Toyota Sprinter: the sportier Corolla sold through another dealer chain

The Toyota Sprinter was a compact car built as a variant of the Corolla and sold only in Japan, aimed at being sportier than its sibling with different sheet metal, mostly around the C-pillar. It was exclusive to Toyota Auto Store until that network became Netz Store in 1998.

Toyota Sprinter at a glance

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Toyota Sprinter.

History of the Toyota Sprinter

First generation (E10; 1968)

The Sprinter was introduced in April 1968, thirteen months after the first Corolla, as a fastback coupe version sold at Toyota Auto Store while the Corolla went to Toyota Corolla Store. It was the only Sprinter to include the word “Corolla” in its name. Japanese coupes came in Standard, Deluxe and SL trims; the SL added front disc brakes, a tachometer, a console box, bullet-shaped mirrors and an SL badge. The 1,077 cc K engine produced 60 PS, while the sporty SL used the high-compression twin-carburettor K-B with 73 PS, available only with a floor-shift manual gearbox, alongside a four-speed manual or two-speed Toyoglide automatic elsewhere. A February 1969 facelift brought larger amber indicators, a standard three-point belt and a headrest, and in September 1969 the 1,166 cc 3K arrived with 78 PS in SL form. The Corolla Sprinter was sold in Europe and North America as part of the Corolla range.

Second generation (E20; 1970)

In May 1970 the Sprinter became the sister of the second-generation Corolla coupe, no longer carrying the Corolla name so that Toyota could honour its promise of Corolla exclusivity to Corolla Store dealers. The difference from the Corolla was mostly cosmetic, and the Corolla wagon and van were not offered as Sprinters. The 3K and 3K-B engines continued alongside new 3K-D and 3K-BR units, a 1,407 cc T engine joined in September 1970 and a five-speed manual became optional in April 1971. A four-door Sprinter sedan appeared in August 1971 and later became the basis of the Daihatsu Charmant. In March 1972 the 1,588 cc twin-cam 2T-G engine created the Sprinter Trueno, the twin of the Corolla Levin, and was followed by the carburettor 2T-B and BR engines in 1973.

Later generations and export

The third generation of April 1974 used E41 to E47 codes, the only generation whose chassis codes differed from the Corolla’s, and added a three-door shooting-brake liftback in January 1976. Tightening Japanese emissions rules in 1976 removed the twin-carburettor engines, and the Trueno returned in January 1977 with the fuel-injected 1.6-litre 2T-GEU. The Sprinter continued as the Corolla’s sportier Japanese twin for every generation until the E120 Corolla of 2000. From 1984 to 1997 variants of the Sprinter were built at NUMMI in California as the Chevrolet Nova (1984–1988) and Geo Prizm (1988–1997), part of Toyota’s joint work with General Motors. The Sprinter was indirectly replaced by the Allex hatchback at Netz Store, and its commercial wagons by the Probox.

Design and features

• Corolla twin: the same car with different sheet metal and a sportier image.
• Trueno: the twin-cam version of the Sprinter, counterpart of the Corolla Levin.
• GM connection: built at NUMMI as the Chevrolet Nova and Geo Prizm.
• Dealer exclusivity: sold at Toyota Auto Store, never alongside the Corolla.

Toyota Sprinter versions

• E10 coupe (1968): first generation with the K and K-B engines.
• E20 (1970): second generation with the T engine and four-door sedan.
• Sprinter Trueno (1972): twin-cam 2T-G coupe.
• E40/E60 (1974): third generation with its own chassis codes.
• Chevrolet Nova (1984): NUMMI-built Sprinter for America.
• Geo Prizm (1988): its successor at NUMMI.

The Sprinter was the Japanese twin of the Corolla, and its Trueno and Levin versions are the ancestors of the FT-86 idea. More cars are in the Toyota collection.

Sources

• Toyota Sprinter, English Wikipedia: generations, engines, GM projects