This is Niedermeyer Brougham Day. And how better to honor it than with a genu-yine Toyota Cressida Brougham. Well, Elegante, actually, as the tasteful halo vinyl roof badge proclaims so proudly. Speaking of, the first thing that may come to mind is what happened to the rear window, given how far back this formal roof extends. Are you ready for this (I don’t think so)?
I didn’t think so. Wowsa! A tunnel-back Brougham. And on a Toyota no less. And here’s the best thing: it’s for sale on ebay right now, with only two days left to bid. And the current bid is at $850. Shoot, I shouldn’t have told you all about it, and now a bidding war will ensue.
That’s a pretty Broughmtastic interior too. Toyota wasn’t going to be left out of the game in the eighties. The seller describes this fine car as “Pre-Lexus Luxury in this rare dealer-optioned Cressida”. And he claims a little old lady owned it until 2011. And guess where: Florida, of course. Isn’t there a city in Florida called Broughamville? Or is it Gran Broughamville? Or am I thinking of Brougham Beach?
hat tip to Lincman!
Yes. The most recent plot from CC’s sinister Brougham Fanatics sect has been working to convert Paul into one of us Brougham Fanatics via Internet Hypnosis. So far, the plot, led by Tom & Carmine, has been working, shall we say, Brougham-tastically.
Welcome Paul, the induction ceremony for you is this Sunday @ 2:00 PM. We wish you well on your journeys with us.
(Cue evil laugh)
Geez Margie!
I love how they only covered half of the rear quarter windows.
Those black plastic bumpers just scream “luxury”.
More like Cressida Fifth Avenue Edition.
That is disturbing, both in the cribbing of the Chrysler Fifth Avenue’s m.o. and its equipment, as well as being un-stereotypical Toyota.
Ironically, in looking at the Cressida sales history,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Cressida#Sales
funny think its sales peaked exactly the same two years as the Chrysler Fifth Avenue. Maybe they were on to something…
My backside could get used to those seats!
Too bad 1983 was the year the Cressida received the DOHC engine and independent rear suspension from the Supra. This car is in very nice survivor shape, provided the reserve is realistic. I don’t think I could handle the padded vinyl top at any price though. I don’t mind some of the thin vinyl tops that Chrysler used to make the roofs of their desirable hardtops rust through, but I’m not a Brougham fan. I saw a new Cadillac CTS with a padded vinyl top the other day. It gave me something to ponder on the remainder of my two hour walk.
In the spirit of inventing new psychological maladies, I call this an example of CTD: Carriage-Top Disorder. This case is particulary unusual since it was exhibited by the owner of an import car.
A related condition is CKS: Continental-Kit Syndrome. Thankfully, no evidence of this here.
If you squint a little while looking at the last picture you can almost see a (same vintage) Rolls or Bentley sedan with that roofline created by the turd top. Not sure my neibors would appreciate that kind of rolling art parked in the driveway, even as a joke.
God thats awful, having crap stuck on an otherwise normal car does NOT say luxury it says ugly POS.
It’s a Chrysler Cressida!
Or is it a Toyota Fifth Avenue???
Wow.
I have to say, I’ve never seen one of these before. I think I’ll share it at The Brougham Society, just because I can 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBroughamSociety/
Wow. This was unexpected. Thanks for noticing my humble Cressida. I’m hoping it finds a good home. I have two other project cars right now and I don’t have the time or money to take this one any further. If anyone has any questions about the car besides, “Oh God, oh God, my eyes, why oh why?” I’ll be happy to answer them.
Also, I’m afraid I forgot to upload a picture of the control panel for the Toyota trip computer. I find it to be one of the greatest and most ridiculously 80s things about the car.
I was going to ask if it had the trip computer!
Trip computer by Intellivision!
Kill more aliens to raise your average MPG!
Do you want to be Player 1 or 2?
It does make a delightful bleep when you push the buttons. And I’m glad I’m not the only one that was reminded of their old Intellivision.
At least the buttoms are well-spaced, like HP calculators of that era. What I find strange is why they put a lid over it. Were they afraid buttons would detract from its broughaminess? By some miracle of circumstance or construction, the lid survived intact.
Its like one those safety covers that keep you from launching the nuclear missles
All these wanna-be Broughameos…I’m overdosing on brougham.
Somebody, put up a Jeep or International – QUICK!
Broughameo, Broughameo, wherefore art thou, Broughameo?
Todays Special: Spicy Tuna Brougham Roll with Landau Sauce
Not only is it a tunnelback c-pillar…it’s a REVERSE tunnelback. Et voila: Cressida Brougham Breezeway Park Lane! 🙂
Those tufted leather seats are mad sexy.
