As you read this, I’m on my way to a Toyota event to drive the new Crown, a name that hasn’t been in the US since 1972, partially because the first car Toyota sold in America was called the Toyopet Crown, and it was an affable but slow and awkward loser that Toyota’s own sales administrator for the US said was “underpowered, overpriced and it won’t sell.” That’s a pretty high bar for Toyota to clear with the new Crown’s re-introduction to The Land Of The Free Drink Refills, but I bet they can pull it off.
Let’s talk about that incredible ’73 Crown wagon up there, though: what a strange and wonderfully fussy-looking thing that is. There’s so much going on! That monobrow of real and false vents above that aperture filled with the main grill and headlights, wrapping around the corners into the side marker lamps. There’s those real air vents on the C-pillars, with what I think are flow-through air exhaust flaps down there by the rear bumper,
It’s a lot of creases and chrome and detail all on those massive expansive of mustard yellow, and I’m happy to be the first to stand up and proclaim that hey, I kinda like it.
Now I gotta finish packing. Is this underwear clean?
>>Crown, a name that hasn’t been in the US since 1972
If you want to get technical, “Corolla”, “Camry” and “Corona” all mean crown, or something close to it.
My favourite Crowns of all, the S60 model – and what a remarkable step in design this was. Not the most successfull in Crown history, but especially the coupé, the MS70, also referred as “kujira”, the blue whale, is a stunning car.
Anyone else still getting marketplace advertisements for lamps for sale since Torch’s post? Asking for a friend… I guess…
Oh boy, the way that curry coloured lower front panel “fits” the front fender… Didn’t expect that from a Japnese car maker!
I like it as well.
It looks like it’s birthing another vehicle, Alien style, out of the front end. I’d love to see how it would look if instead they just continued the idea in that monobrow all the way down the face of the car.
Those dogs are Borzoi! Odd to see that breed anywhere, except my couch.
Russian Wolfhounds? Nailed it.
That’s the first thing I noticed in the photo, the sight hound head but with long hair. I was thinking Afghan Hounds or a “Lurchers” of some sort. Was trying to figure it out.
Thanks.
I should probably check out the car now.
“…except THEIR couch.”
Fixed it for you. 😉
I don’t know art, but I know what I like.
I’m getting some Ford Torino wagon and Vista Cruiser vibes with a dash of Jensen Interceptor thrown in and I enjoy that.
I most enjoy how it appears they just drove it to a normal spot, just off what looks like a road, and took the picture. You can even see some appropriate dust on the tires.
Unlike most U.S. car ad shots where a vehicle is seemingly set down by helicopter onto the top of a mesa or something and the protective bubble wrap is then cut away leaving an impossibly clean SUV.
My favorite is the SUV galloping through snow and slush yet in every shot there’s barely a trace of it on the vehicle.
Hell, some of the distance shots don’t even use real cars, which is ridiculous.
https://petapixel.com/2017/03/29/audi-ad-shot-using-143-scale-models-homemade-desert/
Hey i remember this wagon!I rode in the back of one a couple of times as a kid.
We thought the electric rear window was super cool.
The fuel-heavy exhaust smell sure wasn’t! Because of that we had to keep the window shut at all times. Overheating was preferable to throwing up
GM was a one-piece liftgate early adopter on the ’73 Colonnade A-bodies, so they included pop-out rear side window sections on the 3-row models. The downsized but still RWD ’78s were 2-row only but the ’84-96s (and ’91-96 B body wagons) had the same pop-out sections.