Toyota · 1972–2000

Toyota Sprinter Trueno

The Toyota Sprinter Trueno (トヨタ・スプリンタートレノ, Toyota Supurintā Toreno) is a series of compact sports coupés and liftbacks which were produced by Toyota from 1972 to 2000. The name trueno in Spanish means thunder. In Japan, the Sprinter Trueno was exclusive to Toyota Auto Store locations. Its twin, the Toyota Corolla Levin (トヨタ・カローラレビン, Toyota Karōra Rebin), was produced in parallel with the Sprinter Trueno. In Middle English, levin means lightning. In Japan, the Corolla Levin was exclusive to Toyota Corolla Store locations.

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TE27 Series (1972–1974)

The first generation of the Sprinter Trueno and Corolla Levin was the high performance models of Corolla and Sprinter 2-door fastback coupé, introduced in March 1972. The inspiration for these compact sport coupés came from Toyota manager Geisuke Kubo who wanted to offer something similar to the Alfa Romeo Giulia Junior. The highest performance version of the twin coupés was powered by the high compression (9.8:1) 1.6 L DOHC 2T-G engine with twin double venturi side draft 40 mm Mikuni-Solex 40PHH carburettors and mated to a T50 5-speed manual transmission, borrowed from the bigger TA27 Celica 1600GT. This engine produced 115 PS (85 kW; 113 hp) gross, with claimed top speed of 190 km/h (118 mph) and able to complete a 1⁄4 mile (400 m) sprint in 16.3 seconds. A lower compression (8.8:1) 2T-GR engine option was also available for customers who preferred using cheaper, lower octane fuel. This engine was 5 PS (4 kW; 5 hp) less powerful, which also lowered the top speed to 185 km/h (115 mph) and quarter mile time to 16.7 seconds. An updated model appeared shortly in August in the same year with the refreshed appearance. Another update was introduced in April 1973 with the introduction of less powerful model called J (Junior), powered by an OHV twin carburettor version of the 2T-G engine called the 2T-B/BR, shared with the lower priced Corolla/Sprinter 1600 SR coupé. These engines produced 100–105 PS (74–77 kW; 99–104 hp) in gross power, with claimed a top speed of 170–175 km/h (106–109 mph) and a quarter mile time of over 17 seconds. Vehicles installed with the 1.6 L engine obligated Japanese owners to pay more annual road tax, as the displacement exceeds the 1.0–1.5 L tax bracket.

TE37, TE47, TE51, TE55, TE61 & TE65 Series (1974–1975, 1977–1979)

With the introduction of the second generation Sprinter Trueno and Corolla Levin in April 1974, there was a clearer difference between the two through design. Though based on the same platform, the whole design differed totally with the Sprinter Trueno (TE47) was offered as a coupé and had a sleeker and more curved design. In contrast to the Corolla Levin (TE37), it was only available as a hardtop coupé with an aggressive forward raked nose design similar to the 1400/1600 sedans. Both models were still powered by the same 2T-G/GR engines and mated to the same T50 5-speed manual transmission. The twins was also available with a better equipped GT sub-trim. Due the incompatibility with the Japanese emission regulations, the coupés were discontinued in November 1975. Toyota reintroduced the twin coupés in January 1977 with a minor facelift and also the new fuel injected version of the 2T-G engine with the Toyota Total Clean-Catalyst (TTC-C) emission control technology, with the installation of catalytic converter to pass the Japanese 1976 emission regulation, now called the 2T-GEU. The Corolla Levin (TE51) was also changed to a regular coupé body style just like the Sprinter Trueno (TE61), but still with a drastic difference on the nose. Also in this facelift, the North American market low speed impact-absorbing bumpers were also added as an option. In September 1977, Toyota launched a limited edition called Black Trueno, based on the GT trim and limited to 550 units (together with 1000 units of the T120 series Corona Black Limited Edition sedan/coupé, to celebrate its 20th anniversary). Two months later in November, the Levin GT received the same limited edition and available for 1000 units. This limited edition was only offered in black coloured body, special brown mats

TE71 Series (1979–1983)

The third generation of the Sprinter Trueno and Corolla Levin was released in May 1979, powered by the same 115 PS (85 kW; 113 hp) fuel injected 2T-GEU engine from the previous generation. Unlike previous generations, this generation of the Trueno and Levin were exclusively 3-door liftbacks (marketed as a coupé, there was another liftback with steeper tailgate based on the hardtop coupé). Like the preceding models, the twin coupés had distinct front ends to set them apart. The Sprinter Trueno has a slanted nose with recessed mesh grille and headlights, whereas the Corolla Levin features a simpler front end with an almost vertical nose. This generation was now equipped with 4-wheel disc brakes as standard, rear suspension with coil springs like the E70 Corolla/Sprinter sedan and had a sunroof as an option. In the May 1981 facelift, two new trim levels were added to the line up; the cheaper "S" (with shorter front bumper) and the better optioned "APEX" (with standard sport seats). The Sprinter Trueno has a new, more aerodynamic front end with an inverted trapezoid slanted grille and half trapezoid-shaped flush headlights. The Corolla Levin, on the other hand, has larger headlights and a rectangle slanted grille. The Corolla Levin was exported as the Corolla GT for select markets in Europe, powered by the twin double venturi side draft Mikuni-Solex 40PHH carburettors 2T-G engine, producing 108–110 PS (79–81 kW; 107–108 hp).

