Two years ago Kees Mieremet from Westmaas bought a Toyota Corolla 30 de Luxe from 1976. He sent us a message and told us that this is not his first car of this type. Kees also drove a Corolla from this generation in the early eighties. He always fondly remembered the Japanese afterwards. “When I was young I pimped my car, but I keep it as original as possible.” A story about a special Toyota and the 1976 delivery range in the Netherlands and Belgium.
There is a special story to the yellow Corolla with the specific and so recognizable De Luxe wheel covers tight. Kees Mieremet tells us that this Toyota Corolla 30 de Luxe was registered almost at the same time as the one he owned in 1981. "This Corolla's license plate differs only five digits from the car I bought almost 30 years ago." Kees Mieremet's Toyota Corolla 19 de Luxe got its license plate on February 1976, 70.000. Since then it has led a quiet life. It has covered XNUMX kilometers. Moreover, the Toyota is well looked after, it is in very good condition.
Body options for the Netherlands and Belgium
At the beginning of 1976, the Corolla of this E30 generation was a world player, with various body styles (and ditto internal designations). The third Corolla generation was available in the Netherlands as a two-door coach, two-door coupé (a fine hardtop, so without window pillars in the middle), as a three-door Commercial and as a three-door station wagon. In addition to the variants delivered in the Netherlands, the program in Belgium included a four-door sedan, a five-door station wagon (the stations were called Break in Belgium) and the Trueno, an attractive coupe with the platform of the Corolla E30 as (partial) basis.
Further differences between the Netherlands and Belgium in the 1976 program
The delivery range for 1976 Netherlands consisted of the Economic, the Automatic and the De Luxe (all two-door). The coupe was delivered as a Corolla 30 Coupé and as an SR (rev counter, center console, steel sports rims, electric clock, two carburetors). The station wagon had almost the same technical specifications as the Economic. In Belgium, the coach and sedan were called Corolla 30 Grand Luxe. Incidentally, on the basis of the Corolla 30 in 1976, the liftback (in Belgium it was called that too, in the Netherlands it was named Sportwagon) would make its entrance. Later on, the sedan (four-door) and the station wagon (five-door) would arrive - just like in Belgium - on the Dutch delivery program. Toyota was in that phase (also with the Corolla E20, which was fed alongside the E30 in the Netherlands and Belgium for a number of years) excellent in the busy smaller middle class.
Engines and chassis
The Corollas (the E20, the Trueno and the Liftback will now be left out of consideration) for Europe, almost all were then equipped with the 1.166 cc 3 KH engine. The Coupé SR also had a 1.166 cc engine (3K-B), but it was fitted with two carburettors. Several power sources (and equipment variants) were available for various other countries (especially outside Europe). The chassis of this Corolla generation E30 was fitted with a rigid rear axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs and MacPherson spring elements at the front, where a torsion stabilizer was also mounted. In addition, the E30 was equipped with a separate hydraulic braking system with disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear. Toyota subjected the E30 to a facelift for 1978 and 1979, before making way in 1979 for its successor: the E70.
Excellent standard equipment with the Corolla from Kees Mieremet
Back to 1976 or rather: Kees Mieremet's car. As mentioned, he has a Toyota Corolla 30 de Luxe from that year, and that means that the first buyer opted for a more extensive standard feature. This was already in order for the Corolla in the 70s. However, anyone who ordered a Toyota Corolla 30 de Luxe in the Netherlands could count on a radio, a cigarette lighter, a moquette floor covering, profiled wheel covers with five silver-colored spokes and a day counter. With that, the equipment for the price range in which the Toyota Corolla 30 De Luxe fell in was well organized.
Instead of an Oval Beetle a ……
To conclude: Mieremet is a fan of his Toyota Corolla 30 de Luxe, but that does not mean that his classic predilection ends with the Toyota brand. “I also have a Volkswagen T2B at the moment. In addition, I have had many Beetles, including a Jeans Bug from the seventies and a '59 -er with a large sliding roof. ” And then it becomes clear how big it is that Mieremet has for the Toyota Corolla 30 de Luxe. Mieremet pushed a special VW aside for it. "I also had an Oval Beetle from 1955, and it had to leave the field for the Toyota." An unusual, but revealing move regarding Mieremets' love for the Corolla E30 generation.
Thanks to Toyota expert Ron Moës, who provided some additions.
Bought second hand, it was 3 years old at the time, I drove it for at least another 8 years, it had it repainted once, the Corolla nameplate was attached with 2 pins, it rusted like crazy, it was an automatic, and indeed the engine was cannot be broken, the automatic gearbox is, something broke in it so it would no longer upshift after 80 km, which is a shame, I enjoyed driving it.
I took one over from a colleague in 1992, so at that time around 16 years old and according to the seller “it could go for another year”. That was very optimistic, because on closer inspection it turned out that the entire front suspension was more or less not attached to anything. And neither do the rear leaf springs. In short: the body was “beyond repair” rotten, while the engine and gearbox made a new impression, as did the interior and the paint (at least, above half a meter). Unfortunately. You couldn't get on the road with that with good decency.
To the demolition with it. Afterwards I bought a boring Lada 1200S for my wife. It served her faithfully for many years.
I bought an orange metallic Corolla 1976 de luxe in January 30, incidentally from model year 1975. I think the above car is also from model year 1975. One of the differences was that the cooling grilles on the bonnet changed from chrome to the paintwork. And I also thought that the wheel covers changed in model year 1976. By the way, my specimen did not last very long, after a year and a half paint fell off the door and at about 4 years I had to get started with filler at the headlights. The car rusted like a madman, research showed that the paint was sprayed directly onto the body, without primer. Possibly a Monday morning or Friday afternoon copy. Motorically the car was fine by the way, together with my father at that time several times to Switzerland, Italy etc, but because of the rust I replaced it after 6 years with a recent Ford Taunus 16L and that drove a lot better (and much less economical) . I never intended to buy a Toyota or other Japanese, but I am already driving my 4th MX5. It may be.
My father-in-law had the SR coupe at the time, which looked very slick without a middle pillar and with a rev counter and 5-speed gearbox. For acquaintances who had been in the Jappenkamp reason for much criticism of the car choice.
Childhood memories ……