Yes, I know, it’s getting repetitive. “Yet another late 20th Century white Toyota JDM-only hardtop sedan? It’s the third in as many days, T87. You’ve changed, man,” some will object, hopefully internally. And that’s a fair point, though I haven’t really changed – it’s the setting that has evolved. I’m in Japan now, so it’s going to be a relatively strict diet of Nippon-style weirdness for the foreseeable future.
But I hope others will see this and think “Cool! More unfamiliar Japanese awesomeness, and this time, with a bit more of a sporting edge. T87 strikes again. Banzai!” So to the former lamenter group, I say bear with me – I’m finishing up another round of European Deadly Sins, to be posted as soon as. And to the latter JDM enthusiasts: you’re in luck, because there’s plenty more where these came from, starting with this mildly customized gem of a Cresta GT.
You’re familiar with the Cresta, of course. No, not the exclusive French-built Bentley coupé I wrote about a couple of months ago. And no, not the higher-trim ‘50s-‘70s Vauxhall either. Nor the 1935-38 Hillman Aero Minx hardtop coupé, though well done for knowing about that one. I’m talking about the 2nd generation Toyota Cresta, a kissing bowing cousin of the Mark II, the Chaser and the Cressida, also known as the X70 platform.
Toyota X60 hardtops (1980-84), from the (hard)top: Mark II, Chaser, Cresta
The Corona Mark II was born in 1968 as the Goldilocks solution for folks who though the Crown was too big and the Corona too small. By the Corona Mark II’s third generation (X30/X40), in 1977, the sportier JDM Chaser sister model was introduced, along with the export-only Cressida. The Cresta nameplate, launched in 1980, was the last of the bunch to be created. It was essentially a gussied up, 6-cyl.-only version of the Chaser – something of a downsized Crown, if you will. It had fancy trim names such as Super Lucent or Super Touring and was only available as a “pillared hardtop” sedan. Unlike the Mark II and Chaser, which were identical in everything but trim, the Cresta sported some model-specific sheetmetal, which was always Toyota’s way of signifying a certain level of exclusivity.
Toyota X70 hardtops (1984-88)
In 1984, when the X70 platform was launched in Japan, it was therefore available as the 5th generation Mark II (now sans Corona) or 3rd generation Chaser or 2nd generation Cresta, depending on which Toyota dealer you went to and what you want to shell out for the hot new hadtoppu. Toyota were selling these by the trainload all over Japan, but one of the more sought-after models was the Cresta GT, which appeared only in April 1985, just over a year before the model’s mid-life facelift.
Base trim Crestas, 1984 brochure
The X70 Cresta kept its distinctive rear end and even got its own mock-hardtop greenhouse design, except for some lower-trim models such as the above Customs, which had the same genuine hardtop as the Mark II / Chaser, as well as the traditional wing-mounted mirrors found on the more conservative JDM offerings. Yes, it’s all a mite confusing, but that’s what Toyota were playing at in those days, hitting the domestic consumer from all possible angles with 20-odd variations of three near-identical cars, just to make sure.
Our feature car is the polar opposite of a lowly Custom. It has the restyled bumper and headlamps of the later 1986-88 Crestas, as well as the hottest G-engine available: a 24-valve 2-litre DOHC 6-cyl. twin-turbo that produced 185 hp. This small yet powerful six could also be ordered in Mark IIs and Chasers, as well as in the Soarer and Supra coupés. Unlike contemporary Cressidas with their great big 2.8s, the JDM X70’s biggest petrol engine was the 2-litre.
For most Mark II / Chaser / Cresta aficionados – and there are quite a few here, the Cresta GT represents the ultimate ‘80s sports sedan, because it’s the swankiest one, the one has that unique look. To use a contemporary analogy (albeit a slightly insulting one for Toyota), it’s the Buick Century / Olds Cutlass Ciera to the Mark II’s Chevy Celebrity and the Chaser’s Pontiac 6000.
