Rear Drive Kurashikku: 1970 Toyota Corona Mark II Wagon

Back in 1970, the North American Toyota lineup was a filled with cars starting with the letter C — the subcompact Corolla, the compact Corona, and slightly larger mid-sized Corona Mark II, and finally the full-sized Crown….which can all be a bit confusing.  Find this 1970 Toyota Corona Mark II Wagon offered for $5,500 in Santa Cruz, CA via craigslist. Tip from Kaibeezy.

Although the Corona Mark II is considered a mid-sized car, it wasn’t a mid-sized by anything other than a small Japanese ruler.  The Mark II wheelbase was only 3 inches longer than the compact Corona, but it shared mechanical components like suspension and was powered by the same R-series 4-bangers.  However, it had a higher level of trim/options as standard and different styling in 1970 due to generational model year mismatch/overlap.

Power this Corona Mark II is a 2.0 liter 18R with single overhead cam that replaces the 8RC (C is for California emissions or Crappy) mated to a 4-speed manual gearbox. This is the only way you’d ever want to drive any vintage Corona/Corolla/Crown because slow cars are terrible with automatic transmissions.

See another classic wagon for cheap? tips@dailyturismo.com