When I'm at home in Canada, or in France where I lived for years, I rarely encounter a vehicle I don't recognize. That's not to say I know every model or year, but I usually have a pretty good idea what make a car is at least. When travelling, however, I frequently encounter vehicles I have not seen before and sometimes haven't even heard of. A quick scan around the vehicle to locate a logo or nametag is therefore necessary to learn the model name. During a recent trip to Laos one car had me stumped though. A small white sedan from the late 1970's or early 1980's looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't be sure. Most of the older cars in Laos were Toyotas, but it didn't look exactly like the other Toyota models I had already seen. There were a few older Nissans around, or even older Datsuns, but how to be sure? Was it even Japanese? It it reminded me a bit of a Gemini I had seen (and technically purchased!) in Indonesia, but I hadn't seen any other Holdens in Laos... I wandered around the car, but there were no badges in the typical locations (on the grille, trunk lid, or fenders), or even on the steering wheel. It looked like I wasn't going to find out, so I grabbed a few photos and got ready to wander off. Thankfully my travel companion had a sharper eye then me, and told me to check out the front left mudflap. There, in white letters, was the name 'Toyota'. My first guess was right. It was a pretty battered example of the Corona model, a car I had photographed on several previous occasions, again in Indonesia: It's always a pleasure as a car fan to learn about old models I don't know, so I hope I continue to discover these 'gems' during future travels. They don't have to be beautiful to catch my attention, as this ratty old Toyota proves, they just have to be different!
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AuthorWelcome! My name is Paul, and I am an old-fashioned, low-pressure, low-buck car fan with lots of automotive stories to tell! Archives
February 2020
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