I wrote it before and I’ll write it again: I don’t care for wider tyres and big shiny look-at-me rims. Classic cars always look better in stock form, in my opinion. It’s no different here, but given the nature of the beast, it’s to be expected. Heck, it’s even more than expected: customizing these Crestas is almost de rigueur. Just do a Google image search of “Cresta GT Twin Turbo GX71,” and you get 90% of pictures of lowered GTs like our CC, with varying degrees and designs of hypertrophied wheels.
It’s so commonplace that even the model car makers started cashing in on the craze. This is where customization loses me: if the whole point is to “individualize” your ride, why feel the need to copy what others have done? Classic cars are sort of the opposite of fashion, yet customizers manage to re-inject that notion into the hobby to “look different,” when stock classics look different by their very nature.
But I digress, and it’s not that important on a car like this, especially since Japanese customizers usually tend to focus solely on wheels and suspension settings, but leave the rest of the car well alone. You can’t really improve on a Cresta GT, it seems. This one was as pristine as a 30-plus year old car can be, body-wise. That certainly wasn’t the case with yesterday’s Crown Majesta.
The interior seems pretty original, except for the gearknob and the aftermarket steering wheel, but I’ll admit those actually look pretty cool. I also like the design of those seats – and for once, there were none of these dreadful white lace covers that make most Japanese saloons feel like Grandma’s parlour. The dark brown fabric is par for the course on a JDM product of this era. I don’t mind it, as it’s certainly more pleasing to the eye than the 15-shades-of-grey interiors that seems to have plagued later big Toyotas, at least those sold domestically.
In conclusion, then, what place could the Cresta claim in the pantheon of desirable Toyotas? It seems that not a few CC writers have waxed lyrical on the same-generation Cressida, including our new lord and master Jim Klein in this COAL post. I have no skin in this game, really, as Cressidas were not really a thing in Europe. Big Japanese cars were rare there in the ‘80s, except in a few specific markets, such as Switzerland, where they were just slightly more visible. I’m sure X70 Cressidas were around, but I don’t recall ever seeing one, and certainly never in hardtop (or even “faux hardtop”) guise.
But it seems to me, just by comparing the photos I took with the American Cressidas documented in several CC posts, that the Cresta positively trounces the Cressida in terms of performance and curb appeal. So here’s the QOTD: How many of you X70 fans are wiping drool (and/or other precious bodily fluids) off your keyboard at this precise moment?
Educational like all of your articles! I’d love to drive one of these – a small twin turbo s six sounds like fun. Love “ hadtoppus” too. Keep ‘rm coming!
On your point of non stock wheels on older cars – I think that, so long as they are of a sympathetic style to the vehicle, they can enhance it. Choosing something later/larger from the same manufacturer can often work really well. Some cars work better with them – polished Fuchs look great on old pre 911 Porsche’s and air cooled VeeDubs, for instance…
What do other CC-ers think?
Hehehe… Remember that scene in Month Python’s Life of Brian where a huge crowd says “Yes, we are all individuals” in perfect unison? That’s what car customizers feel like to me. It’s not just the result of customization that bugs me, it’s the fashion / group-think element that I really can’t relate to.
If your classic needs some kind of discreet update so you can enjoy it more (e.g. disc brakes, A/C, alternator, etc.), that’s an enhancement of real value. But lowering the suspension to within a hair’s breadth of the ground and putting ill-fitting wheels does nothing of the kind.
To each his own when it comes to aethetics, but I’ll say this: the main gripe I have with bigger/wider wheels is how they protrude from the wheel arches. It looks as if the body is too tight or something. It might work better on cars where the standard wheel tracks are a bit too narrow, e.g. the rear of the Talbot Tagora, but most cars are designed as a whole, not cobbled together at the last minute like that dreadful Talbot.
The rims / hubs are another matter still. Some period accessories do look nice, like the Fuchs you mention. But they take attention away from the actual body of the car, which is where all the styling expenditure went. And that’s a shame. 21st Century rims on classic shapes like a VW Karmann-Ghia look completely out of place, IMO.
I do remember that scene, as well as the tiny voice answering after the universal refrain, “I’m not” and another says “Shut up!”
Love it! And had no idea the 2liter TT Cresta even existed so thanks for what has to be a very rare find thirty years down this road. Cressidas are getting mighty thin on the ground over here and I can’t think of another country that the Cressida could be more geared towards than the US in the first place.
