Toyota’s first large sales achievement in North The us was the Corona, which went on sale in this article in the 1966 product year and proved to be a large amount of car for the funds (my 1st motor vehicle was a 1969 Corona sedan, which I purchased for $50 at the age of 14, so I admit a touch of Corona bias right here). Toyota did incredibly effectively selling automobiles in this article throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but under no circumstances definitely raked in the major yen from the American luxury-sedan segment until the debut of the Lexus LS 400 for the 1990 design yr. Prior to that, Toyota Motor Profits Usa tried to get Us residents to invest in upscale Crowns and Corona Mark IIs, with no notable success. Finally, the 1978 Toyopet Corona Mark II showed up here with Cressida badges, and some People in america felt eager to invest in this significant, 6-cylinder-powered luxurious machine. Cressida sales by no means actually took off right here, but People in america could acquire Cressidas all the way by way of 1992. The 1990s Cressidas are approximately unachievable to discover in auto graveyards right now, but I pulled off the feat in Sparks, Nevada, a pair of months back.
The LS 400 was a masterpiece of engineering, with its brand-new V8 engine and all the other improvements, and it frightened the daylights out of the suits at the significant European car or truck firms. It also made the Cressida seem a bit small and previous-fashioned, so it can be stunning that Toyota retained it on sale listed here for the 1990-1992 model many years.
Below the skin, the Cressida was constantly a shut relative of the exact same-12 months Supra. That meant that its suspension and powertrain ended up generally comparable to Supra hardware of the exact interval (much as the rear-wheel-drive Datsun 810/Nissan Maxima shared much engineering DNA with the Z-Automobile).
This automobile has the 7M-GE straight-6 motor, rated at 190 horsepower and 185 pound-feet (the Supra model bought a little bit far more electrical power).
Though the 1991 Mark II in Japan could be procured with a five-velocity handbook transmission, American Cressida prospective buyers experienced to acquire the four-velocity Aisin automated.
These autos held together quite very well, nevertheless this just one just managed 172,794 miles in advance of the close.
In 1991, the Lexus LS 400 had an MSRP of $36,955 (about $81,490 in 2022 bucks), which undercut the Mercedes-Benz S-Class by a dismaying amount of money but brought about complications for Toyota salesmen who were being trying to get $22,198 ($48,945 today) for a new Cressida.
The Cressida that yr was fairly luxurious and pretty effectively constructed, but the new Lexus appeared like more car or truck for each greenback at the time.
Toyota ongoing to set up blend CD/cassette gamers in Lexuses effectively into our present century. The natural way, this Cressida has that rig.
I feel this is the first Ouija board I have at any time uncovered in a junkyard auto.
Regrettably, we under no circumstances received the supercharged model above in this article, nor did we get a Cressida Grande.
The most difficulties-free auto sold in The us!
