Launched against the VW Golf Mk1 (Rabbit in the U.S.), the E30 generation of #Corolla seemed very conventional, perhaps even old-fashioned at the time. For all the excitement of the tweaked SR5 and the style of the many bodies offered (6 in all - today just two seems radical for Toyota), most people were interested in the Corolla for economy, and it was bigger and heavier than its predecessor and the Rabbit. - But it was also as reliable as death and taxes - and while it was only marginally less rot-prone than earlier Corollas, it’s durability stood in sharp relief to competitors in the days of rusting Fiat 128s and Chevy Vegas with fried engines. The base model Corollas were indeed basic - they even came with just rubber floor mats and bias ply tires. But if you wanted to spec out your Corolla, you could do that too. - The Corolla Deluxe #WoodyWagon is probably the fanciest of the E30 Corollas, with the optional 5-speed and a nicer interior than standard Corollas, plus the #Woody kit, applied by the dealer and seemingly unique to North American cars. The 75-hp 1588-cc 2-TC engine was standard on all of the Corollas except the base model 2-door, and even though these #wagons weren’t necessarily “sporty,” they only weighed a little over 2,300 lbs. - In 1978 actual wood on #stationwagons was long gone, but the fake #woodgrain tradition was still going strong, as were wagons themselves - #Toyota also offered the woody look on the Corona and Cressida wagons in this era (that’s right - in 1978, Toyota had three four-door wagons and one two-door wagon/shooting brake hatch in the U.S. lineup). - The #1970s were arguably the zenith of woodgrain graphics - and by no means was Toyota alone in extending the treatment to an economy car, either - #woody Corollas competed with woody Pintos, Chevettes, and Pacers. There was even a woodgrain option for the Corolla’s ultra-modern rival, the VW Rabbit. - Since the woodgrain was only an option and one that isn’t so easy to restore, it’s rarely seen today. When the Corolla was redesigned into the E70 model for 1980, the woodgrain kit did not come along for the ride. #ToyotaCorolla #E30Corolla #ToyotaUSA #Japanesenostalgiccar https://www.instagram.com/p/BpmrTqfliKg/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=17sb8gx3fp5w6