Those seats look just like the Supra seats of the early to mid-80’s and are quite cozy. And yes, a rich brown is better than a light gray!
What continually amazes me is the very rich variety of the same basic car with not just trim changes but visually minor body changes, all sold at the same time through various dealer outlets that were all branded the same but not all offering all the variants. It’s hard enough to choose here with three trim levels of one body sold at every dealer of the brand, I can’t imagine keeping on top of all the choices there. Analysis paralysis, indeed.
Anyway, looking forward to more and thanks for this rich little smorgasbord of an appetizer over the last few days!
When I first saw the interior picture, I assumed the car was the recipient of a creative seat swap… I was surprised to read this was original.
Those Supra seats were probably the most distinctive seat design of their era, were very comfortable (from what I recall), and Supra owners tended to love them. I’m glad the basic design found its way into some other car in Toyota’s stable.
Count me in with the keep ’em coming group! Both sides of my wife’s family originated in Hiroshima and my dad did a lot of business in Japan in the 70’s and 80’s so there is strong interest in articles like this. In my 3 trips to Japan I can’t believe the variety of vehicles they have compared to here in BC. I am glad you are able to make sense of them all, and are able to explain clearly.
One suggestion, are you able to include the town the pictures are taken when you make these posts? Locations fascinate me as I delve into the backgrounds of the images.
Looking forward to more!
Few years ago, the lads at Mighty Car Mods exported one to Australia, then fitted it with a local AU Ford I-6 with a turbo and went drag racing. They then sold it to Benny of Benny’s Custom Works who took it to the next level. He’s got it running in the high 8s for the quarter.
I’m not seeing a hardtop or even even a pillared hardtop; I’m just seeing a sedan with solid surrounds on the window glass. I thought maybe I needed new glasses, but it’s quite clear from looking at your photos even without blowing them up. And if you Google images for these and find one with the door open, it confirms it.
Or am I missing something?
image won’t load for me. Here’s the link: https://www.hotrod.com/articles/mighty-car-mods-toyota-cresta-hot-rod-drag-week/
You aren’t missing anything, this isn’t a hardtop. It has a B-pillar and framed windows, it’s exactly what a hardtop isn’t.
Please remove the references to hardtop from this article; the inappropriate use of the term – which has very specific meaning – undermines what is otherwise a good piece.
The article does mention that when the Cresta was introduced, it was as a “pillared hardtop,” and that bodystyle continued through successive generations. I’m assuming that term was used by Toyota itself, even if purists may disagree with it. I think a lot of cars were marketed as pillared hardtops, particularly in Japan where the style was popular, even though the pillars were only thinly disguised.
I understand your seniment, but Toyota didn’t even pull that obvious rouse. The Cresta never had a hardtop configuration after the first X60 generation, as it was supposed to be aspirational and “upmarket”. That’s why it was the only one of the three to get a unique exterior relative to the Mark II and Chaser sedans that did follow for nearly every subsequent generation. This one isn’t a hardtop, and the following generations weren’t either. That doesn’t detract from the obvious appeal this car has.
Eric, a pillared hardtop has a B pillar, but frameless side glass. This is not a pillared hardtop; it’s a sedan with framed side glass.
It’s an innocent mistake and hardly a big deal, but there’s no point in trying to make it look like it’s not.
I’ll let T87 chime in once he is able to see these comments as he is many time zones removed from us. I believe he will either change it or argue his case otherwise.
The oldest and purest definition of “hardtop” is actually just a vehicle with a solid metal top, i.e. not a convertible. There was no original distinction to do with pillars or window frames. However, if one is familiar with or weaned on 50’s and newer American cars, then Hardtop is generally and generically now meant to exclude both a pillar as well as window frames.
The ’49 Kaiser Virginian is an example of a “Hardtop” that actually does have a slim pillar as well as non-retractable window frames. No it was not a success and the term has generally gone on to mean something different than what is seen on that car. Taking it further yes I am aware it was basically a convertible to which a solid top was added along with a pillar and window frames.
Thank you Jim!
