The Toyota Camry Solara, usually called the Solara, was a mid-size coupe and convertible built by Toyota for North America. The coupe went on sale in late 1998 as a 1999 model, and a convertible followed in 2000, replacing the Celica convertible in Toyota’s North American range.
Toyota Camry Solara at a glance
| Maker | Toyota |
|---|---|
| Production | 1998–2008 |
| Market | North America |
| Class | Mid-size coupe and convertible |
| First generation | XV20, 1998–2003 |
| Second generation | XV30, 2003–2008 |
| Engines | 2.2-, 2.4-litre fours and 3.0-litre V6 |
| Power | 136–200 hp |
| Built in | Cambridge, Ontario, Canada |
| Convertible from | 2000 |
| Replaced | Camry Coupe |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Toyota Camry Solara.
History of the Toyota Camry Solara
Why a Camry coupe
The first two-door Camry had been added to the third-generation range in 1993 as the Camry Coupe, but it never sold as well as the saloon and was dropped in 1996. Toyota then developed a distinct successor: a design by Warren J. Crain of Calty Design and Research won an internal competition in 1995, and production development ran until 1998. The Camry Solara was meant to appeal to more sport-minded drivers while keeping the room and comfort of a Camry, with a more rakish shape and uprated suspension and engine tuning than the saloon.
First generation (XV20; 1998)
The first Solara went on sale in the third quarter of 1998 as a 1999 model, built at Toyota’s Cambridge plant in Ontario on the previous-generation XV10 Camry platform. It offered a 2.2-litre four-cylinder with 136 hp and a 3.0-litre V6 with 200 hp, the latter reaching 60 mph in a claimed 7.1 seconds. Dealer-installed Toyota Racing Development upgrades included stiffer dampers and anti-roll bars, a freer exhaust, a body kit, larger wheels and a supercharger that added a claimed 62 hp; Motor Trend recorded 5.6 seconds to 60 mph with the full package. The Solara was also the first Toyota, after the 1997 partnership with JBL, to offer a JBL premium stereo. Convertibles arrived in 2000: semi-finished coupes were shipped to American Sunroof Company, where the roofs were removed and the tops fitted, adding 78 kg and appreciably less rigidity.
Update and second generation
A facelift in September 2001 for the 2002 model year brought new grille and lamp designs, a remote boot release and a 2.4-litre 2AZ-FE four-cylinder of 157 hp in place of the 2.2. The second-generation Solara debuted in 2003 as a 2004 model, first as a coupe and then, in spring 2004, as a 2005 convertible. Coupe production ended in mid-2008, and although Toyota said the convertible might continue to 2010 if demand allowed, it was suspended in December 2008 and never resumed.
Design and features
- Camry mechanicals: the Solara was based on the Camry platform with sportier tuning.
- Two body styles: coupe from 1998, convertible from 2000.
- TRD upgrades: dealer-fitted suspension, exhaust, wheels and a supercharger adding about 62 hp.
- JBL stereo: the first Toyota with the premium JBL system.
Toyota Camry Solara versions
- SE coupe (1998): 2.2-litre four or 3.0-litre V6.
- SE and SLE convertibles (2000): converted by American Sunroof Company.
- 2002 update: new lamps and grille, 2.4-litre engine of 157 hp.
- Second generation (2003): coupe first, convertible from 2004.
The Solara was the coupe version of the Camry, and it replaced the convertible of the Celica in North America. More cars are in the Toyota collection.
Sources
- Toyota Camry Solara, English Wikipedia: history, engines, versions
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