60 Years Of Toyota In The UK

As we mentioned in a previous blog, the attractions of the 1965 London Motor Show were numerous and varied; from the Aston Martin DB6, Fura-bodied AC  7-Litre, and the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow to the MGB GT, Renault 16, Triumph 1300, and the Vauxhall Cresta PC. Meanwhile, on Stand 154, Toyota is making its debut at Earls Court.

Toyota was not the first Japanese car to be sold in the UK, for that honour went to the Daihatsu Compagno earlier that year. However, imports were in single figures, partly due to an inadequate sales network. By contrast, Pride and Clarke Ltd., the well-known concessionaires, would handle Toyota sales in this country.

They had previously marketed Skodas, and the firm’s MD, John Pride, was impressed by the Japanese motor industry on a visit to the Far East.

Pride and Clarke focused on one model line – the RT40-series Corona range. Prices commenced at £790 16s 11d for the saloon, rising to £843 14s for the estate car. By comparison, a Ford Cortina 1500 4-Door De Luxe cost £704, and a Triumph Herald 1200 Estate would set you back £675.

For those motorists who craved more performance, there was the twin-carburettor 100 mph 1600S in either four-door guise for £1,077 4s 10d or the very stylish pillarless Coupe for £1,194 3d. Such prices made them more expensive than the Sunbeam Rapier Series V at £908, but they possessed a certain flair and even boasted a radio with an “electro-magnetic lock” for the aerial and tinted glass as standard.

And by October 1965, the RT40 had already received positive comments in the UK press. Four months earlier, Toyota featured a Corona at the Silverstone ‘Foreign Car Test Day’ and The Telegraph thought “Japan’s motor manufacturers mean business”. The Observer noted “no one who remembers what Japanese motor-cycles have achieved on the British market” should lightly dismiss Toyota.  

As for the RT40, it debuted in 1964, with sales surpassing those of the rival Nissan Bluebird by January 1965. Toyota developed the Corona with overseas sales in mind, and by 1966, it had become Japan’s largest car manufacturer, with exports to 60 nations. Pride and Clarke hoped to sell 150-200 RT40s in the UK that year - telephone BRIxton 6414 for a test drive. The sales copy promised the Corona embodied “Toyota’s exquisite techniques”, advising the reader to “Note the neat Japanese Arrow styling". 

In 1966, Autocar described the Corona as “a well-made family four seater with a lively performance”. A small but encouraging number of private buyers began opting for the RT40 over products from BMC, Ford, Rootes, Triumph, and Vauxhall. By 1975, the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders arranged a ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ with the Japanese motor industry, restricting imports to 11% of the market. On the 16th of December 1992, a Carina E became their first UK-built car.

Today, a 1966 Corona has pride of place in Toyota GB’s Heritage Fleet. The RT40 may not have been the most glamorous car at the 1965 London Motor Show - but it certainly proved one of the most important. 

With thanks to David Crouch of Toyota GB - for his time and permission to use the images in this blog