It’s a tricky one, this. Toyota purposefully made this higher-end GX71 Crestas look like the other X70 pillared hardtops without actually being hardtops in the presently accepted sense of the word, i.e. frameless windows. But then, is the Rover P5B Coupe a coupe? It was according to Rover, but still had four doors, so in my book (but that’s just me), it’s not a coupe.
I’m unable to read Japanese, which hinders my ability to peruse scans of period material and ascertain haw Toyota themselves called the GX70/71 body style. However, it is referred to as a hardtop in at least some Japanese websites I Google-translated, and the lower-end ones were bona fide pillared hardtops, as shown in the post.
The notion of a “pillared hardtop” itself is not universally accepted. I myself was of the opinion that the most important design feature of a hardtop sedan was the lack of a B-pillar. If the frameless windows are more important, that makes certain cars such as the Citroen DS “pillared hardtops,” though nobody has ever referred to one as such, AFAIK.
But the point is moot as far as the GX71 is concerned. The windows have frames and the B-pillar is there for all to see. it is, I completely agree, only a wannabe hardtop. I amended the title and the text to reflect that.
“Pillarless hardtop” is not a generally accepted term, as it’s invariably debatable. Is just about every Subaru, including the Forester and Outback for many years a pillared hardtop? Me thinks not.
It is a matter of intent, and similar to the definition issue between a coupe and two-door sedan. There were a number of Japanese four door sedans that clearly were trying to look like a hardtop, with a sportier roofline and a very thin B pillar. The Honda/Acura Vigor springs to mind. It’s a matter of intent, as there’s no actual definition of it.
But this is of course is just a sedan. And I would point out that the Cresta’s window frames are no slimmer to my eyes than the Cressida’s. That’s just how Toyota made them at the time. In fact, I see no substantive difference between this Cresta and the Cressida except for a different C pillar. I’d bet that the side doors are 100% interchangeable.
Call it a “faux hardtop”, if you like but then so is the Cressida.
I looked it up and nope, they’re not the same.
Height of the X70 Mark II saloon: 1425mm
Height of the X70 Chaser hardtop: 1385mm
Height of the X70 Cresta GT: 1385mm
(source MarkII: https://www.toyota.co.jp/jpn/company/history/75years/vehicle_lineage/car/id60013153A/index.html
Chaser: https://www.toyota.co.jp/jpn/company/history/75years/vehicle_lineage/car/id60010941/index.html
Cresta: https://www.toyota.co.jp/jpn/company/history/75years/vehicle_lineage/car/id60006162/index.html)
The Cresta GT has the hardtop’s exact height. Not sure of the doors are identical. That would make sense, but the more I dig into these cars, the stranger they seem.
Your link to the MkII was for the previous generation.
But the real issue is this: it’s absolutely obvious that the Cresta hardtop and sedan have a completely different roofline at the rear. The hardtop’s C pillar has a steeper angle, and it appears to join the body further back, and its rear window is different as it does not curve somewhat into the sides. And of course it’s lacking the small rear side window of the sedan.
The Cresta hardtop is a classic four door hardtop in the same vein as the classic American four door hardtops: it has a different (sportier) roof than the four door sedans. That’s the hallmark of a genuine hardtop.
So why you’re calling this sedan, with its obvious and distinct sedan roof, a “faux hardtop” is beyond me. It’s a sedan, pure and simple, which does not even pretend to look like the hardtop version. If it had the same roof, I could sort of see the point, but it doesn’t.
Yes, it’s 1415mm for the Mark II, not 1425. My bad.
The point is the X70 Mark II saloon / Cressida had a completely different and higher roof than the Mark II hardtop / Chaser (1415mm vs 1385mm).
The Cresta had two versions of the 1385mm roof. I agree it’s a somewhat different roof, C-pillar-wise: the higher-spec Crestas have a wraparound rear window as you pointed out. But it’s based on the flatter Chaser / low roof version, not the Cressida / high roof.
Thank you, T87. Yes, that early X70 Custom model does appear to be a pillared hardtop in their ads. And I agree the whole thing is somewhat strange or amorphous, there are tons of others just like the DS, nobody has ever referred to the 2002 Subaru Outback sedan as a pillared hardtop either. The Baja and Wagon have the same thing. Kind of takes the “glamour” out of the concept…
Either way, the Cresta you found is lovely and I was just now looking a YouTube video of a pre-auction inspection (in Japan) of a very similar one from two years ago…What’s rabbithole in Japanese? Lotayen?
