Today’s title may feel a bit odd, considering that the Crown never quite took off in the US market. But elsewhere, particularly in Asia and South America, early generations of the Crown paved the way for buyers of those regions to consider Toyota as a viable provider of accessible luxury. While the ’64 Corona and ’66 Corolla were the models that brought legions of faithful consumers to the brand, the Crown made a case for Toyota being more than a purveyor of mass-market cars.
In those markets, the Crown showed that Toyota could offer a refined vehicle with luxury touches at discount prices, offering a nice alternative to semi-premium European and US models. An international trajectory that rose on the inroads done by the ’62-’67 Crown (S40), and on which the ’67-’70 S50 generation built upon. So, when excluding the US market, we can say mission accomplished.
On the other hand, I won’t deny that today’s title inspiration owes quite a bit to the curious sticker stretched over this Crown’s windshield. Just the kind of silly customizing Salvadorians can’t stop doing with their cars.
It’s a bit hard to see clearly, but it’s a video game-like illustration with a Rambo-like landscape of military helicopters and explosions with a “Mision Cumplida” (Mission Accomplished) legend. And when plastering this, I know the owner wasn’t referring to the Crown’s history or Japan’s fame for legendary warriors.
Still, it made for an argument that could apply to this old wagon. It’s, after all, a rather battle-scarred survivor from Toyota’s early international offensive.
As has been told before at CC, the early Toyopet Crown arrived at international markets only to find itself lacking in many areas. A too homegrown effort that failed in the US and didn’t make much of a dent elsewhere. Along with the failure of the ’58 Tiara (future Corona), the company backtracked on its expanding worldwide ambitions to refine its approach and product line.
A far more compelling Crown would show up in 1962. Against the toy-like previous generation, the S40 from ’62 carried a more substantial presence and better-sorted engineering. As was the case with Toyota, styling was in-house and took many cues from the Italians; a natural byproduct of many of the company’s stylists having trained in the Old Continent. A chapter already covered in very detailed form by Don Andreina.
The S40 Crown would see Toyota finally reaching European markets and a return to the American passenger car market. In both regions, however, it would be the ’64 Corona the one to bring many to Toyota’s fold. Meanwhile, the Crown would stick around, though remaining a bit of an oddity and unable to fully sell the “upscale” Toyota concept.
In the case of the US, the S40 Crown occupied an uncomfortable place as a previous CC vintage review post resumed:
“Part of the challenge the Crown would face was… attempting to define the competitive set for the car. Should it be viewed as an alternative to smaller, more expensive imports like Mercedes-Benz or Volvo? Or was the Crown an Asian alternative to compact domestics like the Rambler American? Road Test couldn’t quite pinpoint it, and neither could potential buyers.”
Still, in Asia and South America, the Crown was a compelling proposal. A car with an upscale feel, with plenty of options at a lower cost than those offered by established players. In hindsight, the Crown’s long journey provided the foundation for Toyota’s Lexus division. The kind of long-range effort that seems rather common in Asian enterprises and hard to find in the Western World’s quicker-paced corporations.
So what did the Crown offer? The S50 generation appeared in ’67, carrying a great deal of the S40’s hardware and new 1960s-sober styling. It remained as Toyota’s top-of-the-line offering, and covered an array of body styles; from sedans to station wagons, to a poor selling Ute.
Niftiest of them all was the 2-door hardtop, a body style of recent arrival in Japan that became synonymous with sophistication. It also offered the S50’s niftiest face thanks to squarish composite headlights.
Sedans and wagons had to do with a more googly-eyed face, a styling trait for which Toyota took a liking in this era. Elsewhere, the model’s lines had rather clean and dignified lines. Flanks were uncluttered, aided by a tasteful hip-accent over the rear wheels. One can see a good mix of the cleanest 1960s American styling (Continental), with –once again– touches of Italian flair.
While not entirely original, the S50 made a nice case that Toyota was finding its own styling language.
Novelty was found in the S50’s chassis, which eschewed the S40’s X configuration for a perimeter frame. A foundation that would remain in every subsequent Crown until 1999, when the unibody S170 series appeared.
Regardless of the new chassis, wheelbase remained at 105.9 in. Length had increased a scant 2″ and width remained basically the same. Powerplants included Toyota’s 1.994cc inline-4 and two inline-6 options in 2L and 2.2L displacements. Steering was Toyota’s preferred recirculating ball, and suspension was thanks to struts up front with torsion bars, and semielliptical leafs aided by shocks at the rear. Further news on the line was the S40’s exclusive Crown Eight discontinuation in favor of the new Toyota Century.
