Convertibles, for many, have always been a symbol of the “Good Life”, especially in the United States. Before the widespread popularity, affordability and availability of air conditioning in mainstream cars, dropping the top in warmer weather was the ultimate for cooling off in a velocity-assisted breeze. Convertibles have historically sat near (if not at) the top of a particular model line’s pricing tier. I find it interesting, with Toyota’s conservative image in present day, to think that there were once several independent coachbuilders that served up convertible versions of the Corolla. Our featured car was a conversion done by Matrix3 out of Costa Mesa, California.
When you think about Corollas of recent memory, what adjectives come to mind? Try to be objective. Years ago, my older brother and his family had a 2003 Corolla sedan in dark blue. It was a pragmatic choice of a functional, logical, sensible, not-unattractive car that was also, perhaps most importantly, dead-reliable. It was also the epitome of boring. It was listening-to-NPR-News-on-a-warm-summer-Saturday-night boring. It was two-hour-conference-call-at-nine-AM-on-a-Monday-morning boring. It was, however, the perfect car for my brother’s family and their needs at that time, and it never, ever left them stranded or dissatisfied with its abilities.
Imagine that just about twenty years prior to the date of manufacture of my brother’s car there was actually a Corolla that was somewhat glamorous after having been given a convertible makeover – in California, the Land Of The Sun, no less. The years between the mid-70’s and the early-80’s were mostly a barren wasteland for the once-popular convertible. After the last, new ’76 Eldorado drop-top had been used by a Cadillac dealership as an evil tool for price-gouging, there wouldn’t be another domestic, company-authorized convertible until model year ’82, when Lee Iacocca brought one back to Chrysler showrooms in the form of the petite, origami-styled, K-platform LeBaron.
Soft-top versions of the Buick Riviera, Chevy Cavalier, Ford Mustang, Pontiac Sunbird, and a few others soon followed. In the convertible’s truly dark times in the U.S. between 1976 and ’82, there were conversions performed by the likes of Griffith (Toyota Celica Sunchaser, AMC Eagle Sundancer) and the outfit that performed the surgery on our featured Corolla, Matrix3. I could not actually find much information on Matrix3 online, though it was not for lack of trying. I did find a Matrix3 Corolla brochure for sale, but… nope, sorry. Not at that price, and not just for this piece. Please try to bear with me.
I thought the venue in the background of our featured car was a fitting one. The Aragon Ballroom is located in Chicago’s Uptown district, which was an area that was a hot spot for entertainment (jazz clubs, theaters) from the turn of the last century through about the 1950s. The Aragon opened in 1926 and was a popular dance hall with live, Big Band orchestras performing in the 1940s and ’50s. Lawrence Welk and his orchestra performed here, live on WGN Radio. (Don’t laugh… I grew up watching “The Lawrence Welk Show” on weekends with my family, as a third-generation viewer. I have both a soft spot and genuine respect for LW.)
Through the years and a series of other uses for the Aragon, including a rock concert venue, a roller skating rink, and a large discotheque, its most current reinvention is, again, as a concert venue for popular acts. Similarly, our sporty, red Corolla SR-5 (from the E70 series that ran from between 1979 and ’83) had been reimagined as a zippy, upper-tier funmobile, simply by virtue of its being a convertible – and a great-looking one, at that. The temporary absence of new convertibles from the U.S. market seemed to have made the hearts of Americans grow fonder, as many makes added one to their stable as the ’80s progressed. Again, I couldn’t find any pricing info on the Matrix3 Corolla, but I’d be willing to bet the convertible originally listed for at least half-again over the sticker price of a loaded SR-5 notchback. Our featured car was not an inexpensive new-car purchase.
Today, the Corolla is offered in only one bodystyle – naturally, the one that makes the best sense: a four-door sedan. It comes in nice exterior colors, like “Slate Metallic” and white. It’s the largest Corolla yet, being roughly the same size as the third-generation, U.S. Market Camry (the 1992 – ’96 XV10). It is commodious, sensible, inoffensively-styled, and imminently practical. I salute owners of these cars for their demonstration of sound logic. The new Corolla is the “dad jeans” / “mom jeans” of the current crop of compact cars.
