Rare car that never met other owners

The Toyota Levin and Trueno were the hot models of the Corolla and Sprinter, respectively. The only popular generations were the fourth generation AE86 models, known as “Hachi Roku”, or the first generation TE27 models, which were accepted by enthusiasts as old cars. A rare second-generation TE47 Toyota Sprinter Trueno was spotted in an event venue. We spoke to the owner Mr. Akihisa Kaneko about his car.

His passion for the Corolla family has continued since he was 19 years old

Based on the Toyota Corolla, the Corolla Levin and Sprinter Trueno were introduced in 1972 as models with a 2T-G engine trained in the rallies of the time and refined for speed. The successive generation of cars that actually sold well were the fifth-generation AE91/92 models, which switched from FR to FF and gained popularity with the bubble economy. But it was undoubtedly the 4th generation AE86 model, which became famous worldwide as the “Hachi Roku” in the manga “Initial D”, that became the talk of the town.

Mr. Kaneko’s car, however, is the second-generation Sprinter Trueno model TE47.

“Even when I was 19, I drove a 1979 Trueno Liftback. The engine was a 2T-G injected version, and it was the model that actor Mr. Masaomi Kondo appeared in the TV commercials.

I really wanted to drive a DOHC twin-cam engine, but at that time the model had already been changed and was expensive even used. So I decided on a liftback, which was easily affordable with a loan, but the sound and driving feel were not enough for me.”

Mr Kaneko had already bought a TE25 ‘Corolla 400SL’ when he was 18 years old. Moreover, his uncle owned a Type 47 and he had a strong admiration for it.