Based on Toyota’s new X-Series platform rather than the out-dated T-Series chassis of the previous model, the new Mark II was significantly re-styled and now sported a more streamlined and contemporary “Coke bottle” aesthetic. Front-engined and rear-wheel drive the Corona Mark II was available as either a four-door sedan (T60), two-door coupé (T70) or an estate and was offered with a range of Toyota’s four-cylinder R-Series engines from 1.5 to 2.0-litres.įast forward four years and the second generation Corona Mark II made its debut in ’72. Larger than the model it was based upon it was intended to sit in between the smaller Corona and the larger, more luxurious Crown in the range. Although initially using the Corona sedan platform as a blueprint it was a brand new car. The original Corona continued to happily roll out of the Toyota factory but in 1968 another car, named the Toyota Corona Mark II was put into production side-by-side. It remained a huge seller for Toyota over the coming decades and was a popular car but as the ’70s approached things got a little confusing in the Corona camp. It was a hugely important car for Toyota as it eventually helped establish the Japanese manufacturer as a major player in the auto export market, especially in America where the Corona flourished thanks to its reliability and standard equipment levels. The names Toyota and Corona don’t exactly illicit a particularly inspired response, generally speaking, but that’s because most people tend to think of the more modern, mundane models from the ’80s and ’90s, but the Corona name goes as far back as 1957. The likes of the Datsun 1200 (we have one), the original Honda Civic, for example and case in point: the Toyota Corona Mark II. We love a Mazda RX-7 FD Turbo as much as the next person but while most are drooling over these icons of the east there are a few of us that get equally (well, almost) as excited about the earlier, more modest Japanese offerings. They’re brilliant cars and well deserving of their iconic status but they do have a habit of overshadowing some of the less showy models from the land of the rising sun. It’s OK to get a little start struck by some of the more, how shall we say, high end JDM cars available on Car & Classic the Toyota Supras, Nissan Skylines and Subaru Imprezas, for instance.
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