The new Corolla also stands in direct contrast with the sportiness, fun spirit, and downright whimsy displayed in our featured car. It is also a fact of life that unless you are Peter Pan, everybody and everything must eventually “grow up”. As for me, and as opposed to the Corolla’s trajectory, I hope to maintain as much of my youthful energy for as long as I can. Here’s to my avoidance of succumbing to dad jeans for as long as possible. Here’s also to our featured car – a fine exhibit of once upon a time when there existed a Corolla that was actually a little sexy.
Uptown, Chicago, Illinois.
Saturday, April 23, 2016.
Related reading:
- From David Saunders: Curbside Classics: 1980 – 1983 Toyota Corolla – The Datsun 510 Doppelgänger;
- Jason Shafer: Curbside Classic: 1981(ish) Toyota Corolla SR-5 – So, Do You Want It Now Or After Breakfast?; and
- Tatra87: CC Capsule: 1981 Toyota Corolla 3-Door Wagon – Too Beige, Or Not Too Beige?.
Poor thing has rust. Wonder if M3 beefed up the chassis. Still has the M3 badge. Makes it look like the owner is pretending its a BMW to non enthusiasts.
Rick, agreed about the rust. 🙁
This wasn’t actually the first time I’ve seen this car. I had spotted it about (exactly) four years prior, not far from Wrigley Field, in April of 2012. If it’s any consolation, the rust didn’t seem any worse after four years of wear.
When I saw the backend shot, I thought Triumph TR7 Convertible.
Actually it was that very premise that drew me to the ’79-’83 Corolla as my first new Japanese car – if you squinted hard enough the round headlight 79-80 sedan could pass for a 320 sedan. In the dark. Like pitch black.
My ’81 hardtop version was a lot of fun but certainly no BMW….
Well No Wonder More Than 50 Million Corollas Had Been Sold Since 1966.They Get The Job Done Without Asking Alot In Return.God Bless Japanese.
Wow — what an outstanding find! It’s amazing that one of these still exists, particularly outside of its native habitat of Southern California.
Matrix 3 seems to have been a flash in the pan — as far as I recall, they made a few aftermarket conversions (like of Camaros, Thunderbirds, etc.) plus at least two that were sort of manufacturer-sanctioned — these Corollas, plus a Subaru (pictured). I *think* Toyota and Subaru gave their blessings to these conversions, but I’m not positive about that. The Subaru convertible was, in my opinion, particularly good looking, but then again so was the coupe from which it was based.
I think that Matrix 3 offered fully power tops on their conversions too.
And as usual, your photography is outstanding — particularly the final shot from the train platform. The car and the theater complement each other perfectly.
Eric, I have two of the Matrix3 Subaru conversions – both ’83 GL Coupes with full power tops. Subaru of America gave their blessings to the Matrix3 conversions, and they were sold new through Subaru dealers in the lower 48 – but so far as I know, Fuji Heavy Industries did not.
That’s remarkable! You must have about 20% of the total Subaru convertibles left in existence!
Thanks for clearing it up about Subaru signing off on the convertible conversions, too. I assume that Toyota had the same arrangement, and that they were sold through Toyota dealers as well. I think the aftermarket companies typically had a short warranty period (1-2 years) on the convertible apparatus, but otherwise the manufacturer’s warrant applied elsewhere.
Eric, thank you so much. I agree with both you and Andrew that the lines of this generation of Subaru GL coupe lent themselves nicely to the convertible body style.
I don’t remember these at all. I have to say that this Corolla makes an attractive convertible. That wrapped back window, however, spoils the look (although it surely aids visibility).
It is funny how many inexpensive cars became convertibles and how few large, expensive cars did.
And how cool is the Aragon? All the top bands played there before the big bands went extinct. I wonder how much of the old decor is left inside.
Corolla SR-5 notchbacks and Subarus were well-suited to the conversion since they were hardtops to begin with while bigger cars (Mercedes apart) went to solid B pillars with fixed quarter windows as part of the Brougham look at the same time factory convertibles went away.
