I am at Mageli Camping by the idyllic Losnavannet in Gudbrandsdalen. It's still summer. The sea is still green after this year's meltwater. Sunday has come to life. People sit outside with coffee and breakfast. A guy is busy building nail tents.

Old school Toyota

Between motorhomes and modern caravans, I can see some nice old Toyotas. Nice reunion, I thought. 30 and 40 years ago, the campsite would have been full of cars such as Corolla, Carina, Cressida and maybe the occasional Crown. It was when cars were painted in different colors - and families could go on holiday in a Corolla. The Toyotas have by no means disappeared from the campsites, but they look different today. It was not the T-Forden that got Norway on wheels. It was Toyota.

Simple and durable

The first Japanese cars were not distinguished by cutting-edge technological finesse and ground-breaking design. They were rather a thought side-rumped. The philosophy was "keep it simple" to keep prices low and quality high. A concept that was very successful.
 

Cressida (MX32)

I'm impressed with how well Cressida is doing - seen through today's eyes. I don't think of them as old cars, although the two cars in this post are over 40 years old. The great impression is enhanced by the fact that the cars have been given a new colour, upgraded wheels and lowered. Engine-wise, all Cressidas to Norway were delivered with a 2-litre engine with 90 HP. In other parts of the world you could get it with Toyota's great inline sixes 2,6 and 2,8. Today, there are several options for upgrading to something more modern under the hood.
 

Corona and Corolla

The red car is a Corona – one of the first models to be brought into the country. The Coronas were to prove to be very reliable and lay the foundation for Toyota's growth. The world car Corolla was no disappointment either. Mustard yellow was a very popular color when the second-generation Corolla E20 arrived in 1970. It was so popular that production continued for a couple of years after the successor was launched as a 1975 model.
 

Crown

From 1975, the Corolla could be delivered as a station wagon. The just over 4-metre-long car became popular as a family car. But that one correct the dream car for a family was a light blue Crown station wagon. Few cars were as reliable as the Crown. No wonder the model became popular with taxi owners of the time.

More pictures of old school Toyota

See

Old School Toyotas Norway (Facebook)
Toyota Crown Club of Norway