05-07-2025
1972 Toyota Corolla 1600 Is Our Bring a Trailer Auction Pick of the Day
The Toyota Corolla isn't the first nameplate you think of as exciting, but there have been performance versions since the beginning.
This example is a tribute to the Japan-only Corolla Levin, which featured a twin-cam engine inspired by small Alfa Romeos.
It's tidily executed and fun to drive, and the fact that it's a tribute means that adding miles is guilt-free.
Even though the GR Corolla currently brings the heat with turbocharged triple power and clever all-wheel drive, Toyota's smallest car will always have a whiff of boring beige about it. During the 1990s and into the 2000s, so many of the econobox versions were sold that most of the public wasn't aware that there have always been a few more exciting versions hidden in plain sight. Or sometimes hidden overseas.
But if you wind the clock back to the beginning of the breed, Japan-only twin-cam versions of the Corolla were just as tasty as any tuned-up Datsun 510.
Bring a Trailer
A tribute to these little-known but still beloved Corollas is today's pick on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos). It's a 1972 U.S.-market Corolla 1600 that has been fitted with a double-overhead-cam head and twin carbs. Known by its chassis code, TE27, this little scrapper won't be quite as collectible as its Japanese cousin the Corolla Levin, but that just means you can rack up miles of smiles.
Inspired by the Alfa Romeo Giulia Junior, the Corolla Levin featured rear-wheel drive, a five-speed manual transmission borrowed from the Celica, twin side-draft Mikuni carburetors, and a relatively high-compression 1600-cc engine good for nearly 115 horsepower. Toyota fans across the Pacific love these cars, and it's not unheard of to find them parked next to a million-dollar 2000GT by discerning collectors.
Bring a Trailer
This U.S. domestic-market example started out as a 1600 coupe, which would have made do with just under 90 horsepower in-period. Instead, it has had its engine rebuilt with a Japan-market twin-cam cylinder head, with a slight overbore; new pistons, bearings, and rings; and twin Mikuni carbs. The work is about six years old and included replacing head gaskets and uprating the cooling capacity with a Koyorad radiator.
The suspension has been replaced with Techno Toy Tuning coil-overs and adjustable camber plates, and the car rides on 15-inch Enkei alloy wheels with 195-series tires. Mileage is an indicated 78,000 miles.
Bring a Trailer
Cosmetic upgrades include modernized LED headlights, blacked-out side mirrors, and two-tone bucket seats in the interior. There's some slight corrosion noted, but this car hails from California, so it should be minor.
Bring a Trailer
Speaking of California, this car won first place in its category at last year's Long Beach Japanese Classic Car Show, taking home the award for best old-school Corolla. The award comes with the car, which is always nice, and you can park it on your shelf. But, as feistily attractive as this little olive green machine is, it's still a Corolla. Toyota built it to go the distance, so get out there and drive it.
The auction ends July 9.
Brendan McAleer
Contributing Editor
Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki's half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels. Read full bio