AE85 & AE86 Series (1983–1987)

The fourth generation of the Sprinter Trueno and Corolla Levin was released in May 1983 and was offered in 2-door coupé and 3-door liftback body styles. This was the last in the series to use the front-engine, rear-wheel drive platform, which was carried over from the previous generation with major modifications. From this generation, all coupés (and liftbacks in this generation) were marketed with both the "Trueno/Levin" suffix and its own trim levels to further differentiate it from the regular Corolla/Sprinter line up. Also in this generation, the Corolla Levin came with fixed rectangular headlights while the Sprinter Trueno used retractable pop-up headlights to distinguish itself from the Corolla Levin. Trim levels ranged from the base model GL, GL-Lime, XL and XL-Lissé, the-mid range SE and SR, to the highest-grade GT, GT-V and GT-APEX, with different options and features for each trim level. Markets. ==== North America ==== The North American Corolla GT-S, SR-5 and DX (US coupé only) uses the same front-end as the Japanese-market Sprinter Trueno, complete with retractable pop-up headlights, but has different and longer bumpers in the front and rear in order to comply with US federal standards. It also used the Corolla Levin's taillights instead of the ones from the Sprinter Trueno. This version was also sold in the Middle East as the Corolla GT, offered with a sole liftback body style and lack of the side marker lights on the rear wings. Other Markets. The European and general export markets (such as Chile, Hong Kong and New Zealand) Corolla GT (not available as coupé for general export) and SR had the same styling as the Corolla Levin. This specification can be recognized by the use of standard grille with "TOYOTA" badge, turn signal on the front wings (Europe o

AE91 & AE92 Series (1987–1991)

The fifth generation of the Sprinter Trueno and Corolla Levin was introduced in May 1987. This generation had several changes from the previous generation, the most notable being the omission of the front-engine, rear-wheel drive (FR) layout of the previous generation in favour of a more conventional front-engine, front-wheel drive (FF) layout in-line with the other Corollas of the same generation. The 3-door liftback body style was dropped from this generation and was only produced in the 2-door coupé body style. Like the preceding AE85/86 models of the previous generation, it had two different front end styles for each models. The Sprinter Trueno had a much more slanted front fascia with retractable pop-up headlights, while the Corolla Levin had a much more levelled bonnet line with fixed rectangular headlights. All of the engines produced during this generation were DOHC engines, as opposed to the SOHC engines used for the previous AE85 models. New to the sporty coupés was the supercharged GT-Z trim, which was the highest and fastest trim level of the AE92 at the time. This trim comes equipped with a supercharged version of the 4A-GE engine called the 4A-GZE, combined with an SC12 roots type supercharger and a top mounted intercooler fed by a GT-Z-specific bonnet scoop. This new engine had previously been used in the supercharged AW11 MR2 a year prior to the introduction of the E90 series Sprinter/Corolla. For the AE91 series, the new G, L, Xi and Zi trim levels replaced the previous generation's GL, XL, SR and SE trim levels of the AE85 respectively. The G (Levin) and L (Trueno) featured the carburetted 1.5 L 5A-F engine while the better equipped Xi (Trueno) and Zi (Levin) featured the more economical fuel injected 1.5 L 5A-FE. The female-oriented XL Lissé and GL Li

AE100 & AE101 Series (1991–1995)

The Sprinter Trueno and Corolla Levin underwent a full overhaul in June 1991 with the sixth generation models, based on the E100 series. Developed during the peak of the Japanese asset price bubble in the early 1990s, the latest technologies in body, chassis, engine, transmission and safety were put into the new E100 series. Consequently, the body size increased close to the maximum width the Japanese government regulations would allow for compact cars (1,700 mm [66.9 in] max) and became 70–80 kg (154–176 lb) heavier, making it less attractive as a sports compact model than with previous generations. As with previous generations, this series continues to offer two separate styles and names, sold via different dealership chains in Japan. Unlike previous generations, however, the new E100 coupés were not officially exported elsewhere, making these models exclusive to Japan. The chassis was completely new in this generation, with a much higher and rigid body than the previous generation E90 series. Sharing the same wheelbase as with the Corolla/Sprinter sedans, the suspension featured re-tuned front and rear MacPherson struts. The biggest improvement in this generation was the high-performance 4A-GE engine found in the GT and GT-APEX models. Many of the parts were redesigned, with the intake side camshaft now having Toyota's Variable Valve Timing or VVT (a precursor to the later VVT-i with a discontinuous variable valve timing mechanism), and used a five-valve-per-cylinder head design (three inlet, two exhaust) for a total of 20 valves. This was seen as revolutionary at that time as Yamaha, who typically collaborated with Toyota to produce their high-performance engines, were actively using five-valve-per-cylinder designs in their 1985–2007 Genesis engined sport bikes. Pri

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Specifications

name: Toyota Sprinter Trueno
Manufacturer: Toyota
aka: Toyota Corolla Levin
Production: March 1972 – August 2000
Predecessor: Toyota Corolla Sprinter
Successor: Toyota Celica (T230) (integrated)
Class: Sport compact, Hot hatch
Body style: 2-door coupé (1972–1979 and 1983–2000), 2-door hardtop coupé (1974–1975), 3-door liftback (1979–1987)
Layout: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive (1972–1987), Front-engine, front-wheel-drive (1987–2000)