Forgotten Toyotas Part 1 : Corolla TE71 TRD

There is no doubt that Toyota got the whole sports car thing right : AE86, Supra, celica GT-Four, MR2, the brand is well known for these legendary models that made history.

Yet some magnificent cars live in the shadow of these heroes, and here is one amazingly conserved example of a corolla that is not a Hachiroku.

This car is the pride and joy of one of my closest friends, Thomas, who introduced me to the world of classic Toyotas. It is a 1984 TE71 Corolla, a limited TRD edition dedicated to the South-African market. Varying sources state that less than 100 got out of the factory, which makes for a very rare, RWD, JDM collector’s car with great character.

The TRD edition features a specific interior design, TRD exhaust manifold, Two 40 DHLA Dell-orto’s, TRD airbox, and a close-ratio gearbox coupled to the 2T engine delivering around 100bhp.

Yes, these numbers aren’t the one you’d expect to find in a sportscar, yet really, 100 horses is enough to enjoy this time-warping machine, setting you back in the eighties where no assisted steering, ABS, nor ESP exist to ruin your driving pleasure.

Seating behind the Nardi steering wheel, turning the key and hearing the intake sound coming from the carbs sucking the air in a low-rev idling melody brought chills down my spine. The entire car feels solid, planted, yet playful and ready to wiggle it’s tail right after nailing the apex.

A real driver’s car, really, where no fancy G-meters or ICE screens distract your eyes from the road, just plain old school sensations that will make you forget every single one of your troubles.

Realistically, the car isn’t perfect, the ride is harsh, bouncy, it needs to be man-handled through the corners and the carbureted engine is very lazy when it’s cold.
But you don’t buy one of these cars to get from point A to point B in the most confortable way possible, you get your hands on of those to enjoy pure driving while you still can.
The smell, the feel, the sound, every single one of your senses is alert, and even when cruising, the grin on your face is uneraseable.

When I finally returned the keys to their owner, I understood the fuss around classic JDM cars, low on power, but big on fun. And they can be had for pretty cheap, too, considering the fact that their values are getting higher and higher.

I can’t thank Thomas enough for letting me drive this wonderful piece of machinery, I suggest you try for yourself one of these oldschool RWD sedans if you can, I promise you won’t regret it.

Brap on, CTzens !