JP, this pictures makes me want to check out the Aragon to see what’s playing, just so I can see the inside for myself.
There is kind of a long list posted outside the theater, of things that are not allowed inside, including (and not limited to): outside beverages, selfie-sticks, weapons of any kind, SLR cameras, etc. I’m glad safety measures are there, but juxtaposed with this classic venue, reading this list is just a bit disconcerting.
I think the death of the full-size 2-door sedan was the biggest contributor to downsizing of convertibles. Not that a 4-door convertible is unprecedented or impossible, but no manufacturer in the 80’s seemed willing to give it a try. Occasionally you’ll see a GM G-body or a rare early 80’s 2-door B-Body with the top lopped off and sometimes they don’t look too bad.
BW, aside from the homemade luggage rack on the trunk, this Caprice doesn’t look bad at all as a convertible. Back seat might have been uncomfortably small for a full-sizer once the hypothetical convertible top mechanism hardware was in place.
Its been at least 10-15 years since I was last at the Aragon, to see Bob Dylan, but it still has much of the old look. I was also there New Years Eve 1998 to see Blues Traveler, after playing Auld Lang Syne they went into Prince’s 1999, because it was now 1999…and we partied like it.
I don’t know, I think I’d rather listen to NPR on a warm summer evening than watch Lawrence Welk, but… 🙂
Nice Toyota, I think the styling on the donor car (the regular SR5) was absolutely perfect and it didn’t lose much, if anything, as a convertible. As Eric said, it is amazing that you found one of these in your neck of the woods. I wonder what one does if one needs a new top, would it need to be custom made based on (what remains of) the old one?
We used to listen to NPR religiously on Saturday nights, to Prairie Home Companion, starting in the early-mid 80s. Good times, when you’re in the throes of kiddie-dom.
That is, until I burned out on Keillor.
LW: how we loathed him as kids; the epitome of uncool. But back in Iowa City, there were only two tv stations, and sometimes we’d watch LW out of sheer desperation. I can still see it in my mind’s eye…
You should give PHC another shot. The new Host Chris Thiele has really given the show a needed update.
I always listen to the news on NPR while commuting to work in my 2009 Corolla :-).
It is a Corolla S with a stick shift, which may be about the closest you can get to the featured car today.
Ah yes, I forgot to comment on Lawrence Welk. “Play the music and play it straight” was his motto. He picked up the baton from Guy Lombardo and carried the big band format into an era when they were few others left. His music was singularly unmemorable but he made a lot of money playing it.
Most folks of my age remember Lawrence Welk on TV when visiting grandparents. LW was must-see TV for my grandma. She knew all of the singers and would give us the verbal tour between songs. I would never buy his music but I do get a little nostalgia for my grandma from it.
There is a car angle on Welk, as his show was sponsored by Dodge at one time. There are several Dodge commercials from the show online.
Hi JPC, Guy Lombardo’s East Point House was the last building we would pass in the old wooden Elco when leaving the channel that contained our Freeport based slip.
And it was always exciting to see the man himself, at the helm, speed past us in his all mahogany, super sleek, and probably very expensive Tempo (all his boats were named Tempo) while we cruised along at a sedate 8 to 10 knots.
Maybe not cool, but he was “our” local celebrity and my brother and I watched his New Year’s Eve show religiously.
Great picture! I remember watching a documentary on Lawrence Welk. One of the longtime band members (I forget who) said that he loved jazz and wanted to play with a band that played great jazz. He went to see Woody Herman. He saw the band come into town in a bunch of beat up cars. Later he saw Guy Lombardo’s band come into town. They had a beautiful luxurious bus. He said that he would rather make a good living than be a jazz artist. I suspect that he did.
Ha! I actually love NPR. Back when I used to be able to have a radio at my desk at work (at low volume), I had it set to the local NPR station throughout my workday. It was a mixture of classical music, news programming, and other features that kept me informed, entertained, and non-intrusively so – where I still could concentrate on my work and get it done. I suppose my line about NPR was more centered around the fact that listening wouldn’t be my first choice of activities on a Saturday night during outdoor festival season here in Chicago.
