Readers' Photos # 84: Corolla Coupe (KE55R?)

When many people think of the JDM scene, their minds immediately go to kick-arse Skylines, early Zs, Supras and RX Mazdas, and possibly - but less commonly - anything Mitsubishi that wears GTO badges.  Maybe it's a Fast 'n' Furious thing.  

That's just one aspect of the scene and a very popular one, too.  Only focusing on machinery of that ilk does, however, ignore an equally interesting and easily more approachable segment of the Japanese car market: the bread and butter, run of the mill, daily-driver - call them what you will - lineup that helped cement Japan as a world leader in building quality, reliable cars that were often surprisingly good fun to drive.

Take, for example, the humble Corolla:  your mum's, sister's or girlfriend's car; the car you learned to drive in; the car you borrowed and took to the drive-in!  Whack a set of 13" Jellybeans, Hotwires or Dragways on it and it it could've been your mate's car or, quite probably, your car!  Only a w⚓ doesn't love a Corolla!

Admittedly, a lot of early Corollas and similar vehicles from the Land of The Rising Sun sold in Australia and other western markets often lacked the twin-cam gruntiness of their JDM cousins, being equipped with relatively low-spec, small capacity SOHC four cylinder engines.  That didn't mean they couldn't be hotted-up for a little extra oomph, though; a carbie up-grade - twins if you could afford them - a set of extractors and maybe a mild cam were quite enough to set you apart from Granny and her bowls club set.

Who knows what level of spec this immaculate Corolla coupe - snapped by the Canberra Correspondent - is packing?  The paint's too lustrous to be original and, to my eye, there's a hint of flare to the mudguards.  However, the only ostensible mod that can be confirmed is its nifty LED headlights.  I suspect that it's a sleeper, stock-steelies aside (part of the disguise, probably!).  What's lurking beneath that clean, tidy exterior?

Don't mind a '70s or '80s Corolla?  How about these other two beauties: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2020/11/random-318-circa-1980-corolla-wagon.html and https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2018/10/random-241-corolla-levin-coupe.html ?

U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

Photos courtesy of the Canberra Bureau.