Interiors looked the Japanese “large car” part, with an uncluttered and attractive look that mixed Euro and American tendencies. Two options of manuals were offered, in 3 and 4 speed varieties. While automatics came in 2 and 3 speeds.
Elsewhere, sound-deadening materials made sure the S50 offered a quiet ride. Further upscale options, in 1960s and Japanese style, meant AM Radio, optional reclining bucket seats, A/C, and electric windows. Further touches included luxury fabric (with embossed Crown logo) and rear seat radio controls.
As usual, the JDM line offered a wider array of models, some more sporting and desirable. Along those, the Super Saloon and Super Deluxe brought better performance to the table thanks to twin carburetion.
Sticking to the JDM market, local TV ads and promotionals featured Japanese actor Satoshi Yamamura, a face that should be familiar to fans of “Tora! Tora! Tora!”
The Crown, in short, offered a lot for the money. The aspiring Toyota vehicle for established professionals in Asia and South America, arriving at a time when US upscale makes were starting to cater too specifically to their US Highway conditions (i.e. too large, too pricey, and too thirsty). The S40 had made a good case for the model in such markets, and the S50 found a larger following.
One such purchase had to be today’s find. A survivor that must have belonged to a doctor or such in San Salvador, and that has slowly fallen down in luck. The usual fate of “accessible luxury” in many cases.
These Crowns were not rare sights in my San Salvador youth and were relatively more common than the preceding S40s. Clearly, never as common as Coronas or Corollas, but to those who knew their Toyotas, the cars found a nice clientele. Not as pricey as European offerings (which honestly, were just gaining a foothold), and more convenient and accessible than Mercurys, Chryslers, or Buicks. Plus, they were better suited to local road conditions.
The wagon now resides in Guazapa, a small rural town about 35 minutes north of San Salvador. And that once-elegant profile proved impossible to capture properly on the town’s narrow streets.
Now, I’ve no idea how it reached its current location, though I do know wagons were the rare Crowns in my 1970s youth. However, wagons now outlive sedans by a great margin, proving that life is made of such ironies. The desirable sedans and coupés falling out of favor against new trends, with the utilitarians often outliving them as they found owners who enjoyed their practical traits.
Want to see it as it must have looked when new?
Here it is, as shown in a European brochure…
And if I stick to the rest of the brochure’s information, in Europe the model was solely offered with the 6-cyl. in 2.2L form with a 118HP output. Besides the sedans and wagons, the brochure shows that Toyota made an effort to sell the Ute in the Old Continent, a variant that ceased altogether when the S60 generation appeared in 1970.
Literature is too limited to figure out what engine and luxury options were available in Latin markets. Lots of the “upscale” trimming is missing in this one, and as mentioned earlier, it has more than its fair share of battle scars. Clearly this surviving Crown lives its current days as a workhorse.
Still, knowing the locals, I’m sure this wagon is going to remain around for a while. Hard work is something at which old Toyotas are quite good at, as long as rust is kept at bay.
While I took a few photos, I never came across this Crown’s owner. So no idea as to the thinking behind the “Misión Cumplida” windshield sticker. A fan of some video game I’m not aware of? A veteran of the Iraq War? (Yeap, there was a small Salvadorian Army unit in support).
The sticker’s war imagery may be actually more telling of the wagon’s current location. After all, the town sits at the foot of the Guazapa volcano, one of the main Guerrilla holdouts during the 1980s Salvadorian Civil War. While the town survived relatively unscathed from the whole ordeal, the surroundings were an entirely different matter with aerial bombings in the adjacent volcano being rather common throughout those years.
So the warlike image in the wagon’s windshield was curiously fitting. Not that a whole deal from those grim days can be felt nowadays around the town’s quiet and sun-stricken streets.
Regardless of the idea behind the sticker, it did serve as a good excuse to type away this take on the S50 Crown. So, “Mission Accomplished” with the S50 Crown? If talking about the US and Europe, not quite. But for Toyota’s overall fortunes and later expansion into the luxury segment, by all means, yes. No stickers necessary to know that.
Related CC reading:
Vintage Review: 1965 -1970 Toyota Crown – You Can’t Always Get The Gold
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