But then, is the Rover P5B Coupe a coupe?
Absolutely. The word coupe is from the French “couper” as in to cut down. Meaning a vehicle with a cut down roof, regardless of whether it has four or two doors. That’s exactly what the Rover had, as so many more recent four door coupes.
It’s not as clear cut (haha) as all that, though.
Take the Panhard 24: it came in SWB coupe Tigre (CT) and LWB beline Tigre (BT) variants. Roof height was identical. In this instance, the cutting (or rather the stretching, as the BT came after the CT) refers to the wheelbase.
Four-door coupes are now a thing, but as you point out, that’s a very recent marketing development. Aside from the Rover, how many four-door coupes existed, say, in the 60s or 70s?
By your definition, btw, all JDM “pillared hardtop” sedans should really be called coupes: they have a chopped down roof. But nobody calls them that. Flying fish exist, but are hardly representative of fish. Same with four-door coupes.
Oh dear. Seems you should have called it the pilloried hardtop.
Meanwhile, doesn’t life speed by, huh?
Count me in as a fan of this unfamiliar Japanese awesomeness.
In this case, however, my North American eyes don’t know quite what to think. The visual similarities to our quaint, genteel Cressida is too obvious to be ignored, and it’s just incongruous when mated with twin-turbo graphics and hypertrophied wheels. To me, I associate Cressidas and their proudly square design with doilies and white gloves like yesterday’s Crown. But regardless, this is a treat to see and learn about.
I never would have guessed that this Cressida-minus-a-syllable would have had a twin turbo in those days. My only Cressida experience was riding in one of this generation on a house hunting trip in 1988. I was pretty impressed with the agent’s car, especially the fact that it was a stick shift. But although she showed me some nice houses, everything even then was out of my single-income price range. A year later, married, we bought a house in the same town and for the life of me I can’t remember what that agent drove. Definitely not a DOHC straight six Japanese car with a 5 speed; it was probably a Taurus, or maybe a Volvo 240.
You put a tonne of work into your posts and photography Tatra. It is much appreciated.
The Photoshop touch-ups and effects you have been applying are very well applied, and tastefully compliment your work. Love the sharpened edges. And the de-saturation you’ve done in the past. All this effort is welcomed, beautifying these gems. Very nicely done!
Thank you very much, Daniel.
My photos were beyond awful for a long time, so I decided to get a better smartphone and try to tinker with Photoshop a bit. It’s a slow learning curve, but I’m glad it seems to be paying off.
I don’t think I could ever tire of these JDM posts, Tatra.
The bustle back trunk lid is interesting but those seats are what really got my attention!
That Toyota model exclusivity has one minor downfall if you break something thats a bit too model specific and its WOF required and the wrecking yard hotline fails to produce another you car joins all the others imported before it in the wreckers yard, I dont need google too see one with fat tyres a lots of low theres one a couple of blocks away with the back tyres burned off it and the exhaust exiting out the bonnet tractor style, they dont all look as nice as the one posted here.
Having owned a Japanese-origin pillared hardtop (Mitsubishi Verada/Diamante) for seventeen years they’re really something special when you open that door with no window frame. Maybe it’s just me, but it’s a bit disappointing that they followed up a hardtop with what amounted to just an alternative style of sedan. I can’t see a plain sedan as being aspirational, even with a different roof. Nice car, but a bit bland. But it’s certainly nice to see one in such good nick after all this time.
And please keep on showing us these JDM curiosities!
Another great post! It’s amazing you’re finding all these models I’ve previously owned – had both an 82 GX 60 and an 88 GX 71 Cresta “Super Lucent”. Both had the 1G 2.0 SOHC straight six instead of the more powerful DOHC version on the GT. Both great cars. Jim.
Just saw a GX71 Super Lucent today, as a matter of fact. CC effect!
Still prefer the Cressida roof, but I’ll take the Bentley this time.
That interior is really great, and I immediately noticed the missing lace.