An everyday A60 Carina sedan raced the Dakar Rally for Japanese private teams in 1981 and 1982 — and actually picked up marathon-class championships doing it.
Lead trim: 1.6 2T (75 PS, Europe) · up to 158 hp
Toyota Carina A60A60 · 1981–1988
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Toyota Carina A60 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactAn everyday A60 Carina sedan raced the Dakar Rally for Japanese private teams in 1981 and 1982 — and actually picked up marathon-class championships doing it.
Released in September 1981 two months after the related Celica, with angular four-square-headlight styling and rack-and-pinion steering, and the last Carina with rear-wheel drive. Sedan and van production ran 1981–1988, the liftback coupé 1981–1985, and a 5-door wagon based on the van was added in February 1982 as the Carina Surf (SA60G), alongside a 1C diesel. Private teams raced Carinas in the two-wheel-drive class of the 1981 and 1982 Dakar Rallies and took four marathon-class championships. In October 1982 the 3T-GTEU turbocharged DOHC 1770 cc engine (160 PS) arrived in the GT-TR, and from May 1983 the 1600GT swapped its 2T-GEU for the 16-valve 4A-GEU. The front-drive Carina FF (T150) was added beside it in May 1984, the sports trims moved to the front-drive range in August 1985 and the rear-drive coupé ended. In Europe it was sold from 1982 until the Carina II replaced it in early 1984, with the wagon keeping a live rear axle.
Collectors Spotted in the Toyota Carina Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Toyota Carina yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
5 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6 2T (75 PS, Europe) | 1982–1984 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | 74 hp | 86 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 1.6 4A-GEU 1600GT DOHC 16V | 1983–1985 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | 128 hp | 110 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 1.8 1C diesel (65 PS) | 1982–1988 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 64 hp | 83 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 1.8 3T (86 PS, Europe) | 1982–1984 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 85 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| 1.8 3T-GTEU turbo GT-TR (160 PS) | 1982–1985 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 158 hp | 152 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The last Carina ever built came with a five-valve, 8,000rpm redline engine, ending 31 years of the nameplate in December 2001.
Britain got its own Carina: Toyota built the Corona-based Carina E at a brand-new plant in Burnaston, Derbyshire, from December 1992.
The Carina wagon and van kept selling until March 1992, when the all-new Caldina finally took over.
This generation is where the Carina switched sides entirely — adopting the Corona's front-wheel-drive platform and leaving rear-wheel drive behind for good.
An everyday A60 Carina sedan raced the Dakar Rally for Japanese private teams in 1981 and 1982 — and actually picked up marathon-class championships doing it.
Action star Sonny Chiba fronted Toyota's Carina commercials in Japan for decades — a movie tough guy selling a family sedan.
Toyota's first Carina crossed the Atlantic just as a new 10% US import duty landed — sales flopped, and Toyota pulled it from the American market after only two years.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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