Wow. That is all I can say….
“And guess where: Florida, of course. Isn’t there a city in Florida called Broughamville?”
So true. I recently did a double take when I saw a Lexus ES300 with a vinyl roof and lots of badging on the streets of SoCal. Sure enough, a Palm Beach Edition. Had never seen or heard of one before.
I do love those seats. Reminds me of a couch my grandpa had. KO-ZEEE! The only thing better is diamond quilting. Oh, and dark green leather.
Gosh, I haven’t seen one of these things on the road in about 15 years. The black bumpers and side moldings plus small overall size give it an economy Corolla vibe which sharply contrasts the interior which would look right at home in a Fifth Ave. 850 bucks is the most I would pay for that.
Looks like the result of a conversation that happened on a combo of jet lag and saki.
A member of the Toyoda family telling the design staff about the crazy Oldsmobiles and Imperials he had seen in the USA.
Well, that ruins the Mercedes-esque look I always thought these Cressidas had. Still, a neat find and amazingly preserved.
Wow, this already had those electric cigarette removers way back in 1982?
The “Elegante” was a Southeast Toyota Distributor add-on package. The package also included a hood ornament. My dad picked up one of these Elegantes with the velour interior (no trip computer or electronic dash) in the fall of 1982 at the end of the model year. It was kinda cool as a kid riding in the back because no one could see your profile. It was like riding in a limo. Seriously expensive ($14 or 15K in 1982) for an EPA-rated subcompact. Handled great and the 5ME/4 spd auto OD was smoooooth and powerful. It lasted 15 years in our family (with the trunk lip rusted out) before succumbing to head gasket failure.
I’m very proud to say that I am the granddaughter of the “little old lady” who used to own this car. We shared many fond memories of driving that around winter park and going to see the peacocks. She was a very special lady and loved that car more than you’ll ever know. I’m sure she’d be happy to know that someone else will be enjoying it as much as she did.
Hey, Erin! I’m the guy that owned this car after your grandmother. It was a fantastic car for the few years that I had it, and it broke my heart to sell such a well built and well-maintained car, but I needed to truck, and I didn’t like the idea of putting truck wear and tear on a nice car like this one. It ended up being sold to a man in Louisiana who immigrated to the US from Lebanon. He said as a boy growing up in the 80s, these were the ultimate status cars to own and he’s always wanted one. His plan is to do a complete restoration of the car, so hopefully it will live on for many more decades to come.
Did Toyota offer a “Troilus” option on the Cressida.?
In 1981 I worked for World Cars in Jacksonville FL. We made the fiberglass shells for that “halo vinyl roof”. Several hundred were made. We also made Toyota truck conversion kits that would make an SUV out of pickup. Several other after market parts were made for other vehicles. After a few years the management turned the design ideas over to one of the stupid kids and the place closed up.
I remember the first two generation Toyota Cressida cars. I was too young at the time to drive, but I remember finding the 1977-82 Cressida more attractive than the 1982 and later Cressida.
I would like to help me know the origin and quantity of the Toyota Corona Luxury Edition from 1982 with a vinyl roof, in my country Colombia only two like the one in the photos arrived, that rear part of the roof and the window in Vinyl is very characteristic, I can help with the possible price of this vehicle, and where can I buy the manuals Thank you for your collaboration.
JCMarti
I would like to help me know the origin and quantity of the Toyota Corona Luxury Edition from 1982 with a vinyl roof, in my country Colombia only two like the one in the photos Thank you for your collaboration.
JCMarti
I would like to help me know the origin and quantity of the Toyota Corona Luxury Edition from 1982 with a vinyl roof, in my country Colombia only two like the one in the photos arrived, that rear part of the roof and the window in Vinyl is very characteristic, I can help with the possible price of this vehicle, and where can I buy the manuals Thank you for your collaboration
Juan, I am guessing that your Corona was imported from the U.S. The vinyl top (plus the aluminum wheels, hood ornament, and rain shields) on your Corona were added by Southeast Toyota Distributors, one of Toyota’s two independent distributors in the U.S. This particular distributor (J.M. Family Enterprises) is based in Deerfield Beach, FL with accessory add-on operations in Jacksonville, FL. Jacksonville is likely where all the work was done on your car before it was delivered to a dealer in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina or North Carolina. They also had a vinyl roof version of the Corolla that was called the “St. Croix” at one point. Here’s an example: http://topclassiccarsforsale.com/toyota/31443-1982-toyota-corolla-deluxe-rwd.html BTW, the late Jim Moran, the founder of J.M. Enterprises, was a major factor in Toyota’s early sales success in the U.S. He was also influential in Toyota’s decision to introduce Lexus.