This Corona has been in the same family for almost 50 years

This 1970 Toyota Corona Mark II has been in the family for nigh on half a century and the memories run deep.

For undoubtedly the Toyota Corona of the late 1960s and early 1970s was a good thing. Modern Motor magazine in October 1969 described the Toyota Corona Mark II 1900SL coupe as a “swinging new hardtop” (well, it was the ‘60s!). “Comprehensively equipped and pleasantly styled, it has virile straight-line performance and the type of handling, braking and steering that encourage enterprising driving.” The magazine also compared it to GTS Monaro and a Fiat 124S coupe.

It would certainly have caught one’s eye if your current car was an FE Holden. John Stanton’s car was an FE Holden which he had owned in Tasmania and brought it back to Victoria in the ‘swinging sixties’ along with his wife Patricia and their two daughters Carol and Sally Anne. Unloading his rusty Holden to a trusty policeman for the princely sum of $10, John went looking for a sports car.

According to Patricia, now 90 years of age, they initially looked at a Honda 1300 coupe, but this did not have enough space for the girls in the back unlike the 1900SL coupe which, to quote the Modern Motor road test again, had “rear-seat accommodation is fine for sub-teen children … however, it is, as we said, satisfactory for kiddies, and tolerable for smallish adults."

The original owner Patricia, initially looked at a Honda 1300 coupe, but settled on the 1900SL coupe. (image credit: Survivor Car Australia)

The Stanton’s found their Corona on Elizabeth Street in Melbourne. Having taken it for a test drive, they took delivery of their Primrose Yellow coupe, registration KXG-833, on Tuesday 13th July 1971. On their way home to North Blackburn, on the push button radio, they may well have been listening to the latest hits, Carole King’s ‘It’s Too Late’ or ‘Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep Cheep’ by Middle of the Road; it was the same day that AFL’s Mark Neeld of Geelong, Richmond, Melbourne and now Essendon came into the world.

Soon after the purchase of the sporty new Corona, John was given a company car, and so the Corona became Patricia’s car. As we can see from the original owner’s manual, service warranty, and maintenance book, this Corona, which was built in August 1970 and delivered by Australian Motor Industries Ltd, has always been well maintained and looked after. So much so that years later in 1983, John and Patricia were happy to pass the car down to daughter Sally Anne and her husband. In 1985, the young couple were able to afford a new Subaru, so the 15-year-old Corona went back to mum and dad. Over the years, the Corona was used as a second family car and was driven less and less and eventually, as the manual gearbox became too much work for Patricia, it eventually sat idle.

The next stage of the Corona’s tale came in 2002 when Sally Anne’s son, Russell Clarke, passed his test and got his driver's licence. Of course, every new young driver needs their own car and it was agreed that Russell would become the new owner of the now dormant Corona.

Despite the Corona's age, there is only 119,000 kilometres on the clock. (image credit: Survivor Car Australia)

He got the car sorted out - not that it needed much doing - and KXG-833 was once more back on the road for the next decade. Old cars need using but are not really ready for the hustle and bustle of everyday modern life, and so, by 2013, the Corona was once again languishing in the garage. But even during this period of disuse the car was never neglected and indeed Russell continued to pay full rego costs, so much did the original registration and number plates mean to him.

Twelve months ago, the grip of nostalgia once again took hold of Russell. The car he had inherited from his grandfather John, having been re-commissioned to make sure everything is safe, is now used on a weekly basis by Russell, Rachel, and their child Mallee. The odometer now shows just 119,000 kilometres and the car is still in exceptional order with nothing having been changed from its original specification.

Of course, approaching 50 and being a car that has been and still is used, means that its shows some signs of wear and tear – the little ding in the rear bumper, the worn carpet in the driver’s foot-well, the boot lid edge showing the first signs of deterioration, and the paint on the bonnet wearing thin (no doubt from too much loving polishing).

The Corona is nearing 50 and its shows with the worn carpet in the driver’s foot-well. (image credit: Survivor Car Australia)

This member of the family, however, is a true survivor even down to the original jack bearing it Toyota Motors stickers. Will young Mallee be the next generation to take hold of the sensual three drilled spoke, faux-wooden rimmed, steering wheel?

For all of us lovers of continuity, let us certainly hope so.

Source: Survivor Car Australia

What do you think of the history of this 1970 Toyota Corona? What's the longest your family has ever kept a car? Tell us in the comments.