[AutoGuide.com]

If the current Toyota Corolla were to write an autobiography, it would be titled Fifty Shades of Beige.

Despite recent attempts to liven up the Corolla with aggressive bodywork, when it all comes down to it, the Corolla is safe, sensible motoring in its purest form. It’s the car you recommend to your grandparents or a college student looking for their first car. It’s easy to use, easy to maintain, sips fuel and it’s reliable. There’s a good reason the Corolla is the Number One selling vehicle nameplate of all time worldwide.

But the Corolla hasn’t always been a complete sensible snoozapalooza. Over its 11 generations, there have been some cool Corollas. Words like drifting, superchargers and rally racing have all been connected to the Corolla in the past. Below is a sampling of 10 cool Corollas through the years that won’t put you to sleep.

Read more about the Believe It or Not: Toyota Corollas Weren’t Always Boring at AutoGuide.com.

 

[silver04rollas]

Nice read. Thanks for posting.

 

[SuperchargedMR2]

They are boring from the factory but fun can be had from a Corolla with some aftermarket suspension goodies. Now if Toyota would only inject some more power into the Corolla engine as an option. I would love to see the 2-door coupe come back as well as the 4WD wagon option. I loved my old 89 Corolla GTS coupe.

 

[ECHOKnight2000]

Now these are the Rolla's I like. Yeah nothing earth shattering but something about them I like. Simple, and as mentioned mod it. Yeah obviously do a modern one but I like that these are actually small cars.

 

[the207life]

That SR5 though. Yum.

 

[chrisV50]

Having owned both of Toyota chassis, Japan Spec 1984 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-Apex and a US Spec 1985 Toyota Corolla GT-S, both hatchback versions. I can trully say that no Corolla will ever live to those old corollas not even that new scion fr-s / toyota gt86.

 

[got-rice]

Corolla4lyfe yo!

 

[Kyuuni]

I love my Corolla! I would have built up the motor and turbocharged it if that were legal in California.. Unfortunately I can only legally supercharge my Camaro here because of the whole C.A.R.B. laws BS, so I built up my Camaro to be my performance car.. But if it were legal, I would definitely build up the Corolla for rally!

 

[Will Geronimo]

Great read. I love Corolla's. All of them can be fun with the right stuff and the right team to do it with!!

 

[Micaiah Flores]

i just bought a 88 corolla FX for $375 i'm going to build it for 200-250 BWHP and a 4AGE i currently have the 4AC in there and i like that too lol

 

[ERROLAE92]

here's a big fan of the corolla, but the moderns have lost the "flavor" that deeper feeling: driver-car, car-driver.


old school ftw >:grin:

 

[5-7heaven]

In 1974, I bought a new orange Toyota SR5 for $2400. All I added were Cragar mags and headers. Five years later, I sold it for $1900 to a kid who raced it at the track. Best time was 17-flat at the quarter-mile, enough to beat stock V-8 Camaros.

 

[azcorolla]

In 1976, I bought a beautiful brand new green Toyota Corolla SR5 Liftback (that was a mouthful!) off the Tag Galyean lot in Charleston, WV. It was good looking little car, with lots of gauges, rally-type wheels with trim rings, a silky-smooth 5 speed, got 33mpg (EPA rated at 39(!) back in those days of impossible-to-hit mpg numbers, and was loads of fun for a young guy like myself. It wasn't all that powerful, but was sporty enough for zipping around those curvy, hilly back roads of WV. I even took it hunting a couple of times.

On the other hand, there wasn't enough headroom and 1st gear was way too short - you had to shift to 2nd almost immediately. 2nd was a bit too tall so you couldn't just take off in 2nd and skip 1st though, and this is why I eventually traded it off for what turned out to be possibly the biggest POS I ever owned - a Toyota Corona MKII. But that's another story.

The Corolla had a strange thing. Other Japanese cars had this back then, and I'm still flummoxed by it. There was a little rheostat knob that controlled nothing but the light on the ash tray. Small issue, but what the hell were they thinking? Why didn't they hook it to the rest of the dash lights? You could barely see the light even when it was on full anyhow.

But overall it was a fun car and I remember it fondly.

 

[REN69]

Having owned 2 GTS and 1 XRS Corolla (plus some not so memorable in my family in the past, for example a 96 Auto, and an 85 NovaRolla auto :|) I can tell you they weren't all boring.

The XRS is a blast to drive, I find myself using that "LIFT" quite often than not... especially for highway entries.

 

[Keith S]

Loved my 73 S5

First car and first love...ah the memories....

 

[Keith S]

Loved my 73 S5

And the add....

 

[TheManInDboX]

My current is a 1989 Corolla SR5 Coupe..
I had a 1999 Corolla LE
and had a 1975 Corolla Sr5 that my dad gave me..
Love these cars..
The new ones are nice too.. But i feel like they have gotten huge in comparison to the old Corollla's..
Oh well still nice none the less..