It is the soldier still soldiering on since 1968, it is called The Toyota Corona and straight away, yes! it is still fighting against the odds.
Designed by the help of the legendary Italian designer Battista Farina and its still living at its finest in 2013. I don't know its top speed, because its speedometer is marked only up to 100kmph but it keeps on getting faster and faster even after the needle hits the end point.
The specimen under review does not have its genuine engine and the gear box, every thing else is genuine in it, and most of them simply doesn't work. The things that work in it are seats, a dashboard, a steering wheel, head lamps, indicators, breaks, tyres, electronic truck release button, a stereo (which you cannot hear due to the loud engine noise), suspension, engine, and few other things. The newest addition in this list are the wind screen wipers. And its fuel door is at a very funny location, which is good if you live between people who steal diesel from other people's car tanks.
A toyota 2 liter diesel engine is installed in it and this alteration has converted it from a silk like smooth luxury car into a screaming monster that rattles each and every organ in your body. (A very old man who drove these cars when they were new told me "smooth like silk thing" about it). When I drove a normal EFI car after driving this thing first time, I was unable to tell that whether the engine of the EFI car was running or not.
So the things which make it the most practical car of this world are more than its negative points. The biggest plus point is that its so much cheap that your heart won't get hurt while hurting this car for fun. Second plus point is that no one will even think about stealing this noisy piece of metal.
Third plus point is that the person who sold this to me said that "just don't hit it in the truck and you can hit it in anything else that you will like to hit", and he was right about its solidity, the metal used in it is better than the metal used in making of trains by Pakistan Railways. Due to its solidity each and every person on the road gives you way to get passed, no one likes to come in front of it.
Fourth plus point is that its engine is powerful, and its rare wheel drive, and the answer to this is donuts.(well, last time doing donuts in a ground resulted in a great adventure in which Neo and another friend was with me lol. But now it has become 100 times better than the time when I bought it, all thanks to the Donut adventure :D).
Fifth plus point is that its a historical car and sometimes you will feel like you are dragging history on the roads with you, and the souls of people who made it and of those who had enjoyed the moments of their lives in this car are happy because you are driving a legacy which most people just keep in the museums.
Sixth plus point is that you can use it as an off-road vehicle also, and it is pretty good on the off-road. Seventh plus point is that it brings smile on the faces of people when they see it. Little kids get very exited when they see it, and they shout that "look! a sports car". (I don't know what a child's criteria for a sports car is lol).
Eighth plus point is that you will not have to go to the gym to make muscles if you own one of these cars. Ninth plus point is that its shock absorbers are way too much great, and you can hardly feel what was on the road, in this regard its the best car i have ever driven.
Tenth plus point is that its equally fast on the road as the latest cars but you need to have guts to drive it to such speed.
Eleventh plus point is that anything that breaks out of it can be welded back. Its plus points will never end but I have got little free time (In reality no other good points are coming in my mind at the moment lol)
Hey Neo! You also drove it so write your experience in the comments lol.
First of all the ride is really awesome, i mean with those thin tyres, you don't expect much but it was better than any modern vehicle like corolla, civic, city. Yes! agree that you can take it anywhere you want irrespective of the terrain. Steering was really clumpsy, i've got to say and the car needs man with real pumping heart to be able to drive it over 100. At least I couldn't dare do it when I drove it. There was to much lag in the steering.
ReplyDeleteDiesel engine, well best choice for such a car. If it had been on petrol, it would have had its engine overhaulled many a times or may be whole engine replacement all together many a times. The engine was noisy, at first it felt a bit fun to have such a shouty engine but there is something that starts kirking in the ears after sometime. solution, well a sound note attached to it might be just an answer for the problem. the real cranking noise of the engine gets annoying after prolonged exposure.
Lastly, the value for money. FireStarter bought it for Rs.100,000 and has spent about Rs.15,000 on it major being the clutch plate that got screwed when we were doing the donut thing on it last time around so its a great value for money too.
The car is just a little underpowered, a little turbo will make it do the donuts much more easily, at the moment you have to force it do the donut. Firestarter! anything i missed...? ;) cheers!