These days, I do my job to a (mostly) classic ’50s – ’70s jazz & jazz fusion soundtrack.
LW was something I grew up watching, passed down from my grandparents – my mom’s folks. It’s going to sound even hokier to some of you in a second… we would usually watch “The Lawrence Welk Show” followed (or preceded?) by “Hee Haw”.
There was pretty much nothing else to do at my grandparents’ farm in rural northwestern Ohio once the sun went down besides pop some popcorn and watch whatever was on their giant, wooden console TV in their living room. They did have another small TV in the kitchen, but Grandma would sometimes “hi-jack” it (in a friendly way) and turn the channel to something educational she could enjoy with her grandkids. Shows like “Three’s Company” and even “The Match Game” were so off limits.
About this Corolla, this design, the E70, was “peak” Corolla to me. Later SR-5s had modern flourishes like exclusive bodywork featuring pop-up headlights, but to me and when new, these left the biggest impression on me.
To be fair, these always look better with the top down rather than with the top up. The wraparound rear window treatment reminds me a lot of a Triumph, but that is more a product of function over design. The problem with conversion convertibles, and a lot of convertibles in general, is that they end up looking cobbled together rather than designed. To manage the roof, the rest of the body has to conform, and usually with poor results. Take an Allante, for example. It looks good with top up or down, while a conversion El Dorado of the same era looks, well, like a conversion. Bad plastic surgery, as it were. As much as I love convertibles myself, this one would never be my choice.
You beat me to it.
The Allante for comparison
Like night and day. Great pictures for comparison – thanks for posting these.
Like Eric703 noted above, some of those aftermarket conversions were quite attractive, the Subaru especially. Unfortunately most of them didn’t look quite so “right” with the tops up. Somehow bolting on convertible top frames and mechanisms always resulted in what ended up looking like a canvas Kangol cap on top of a sawzalled coupe. Every time an 80’s coupe shows up here I end up with the same pangs of nostalgia. No matter how long I watch the automotive landscape change, I’ll never get past the days during which NOBODY under 30 would have even considered owning a 4 door car unless it was a hand-me-down from an unhip relative.
Even now, as I casually shop for a second car, in preparation for a 30 mile commute starting soon, I keep gravitating to the few remaining $4000 5-speed coupes and convertibles I come across on the List of Craig. But somehow even trying to picture my (very youthful, thank you very much) 50 year old self behind the wheel of a Civic coupe or a Saab convertible (despite having last owned one just 10 years ago) makes me feel like a throwback going through a midlife crisis. Not that I really care about such things, but still…
Joseph: not interested in the car but thanks for the photos of the Aragon.
It is a historic venue in Chicago entertainment and I am pleased to know that it is still hosting rock shows. I’ve worked there – now many years ago. And it was work because the place was obsolete back then. Load in/out is hard; power is an issue; backstage facilities are very limited; parking for trucks and workers is a problem; it was dirty and not well maintained. But the venue has that aura – like Wrigley Field for baseball or Hershey car collectors. Thanks for the memories.
Constellation, thanks for chiming in. I don’t have a picture to add, but recently (within the past year or so), an elevator was added to the north-facing end of the Aragon, which I can imagine has made things somewhat easier.
I like it when the westward-facing, stained-glass windows are opening when the Red Line train passes by. I like to catch glimpses of inside the theater. I still have not been to a show here, and I’ve lived in Chicago for over ten years. Perhaps it’s time.
This conversion looks really nice in the side profile shot. Really, the only awkward angle is the rear three-quarter view, with that ill-fitting wraparound rear window readily apparent.
Amazing to see this grizzled survivor in the Land of Salt…at some point in its life, it may have been someone’s warm weather-only ride. Occasional seasonal use may fly in the face of the Corolla’s many virtues as practical and reliable point-to-point transportation, but this veteran never moved south to retire.
Love the photo of the Aragon…brings back memories of going with a big group to concerts with a college friend who always had tickets in the 1980s (he worked at the campus radio station). Glad to see the venue has been cleaned up (as has Uptown generally) and still going strong.
