1987 Toyota Camry hatchback

The Camry was first introduced in Australia in 1983, and only offered as a hatchback (a sedan was offered overseas). It was fully imported from Japan, unlike most cars at the time which were made in Australia. As a result, it was quite expensive and never sold well. Toyota offered the locally-built Corona in the mid-size segment, which was available as a sedan or wagon and was much, much more popular. The Camry, on the other hand, was positioned as a more upmarket premium offering, with advanced features (for the time) such as fuel injection and front-wheel-drive. It wasn't offered as a sedan so as not to compete with the Corona, rather, it was introduced to prepare Australians for the upcoming second generation model in 1987, which would be built in Australia and replace the Corona. First generation models are quite rare (unlike the 1987 onwards models, which are still everywhere) but there are some still floating around, such as this early '87 model photographed in Caulfield. All first generation Camrys were GLi trim and fitted with 2.0L fuel injected engines. Note that the plate on this car is not original, but a replacement issued after 1994, due to the missing "Garden State" slogan at the bottom.



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