First model of Corolla was introduced in 1966. Toyota celebrated 40th anniversary of Corolla in 2006 but Toyota was sad in April 2008 because the Father of Corolla, Mr. Tatsuo Hasegawa died. He was 92 years old. In 1963, Mr. Hasegawa planned Corolla but Toyota's executive staff didn't approve his plan because they thought Corollas sales would conflict with another cars at that time. Mr. Hasegawa won over the executive staff for developing Corolla because Mr. Hasegawa was thinking that Japanese car market would grow up and Corolla was good car for Japanese public. Before 1960, car is for only rich people in Japan but after 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Japanese car market was growing up and many middle class people could buy cars. Mr. Hasegawa was engineer of the military airplane but after WWII, he started to work for Toyota. Many airplane engineers lost jobs because USA didn't allow the Japanese to make any airplanes and many airplane engineers started to work for car companies with their engineering skill. They were absorbed in developing fast cars and racecars but Mr. Hasegawa was interested in cars for the everyday public. I think we can enjoy driving Hachiroku and drifting because of Mr.Hasegawa. Hachiroku is Corolla LEVIN (Sprinter TRENO) in Japan. I think Corolla history helps present Toyota company. I think many people think Corolla sedan is just sedan. Japanese Corolla from 1979 to 2001 model had GT grade, which has same engine and transmission as Corolla Levin; 1979 Corolla sedan GT was FR car! I went to Toyota Fest car show in Long Beach in April and I saw some Corolla sedan tuning cars which swapped 4AG motor. I think their tuning style is not wrong. From 1994 to 1998, there was Japan Touring Car Championship (JTCC) race in Japan before Super GT race became popular. Regulation of JTCC said body had four doors and motor is 2000cc NA. NISMO brought NIssan Primera (Infiniti G20). Honda brought Civic sedan and Accord. TRD brought Corolla with MR2 motor. Signal Auto maintained JTCC Corolla and some Toyota race cars for few years when the private racing team bought Toyota's JTCC race cars from Toyota. This year, Toyota displayed Corolla GT racecar in Bangkok international motor show (response.jp/issue/2008/0405/article107832_1.images/179108.html). Is there GT race in Thailand? Do you change your image of Corolla? Please say thank you to Mr. Tatsuo Hasegawa. I think his car engineer history and introducing Corolla is what makes our tuning car market now because Corolla GTS is key car for our tuning world.
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Classic Super Street
On the cover, a turbo integra in bondo and pleather. Sure, we were more "show" back then, but we were also more "go" too. That issue alone covered three California race events: Import Challenge in Pomona, CMI Spring Jam in Sacramento and Western Showdown in Bakersfield. Some of the names that sped down the 1320 strip in those events are ones you may recognize now: Ken Miyoshi, Jojo Callos, Dave Shih, Tony Shagday, Sheng Chao, Charles Madrid, Ed Bergenholtz, Tony Fuchs and Bisi Ezerioha.
Dish Vs. Deep Dish
Are deep dish wheels with fat lips going out of style? Are they too old, only belonging on Toyotas and Datsuns of the '80s? When the majority goes one way, the cool goes the other. Full-faced dish-style wheels with almost no lips, and possibly concaved faces, are quickly growing in trend.