Toyota Starlet
|
|
Toyotastarlet.jpg
The Toyota Starlet is a small automobile manufactured by Toyota since 1973.
Initially launched as the 40 series, the Starlet was offered with 1,000 and 1,200 cm³ engines. The 60 series, a small three-door hatchback, was better known, being the first to be sold outside Japan, and offered with 1,200 and 1,300 cm³ engines.
The Starlet's 70 series in 1984 saw the model switch to front-wheel drive and a five-door model added to the export range. The 80 and 90 series of 1989 and 1996 retained the same idea of a three- and five-door hatchback.
Normally, Starlets were known for being dependable but dull automobiles, but there were exceptions. The Toyota Sera, made in the early ’nineties and officially sold only in Japan, is the same car with a sports body and gull-wing doors. Only about 16,000 were ever produced due to their performance in frontal-impact tests.
The range was replaced by the Toyota Vitz/Platz/Echo/Yaris range in 1999.
External links
- Picture of a Toyota Sera (http://members.fortunecity.com/stutzblackhawk/toyota.htm)
- UK Toyota Sera site (http://www.omicron.uk.com/sera/)