Kevin's KE20 Corolla

-

To my mind, the second generation E20 series Corollas are the best looking, most desirable to ever wear one of Toyota's longest-running nameplates.  And this example - recently fully rebuilt by Tasmanian mechanic Kevin - is as good as any you're ever likely to see, having had countless hours and not insignificant cash lavished upon every aspect of its comprehensive multi-year restoration.    

The beautifully stanced body is finished in flawless orange duco with matching bolt-on flares covering 13" x 9" Simmons wheels.  A JDM grille - with Levin badging - graces the nose, nicely complementing the dead-straight, ultra-shiny chrome of the bumper. 

The inside's also immaculate, featuring faithfully recreated, era-correct front and rear seats - complete with embossed motifs on the headrests - made in New Zealand but sourced from Canada.  A Momo Corse steering wheel and red-accented gear knob complete the look, with the latter tying in with the seats' red piping.  

All these good looks are backed up by some proper old-school punch, courtesy of a 1.8 litre 7K "slant" four pot engine - up a full .6 of a litre over the standard 1.2 litre 3K that the car came fitted with - breathing through twin Mikuni Solex carbies and a set of extractors.  Power gets to the ground via a five-speed 'box and a live rear axle.   

There are plans to upgrade the brakes but the car's otherwise very sorted.  Also on the agenda is choosing and fitting some exterior rear-view mirrors with the only thing decided so far being that they won't be mounted at the front of the 'guards, JDM-style, as this isn't a look that Kevin favours.  Whatever he chooses, it's hard to imagine that they won't look good, given the careful consideration and execution evident on the rest of the car.  







U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

Comments

  1. Anonymous8 June 2022 at 18:43

    Where’s the interior shots????

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8 June 2022 at 21:28

      I don’t know why I didn’t get any. Chatting too much, probably. I’ll try to do an update.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous8 June 2022 at 21:41

    Oh, thank you Kevin, for not going down that - to me - horrid Japanese Domestic Market look of placing rear view mirrors towards the front of the guards. I know that Japan motorcar builders post WWII borrowed from English roots, (yes, that was an intended pun upon the Rootes group of companies); (Morris Minor = Datsun, Hillman = Isuzu et al) but surely they could have left this aberration at home.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous28 March 2023 at 20:02

    I’m with you! Forward mounted “wing” mirrors are ridiculous!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EJ or EH Holden? (Up-dated December, 2022)

-
Image
EJ or the later EH? Several years ago, I posed the question:  Can somebody please explain the difference between an EJ and an EH Holden ute or van?  The response at the time wasn't overwhelming, so I did a bit of Googling and ferreting through my photos and came up with my own rough guide to EJ and EH identification.  Sedans and wagons are easy to tell apart ;  the EH's vertical rectangular tail lights are a dead give-away.  However, the workhorse versions of both models share the rear-end treatment of the earlier EJ, making it harder to identify one from the other.    No super obvious hints here. Or here ...  . It turns out that the main clues are in the placement of the front   H O L D E N   lettering and GMH lion emblems, the style of the radiator grille and the width of the vents in front of the windscreen, with all EJs - sedans, wagons, utes and vans - having one combination and the EH line-up having their own . So what exactly are those diffe
Read more

An Electric Fiat X1/9

-
Image
For several years, there have been whispers that an electric X had been constructed in Tasmania's south.  However, no one seemed to know much about the car and how it had been built. That's not to say that it was some kind of skunkworks project; it seems to have simply been an under-the-radar affair, quietly put together by a bloke in his shed.  It was actually so U-T-R that I'd seen it at least twice without me realising that it'd been electrified. The car's since been sold but this is what I could glean from its current owner:  - It's a 1980 model and, as such, was delivered to Australia as a "Series 1.5," meaning that it originally had the Series 1's 1300 cc / four-speed in a Series 2 body with impact-absorbing bumpers and the higher engine compartment lid, as well as the latter's interior; - The motor is a 120 volt DC unit from US company Advanced Motors and Drives, rated at 10 HP / 7.355 kW ( http://evalbum.com/advdc , accessed 03 JUN 24);
Read more

Random # 301: Nanna-Spec KE36 Corolla

-
Image
  Once upon a time - six or seven years ago, actually - there was a lovely pale yellow GC Galant station wagon getting around Hobart.  It was totally nanna-spec; its paint was umarked, the chrome work and hubcaps were immaculate, and its very original interior was pristine. Then someone stuck feathers in its dashboard.  Next, the windows were adorned with Tibetan prayer flags.  And a hubcap went missing.  And the the rear bumper was pushed in, mangling the bodywork behind it.  And a mudguard got dented.  And rust set in.   I fear for this sweet, innocent KE36 Corolla.  Somebody please save it before it's too late.  Nanna needs you to do it. Hello, reader! I've noticed that this seems to be a particularly popular post.  Something to do with Google's algorithms, I guess ... .  But it's not my best piece!  Sure, it's ok, but there are so, so many more interesting classic, sports and performance cars on this site - as well as car shows and motorsports events - for you t
Read more