T20, T30 Series
| Also called | Toyota 1900 Toyota Tiara |
|---|---|
| Production | 1960—1964 |
| Assembly | Toyota City, Japan Port Melbourne, Australia (AMI) |
| Body style | 4-door sedan 3-door station wagon 2-door coupe utility |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Platform | PT20 / RT20L / RT26LG / RT30L |
| Engine | 997 cc P I4 1,453 cc R I4 1,897 cc 3R I4 |
| Transmission | 3-speed manual 2-speed automatic |
| Wheelbase | 2,400 mm (94 in) |
| Length | 3,990 mm (157 in) |
| Width | 1,490 mm (59 in) |
| Height | 1,440 mm (57 in) |
| Curb weight | sedan: 940–980 kg (2,100–2,200 lb) |
This generation of the Corona was also known as the Tiara, when sold by Toyota Motor Corporation in the export. It was introduced at a critical time for the company in North America. Their first flagship car, the Toyopet Crown, was unsuccessful in the US market, and was withdrawn, leaving only a single vehicle, the Land Cruiser. At the time, there was little market for an off-road vehicle like the Land Cruiser. The front end styling of the P20 Corona is reminiscent of the 1955-1957 Ford Thunderbird, and shared its appearance with the entry-level offering, called the Toyota Publica.
The Tiara was supposed to sell alongside the Crown, as a smaller companion. Introduced in 1960, the car was powered by a 45 PS (33 kW) 1.0 L "P" series motor. With a three-speed manual transmission, top speed was a mere 110 km/h (68 mph). In 1961, Toyota introduced a more powerful 1.5 litre "R" series motor, the same motor from the Crown; an even larger 1.9 litre engine was added in 1964. Fortunately for Toyota, the problems with the Crown were not seen on the Tiara as the lighter body (400 lb less than the Crown) made the R series engine more sufficient. The Tiara station wagon was seemingly aimed at women, with many of the original brochures featuring only women in a dinner dress as well as playing golf. Nevertheless, it sold better than the Crown and had a lot less mechanical problems. The Tiara ended up being the only sedan sold by Toyota in the USA until the reworked second-generation Crown appeared. By that time, the Tiara had been redesigned and given the Corona label from the Japanese domestic market. A total of only 318 of these vehicles were sold in the US.
Two concept cars were shown at the 1963 Tokyo Motor Show - the Corona 1500S Convertible and the Corona 1900S Sporty Sedan. The Corona Sports Coupe was a concept car shown at the 1963 Tokyo Motor Show - it shared little with the Corona except the suspension and the name. Load carrying abilities of the newly introduced Corona pickup (which was technically a coupé utility were shared with the heavier capacity Toyota Stout.
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