VOLUME 5 GAZOO MEETS

Chats with Toyota devotees at All Japan Day

Some truly classic Toyotas graced the lawn at All Japan Day 2022

Words by Walter Marsh
Photography by Sia Duff

5 MIN READ

The sun was shining and the chrome was gleaming as All Japan Day brought out a colourful crew of Toyota true believers.

Toyota lovers tend to put in a strong showing at Adelaide’s All Japan Day, and 2022’s event was no exception. It’s a back-to-basics car show that gives drivers a chance to kick back and show off their rides while raising money for charity (this year it was Lifeline). Across two grassy fields by the Glenelg waterfront we were met by a sea of proudly polished classics and eye-popping imports.

Join us for a quick lap around the park to see some of the cars we thought were best-in-show and meet their owners.

“I always wanted a Supra. It was one of my big dreams,” Angelica says. “I’m pretty sure the previous owner saw it as just a car — not a Toyota Supra.”

Angelica’s from a car-mad family (“dad does speedway, my brothers go-kart, it’s very much in the genes”, she explains). In fact it was her dad who gave this 90s classic the hornet-yellow paint job that completed its transformation into a “look at me” kind of ride.

“I always wanted a Supra. It was one of my big dreams.”

“If you’re in traffic you’ll hear ‘is that a Supra!?’ all the time.” - Angelica

Bob is a softly spoken gentleman who bought this 1978 Corolla off his sister a quarter of a century ago. “My sister had it for a few years — she bought it off her brother-in-law. It’s been in the family for 35 years,” he explains.

For the last few of those, however, it’s mostly sat in a shed. A recent house move means Bob’s regretfully looking to sell. How does he feel about parting with it? “Bittersweet,” he says.

Chris has been drawn to the Celica Supra’s squared lines and 80s style since he was a kid. Eventually, he bought and sold his way to this prized specimen.

“This is actually my fourth one of this generation Celica,” he says. “I’ll probably own it for the rest of my life.”

It’s also a hit with their dog Maple, a Dachshund that clearly has impeccable taste. “She loves it,” Kate says. “She’s got a little seat in the back — a booster so she can see out of the window.”

“Drive around, enjoy the cars, enjoy the people — that’s what it’s all about.”

Ethan paints cars for a living but, of all the makes and models he works with, he takes special joy in Corollas and the community they attract.

“I’m a part of the Adelaide Corolla Club,” he says. “Just a group of people who every now and again catch up, have meets, all that kind of stuff. Drive around, enjoy the cars, enjoy the people — that’s what it’s all about.”

Ethan introduces us to his mate Jack, who’s had this two-door import for about a year and hopes to begin a full restoration soon. “I’ve got about ten of these and I’ve probably had about 15 over the last couple of years,” he says. “This is a keeper — when it popped up, I went and bought it that day. The guy I bought it off turned out to be the older brother of a good mate of mine from primary school — he was a bit of a Corolla nut!”

It seems like the guy’s in good company.

“This was my son’s first car,” Jon explains. “Of course he’s in his early 30s now. He moved on and it was out under a gum tree in the backyard.”

One day, Jon stood back and really took it in. “I just loved the look of it — it’s just a lovely car,” he says. Now it’s become a labour of love. He reckons he’s replaced almost every moving component. That shining blue paint job was his own doing too – completed in the shed 17 years ago with zero training.

“Toyotas have a cult following nowadays,” he beams. “Looking around now, seeing what people have done with these things, well, bloody hell. You hear it all the time from people. They say, I had one of these 25 years ago and I wish I kept it!”

“It’s one of those forever cars."

The story of Jonas’s Corolla is another classic tale. “I bugged the old man for an old car because I was getting my P Plates. He said, you can’t have a big six cylinder but you can have a four cylinder putter.”

A few weeks later, his dad surprised him — and this humble brown battler has proved an inspired choice. Having already undergone “a fair bit of work and stupid ideas”, Jonas hopes to one day pull it down and do a full rebuild.

While he admits to initially entering the car as a laugh, there’s a lot of affection here. “Honestly, I love the car and I’ll never sell it,” he says, echoing a sentiment we’ve been hearing all day. “It’s one of those forever cars – just the amount of work you put into it, and the memories I have with it. It’s not going anywhere for a long time.”