Tercel 1.5 (L40)

STORY

The Tercel went on sale on 3 August 1978 as Toyota's first front-wheel-drive car, and it was laid out unusually: the engine sat longitudinally with the gearbox behind it rather than beside it. North America took the early cars as the Corolla Tercel; in Japan the name was simply Tercel, sold through the Corolla and Diesel channels while the sister Corsa went through Toyopet. The L20 of May 1982 added a third sister, the Corolla II, and from then the Tercel became a Vista Store exclusive. The L30 of May 1986 offered four-wheel drive with a six-speed gearbox whose extra ratio was an extra-low first. The L50 of September 1994 went front-drive only, and the line ended in July 1999.