Toyota rose to a leading position in the automobile industry by emphasizing quality and value above all else. From the early utilitarian Land Cruisers that conquered developing country and off-roading markets, to the Corollas that have provided entry-level transportation to millions around on the world, to their larger and more up-market cars and trucks, Toyota offered vehicles that were reliable and durable, although often with less performance, style or technical innovation than the competition. The many 1970s Toyota sedans in regular use in Iraq are proof of Toyota’s success at building cars that fulfilled that promise. After four decades of use and abuse in extreme conditions, literally in a war zone not once but several times, these cars continue to provide everyday service to thousands of people.
Contrary to an understandable assumption based on recent war news that Hi-Lux pickup trucks would be common in Iraq, sedans are the 1970s Toyotas commonly encountered in Iraq. The urban middle class and taxi operators were the people in Iraq able to purchase automobiles during that decade, prior to the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War and the many ensuing wars that ended normal life in the country, and sedans were the vehicles that they needed. The full range of Toyota sedans — the compact Corolla, midsize Corona, and top of the line Crown — arrived during the 1970s, and large numbers have survived the past four decades. Many are taxis with the orange and white color scheme traditionally used for taxis in Iraq, such as the 1979-83 Crown in the first photograph. Many others are in private use providing family transportation, such as this 1973-79 Corona.
The Corona is parked in front of a wrecked building that resembles Pixar’s garbage-compacting robot WALL-E, but it is unlikely to end up in a crusher any time soon. With its robust and easily repaired drivetrain, and in Iraq’s dry and rust-free climate, its lifespan should be limited only by possibly being wrecked in a crash or bombing. These old Toyotas are likely to continue to have value in Iraq for many years to come, even with large numbers of new cars being imported, as the country has a young and growing population that will have a high demand for cars, new and old.
www.imcdb.com, “Iraq For Sale: The War Profiteers”
Toyotas from the 1970s with orange fenders (such as this 1974-75 Crown) and in ordinary colors have been fixtures in street scenes in Iraq since 2003, and they will continue to be seen in news coverage and documentary films for a long time. Their absence is an inauthentic detail in Hollywood films such as “American Sniper,” shot in Morocco with locally available older cars that were predominantly Renaults. Even with new cars from many countries and manufacturers being imported into Iraq in large numbers now, their primary replacements may end up being more recent old Toyotas, as Crowns from the 1980s and 1990s recently imported by Iraqi dealers from other Middle Eastern countries and from East Asia are popular as taxis and family sedans — and as the vehicle of choice for assassins and thugs needing a reliable but inexpensive car with interior space for henchmen and trunk space for bodies, according to one reporter.
Auto enthusiasm/car craziness being present in all nations and cultures, at least one 1970s Toyota in Iraq has become a “restomod” of sorts. This 1971 Crown sedan was recently listed for sale in Iraq. With the top of the range 2.5 liter straight six and automatic, it had an interesting white and red paint scheme (complete with crowns) that was definitely not the usual taxicab white and orange. You can criticize its custom paint, rear wing, cheeky rear window slogan, and imperfect lower body, but I could see myself creating and driving something like this car if I were a young man with a 45 year old Toyota and a desire to go cruise after watching everything around me getting destroyed for most of my life.
The 1970s Toyotas of Iraq are now surrounded by large numbers of shiny and powerful new cars such as BMWs and Dodge Chargers, as seen in this photograph, but the owners of these Toyotas have good reason to proclaim their cars to be Number One, or to give another sort of one-fingered hand gesture to the drivers of newer cars (the resolution is insufficient to say for certain which gesture the driver is making in this photo). They have survived the test of time in exceptionally harsh conditions. Their ongoing survival is a testament to the things that Toyota did well during its rise in the 1960s and 1970s to earn the position that it occupies today.
Wonder if any of Saddam’s Malibues survive?
Yes is definitely the answer. I saw several Malibu survivors in Baghdad, and there must have been dozens if not hundreds for every one that I saw.
Good to know some of the “Iraqi Taxi” Malibus are still on the roads.
Did you see any that were actually cabs? Or are those pretty much all Toyotas?
