Publication: Motor Fan
Format: Road Test
Date: July 1968
Authors (Roundtable): Shiro Sasaki, Osamu Hirao, Kazuo Kumabe, Hiroshi Hoshijima, Kenji Higuchi, Kenjiro Okada, Kenzaburo Ishikawa, Kazuo Kubota, Yasuhei Oguchi, Taizo Tateishi, Akio Miyamoto, Toshihide Hirata, Minoru Onda, Junichi Okumura, Motor Fan Editorial Staff (uncredited)

Aiming for a Middle Ground Between Sedan and Sports Car

Magazine: First, could you tell us about the aims behind the Corolla Sprinter?

Publication: Motor Fan
Format: Test Drive Report
Date: June 1971
Author: Hiroshi Okazaki, Harukuni Takahashi, Motor Fan Editorial Staff (uncredited)

Does the “SR” Hit the Mark for the Performance-Minded?

We took Toyota’s new SR series out onto a rally course and drove the cars hard. Our team (appearing as “A,” “B,” “C,” and “D”) was a mix of professional drivers and members of the Motor Fan editorial staff. “Not quite enough for serious rally competition, but hard to fault as a ’town sport’"—that was our conclusion.

Publication: Motor Fan
Format: Road Test
Date: July 1971
Authors (Roundtable): Shiro Sasaki, Atsushi Watari, Shoichi Nishiyama, Osamu Hirao, Hiroshi Okazaki, Takahiko Kinoshita, Katsuzo Kageyama, Fumio Agetsuma, Kunitaka Furutani, Yasuhei Oguchi, Kenzaburo Ishikawa, Takeshi Toba, Minoru Onda, Kenichiro Noda, Motor Fan Editorial Staff (uncredited)

Is the Gear Ratio Too Low?

Magazine: To begin with, we’d like to ask about the development aims behind the 1400SR, and the kind of car you had in mind.

Publication: Motor Fan
Format: Road Test Summary
Date: 1971 (Motor Fan Road Test Digest Annual)
Author: Motor Fan Editorial Staff (uncredited)

Toyota Sprinter 1400SR Model Overview

As consumers become accustomed to having their own cars, they tend to gravitate toward higher-end models within a vehicle series. The successive release of engines of gradually larger displacement in the same model series is likely a response to these changing user preferences and demands. The launch of the 1400cc engine as the top-of-the-line Corolla and Sprinter in April 1971 can be considered part of this trend. The test car this time, the Sprinter SR, as its name suggests, is flavored as a sports car for rallies, and it does not simply offer increased displacement, but also goes one step further to pursue single-purpose functionality in response to the diversification of user preferences.

Publication: Car Graphic
Format: Group Test
Date: February 1972
Author: “C/G Test Group” (uncredited)

Comparison test: Toyota Sprinter SR vs. Mitsubishi Galant FTO GIII

This month we conducted a comparison test between two 1400cc sporting coupes–the Sprinter SR and the Galant FTO GIII–under a wide variety of conditions, including testing at Yatabe. Before examining the results, however, it is worth explaining why these two were selected from among the many cars in the class.

Publication: Motor Fan
Format: Test Drive Report
Date: May 1972
Author: Eizo Ikeda

Overwhelming Torque In Reserve

Toyota has introduced a pair of high-performance models powered by a 115ps 1600cc DOHC engine: the Corolla Levin and Sprinter Trueno. What was most striking from behind the wheel was the unexpected ease of practical city driving.

Makes You Itch to Drive

Toyota has been on something of a sporting-car streak lately, and now another one has been added to the lineup. Strictly speaking, there are two of them: the Corolla Levin and the Sprinter Trueno. Sharing the same basic specifications, they are, in effect, twins.

Publication: Car Graphic
Format: Road Test
Date: June 1972
Author: “C/G Test Group” (uncredited)

Summary: A “fun car” with the 1.6-liter DOHC engine from the Celica/Carina GT mounted in a Corolla body. It is powerful, flexible, and has an excellent gearbox, but is slightly low-geared overall. Ride and cabin usability are sufficient despite the reinforced suspension. Handling is excellent thanks to the 175-width tires, but fuel economy is poor and the noise level is high.

Publication: Motor Fan
Format: “Bubble Index” Road Test
Date: July 1972
Author: Osamu Mochizuki, Katsuzo Kageyama, Shigeki Asaoka, Yasuhei Oguchi, Reiko Ikuuchi, Kensuke Ishizu, Motor Fan Editorial Staff (uncredited)

Powerful at Full Throttle, Yet Mild Around Town

Though it may be designed with competition in mind, the Levin is still a production car, and practicality cannot simply be ignored. How successfully does the Levin reconcile these seemingly opposing demands?

Publication: Auto Sport
Format: Group Test
Date: June 1973
Author: Auto Test Editorial Staff (uncredited)

Editors’ Comprehensive (?) Test Drive: Corolla Levin and Levin J vs. Galant FTO 1600GSR and 1400SL-5

The car slides on at an angle, refusing to straighten. The guardrail closes in like an arrow…

The second editorial test session, held in the rain at Tsukuba, turned into something resembling a spin exhibition. Faces drained of color, sweat creeping in, legs trembling, we pressed on–telling ourselves that this, too, was valuable experience–as we fought to keep the cars under control.