our Lexus GS, which had some controversial styling of its own over the years.
It looks like a police car from 70’s TV. Can’t remember the name of what I’m thinking of, but that head-on pic in the bottom right makes me think of it.
Adam 12. Good show. Several of the cop cars had the 4 side-by-side headlights.
I’m thinking Andy Griffith show or one of the various copies
https://blog.consumerguide.com/what-was-the-adam-12-car/
Especially the 1972 AMC Matador grill and lights
That is a comically long T-handle shifter. “Yank ‘er back cuz we’re goin’ to the moon, motherfuckers!”
So Toyoglide comes in a long tube? I thought it was a spray.
We also need more jokes about Toyota’s old “Toyopet” brand.