Taxis in Iraq were mostly a mix of 1970s/80s Toyota Crowns and 1990s Peugeots and Volgas, which I described briefly in an article about 3 years ago: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/international/cc-global-no-magic-carpet-rides-the-curbside-classics-of-baghdad/
All Malibus and other American cars that I saw were private cars, not taxis. I am skeptical that any “Iraqi Taxi” Malibus actually saw taxi service, because a Malibu would have been a large and fairly prestigious car, the sort given to medium-high officials in the Iraqi government. I suspect that the large fleet purchase by the Saddam regime was for cars to give to its officials, not for a taxi fleet. The regime purchased large numbers of Caprices and Cutlass Cieras for this purpose, and the Malibu would have fit in with them. But “Iraqi Taxi” has a catchy rhyme to it, so the name has stuck.
I think the fairly larger size and imposing looking naturally makes traditional Detroit cars seem more prestigious in many countries. Probably one reason is affordable full size car is an exclusive term in the United States/Canada, because a car as big as Impala is usually in the category of Mercedes S-Class, or Lexus LS carrying a huge price tag. It takes forever to explain why Dodge Diplomat was as big as a compact and how a taxi can have V8 with a big emblem on hood, and how Mitsubishi Debonair was quite smaller and modest looking by compare.
The Malibus were built for the Canadian market with manual transmissions and 6cyl engines but were never sold there. They were brought for service as Iraqi taxis as they were compact and more fuel efficient than the Caprice
Not to debunk the idea behind this write-up, but I often wonder if the reason any particular car survives really harsh conditions is A.) they have to, because it’s this car or no car. And B.) so many were sold in a particular place that finding parts and mechanics to “install” the parts is very easy.
And it sure doesn’t hurt if the car (s) in question are super simple, engineering-wise. Think Cuba and it’s cars that are kept rolling with next to nothing in available new and/or spare parts
The dry climate eliminates the worst enemy against older cars-rust in mid-east. Sagging headliner may look like aladdin costumes, but it doesn’t prevent the cars from running. Probably transmission and cooling system needs frequent care, they are fairly easier to fix compared to rusted out suspension towers.
It’s common to find pristine older cars in Michigan, and usually garaged in winter is the reason. All season cars rarely keep nice looking except plastic ones.
As far as the hand gesture is concerned: it appears a left arm is sticking out of the window and the pinky is extended from the hand.
What that means is anyone’s interpretation.
Time for tea, obviously.
Sorry, can’t agree. The shadows would indicate it is not yet 5 o’clock.
Your coverage of war-torn environs is one reason this website is a must-read for me, Robert. It adds so much breadth to the CC thing.
Love that customised 71. A tangential reminder that life is – at the very least – attempting to return to ‘normal’ over there.
I love the early 70’s Crown anyway–one of Toyota’s somewhat rare entries into the “Japanese Weird” school of design–so seeing one customized in a place like that is extra cool.
Thanks for this interesting window into an automotive environment more foreign than most!
What an interesting article. Thanks for posting.
In the second picture with the orange Corona, anyone notice the roof of the W126 parked behind it?
I did not notice the W126’s roof until you pointed it out, and now that you did, it clearly has a cabriolet roof. It looks like it may be a pillarless 4 door, because the B pillars appear to be significantly reduced compared to the standard W126 sedan body, and I think that I even see a slight “coke bottle” line on the rear doors. At a minimum, we are looking at a W126 sedan with a faux cabriolet roof added, and we may actually be looking at a rare four door cabriolet conversion.
There has been at least one W126 four door cabriolet with “coke bottle” body lines on the rear doors, specially coachbuilt for a European royal family: http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w126-s-se-sec-sel-sd/1456997-w126-380sel-cabrio-convertible-restored-brand.html
Such a car anywhere would have an interesting history, and in Iraq, it would most likely have belonged to the dictator himself as a parade car.
Photo from the linked website, showing a W126 four door cabriolet with the “coke bottle” doors.
Pretty neat .
-Nate
I wonder whether any of the Holden Taxis survive (pic Roderick Smith)…
That is superb. Thank you T. and thank you Roderick.
I recall riding in these Crowns in Singapore, where they were the most popular taxi for many years.
Not glamorous, not luxurious but you just knew they were reliable and sturdy, and set for long life, emissions acceptability permitting.
This sits in front of a local Toyota dealer, looks like an old Japanese taxi.