William, great observation about the greenhouse. The other wonky angle is from a front three-quarter view, where the “tumblehome” seems off and the aftermarket nature of this conversion really looks apparent.
I, too, am happy that Uptown has been cleaned up somewhat. It always seems a little “two steps forward, two steps back” with businesses here that have opened and closed, but thankfully, the Aragon – and, just as importantly, the Green Mill Jazz Cocktail Lounge, are still kicking. 🙂
I occasionally see a Celica convertible conversion from the same era parked in front of the library I work at in the same shade of red & in half-decent condition, considering that most cars from that era have dissolved into rust by now in my area (Witch City).
As for Lawrence Welk, I drew the short straw among my siblings & had to take my parents to a live performance of the Stars of The Lawrence Welk Show about 20 yrs. ago. I got through it by imaging that it was the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock ?
Diskojoe, I remember seeing a music video within the past six months or so ago that featured a third-generation Celica convertible, and it stopped me dead in my tracks. What a fantastic looking car – especially with the styling-pendulum having swung back to more angular designs, lately.
(“…50th anniversary of Woodstock” – too funny!)
“… It was listening-to-NPR-News-on-a-warm-summer-Saturday-night boring …”
Hey, I represent that remark!
“… It was two-hour-conference-call-at-nine-AM-on-a-Monday-morning boring…”
Only on Mondays? Lucky you. Try Mondays and Wednesdays at 8 A.M and, if we were behind our monthly revenue quotas, on Fridays at 4:30 P.M.
And I thought Welk’s Lennon sisters singers were, well, kind of hot.
Too funny! And that’s awesome. I remember Anacani looking really attractive most of the time, as well as the Aldridge Sisters from the later shows.
(I could totally imagine Lawrence Welk telling the Aldridge Sisters to wipe off some of their lip gloss… LOL)
Yeah, but you had to watch Bobby and Sissy dance the cha-cha at some point.
I’m such a Toyota nut I used to have a Faux Runner.
CC also covered the Celica Sunchaser some years ago:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-asian/curbside-classic-1979-81-celica-sunchaser-conversion-by-griffith/
I had forgotten all about these, which is odd, because a. good friend of mine had one back in the 90’s. His was red as well, but since it was his “pleasure car” it had low mileage and was always garaged. I’m not sure if his was done by the same conversion company for two reasons; it did not have that gaudy hood plaque, and his had a very nice fitting convertible top, with a conventional type rear window, rather than that there piece monstrosity in these photos. With the top up, it looked like a Celica convertible from this era, a bit of a formal look to it. I do remember that the car seemed to have far less cowl shake than my 89 Cavalier Z24 convertible did. Since we owned these cars at the same time, and my Z24 was also a rarely used garage queen, the comparison was pretty striking in the structural rigidity. While ASC did a beautiful job on my Z24 conversion, it looked great and everything fit well, the cowl shake was pretty intense. We currently own a 13 Camaro convertible as well as a 10 Camaro hardtop. While the cowl shake on the convertible isn’t quite as bad as my Z24 was, the hardtop is so structurally sound, it makes the cowl shake seem worse when driving the two back to back.
Jim, your friend might have had the Corolla conversion done by Griffith – which had a top that was much better integrated.
Speaking of your ’89 Z24 convertible, I always thought those looked cool. Those were new when I was in high school, and my memories of them are tied to that time frame. I wonder how many nice examples of those are left.
I think I love checking old buildings as much as I love checking old cars… Thanks for all the information about the Aragon.
The first pic is awesome.
Joseph Dennis ..;;;THANKS TO ALL who’ve posted or replied about the 82-83 TOY COROLLA. NOW ,,can someone point me in the direction of ONE FOR SALE $ ??? I’m in LA and Ive had the exact same car,,,sold it back in 2000 and Now I Want it back or one close to it….All ideas are welcomed ,,,Ive been scouring the world wide web in various places ,,,I have a few bites, but seeking a “pick up and drive ” car ,,,or I can do the work ,,at the right affordable and reasonable price…thx Darrell (DHQprivate@gmail.com) hit me if possible ,,,much respect to u all