The upholstery and interior finish is exclusive to this special model, which was developed for South Africa.Toyota South Africa engineers have been engaged in a secret new model development project in conjunction with Toyota Racing Development in Japan, and as a result, a new version of the Corolla has been developed which is specially for South Africa. It goes on sale now in limited numbers and later will join the Toyota motor rallying squad.The new car brings the choice of Corolla models in South Africa to eleven — sedans, liftbacks, a station wagon and now this special Corolla Liftback TRD."It reflects the motor sport experience of Toyota South Africa and Toyota Racing Development in Japan. Working in close cooperation — as they have done so successfully on the rallying programme — they have tweaked extra performance out of the Corolla Liftback 1,8 litre engine without compromising on reliability and economy," a Toyota SA spokesman said.From outside it is a sleek, sporty eye-catcher, while inside the accent has been put on comfort and luxury, typified by the importation from Germany of a special pile velour seat cloth."We wanted 20 per cent more performance, while retaining reliability and the existing production gearbox, clutch and back axle which have proved themselves so well in competition and public use," says Don Clark, component engineering manager. "The Japanese racing development experts recommended a camshaft with increased overlap, changes to the valve springs to cope with the increased revolutions, a pair of side-draught 45 Dellorto carburettors, and modifications to the exhaust system."It is a tribute to the inherent strength of the Corolla engine that we can use standard pistons, valves, cylinder head and other engine components in the performance TRD model."The Corolla Liftback TRD develops 86 kW from its 1,8 litre engine, is said to accelerate from standstill to 80 km/h in less than 7 seconds, and during engineering tests, reached in excess of 180 km/h. Its five-speed manual transmission and road handling make it very much a driver's car, Toyota SA reports.Front airdam, rear spoilers and side protector spoilers are made from special steel-braced polyurethane panels. Totally corrosion proof and self-coloured, those at the front and sides perform a dual role of protecting vulnerable bodywork areas from stone-pecking at the same time as improving air-flow.The side spoilers and front airdam are blended into the spats on the wheel arches and into the front and rear bumpers in a styling exercise which gives the Corolla TRD a very distinctive appearance. This is further emphasised by special painted striping along the waistline and over the roof.The alloy wheels are a new design by Toyota Racing Development specially imported from Japan. They accommodate the new 185/70 x 13 wide steel-belted radial tyres, and have an open-spoke structure to facilitate cooling of the front disc and rear drum brakes under extreme rallying conditions.Although it shares the same basic body shell and mechanical components of the Corolla 1800 Liftback, the TRD looks very different front the outside with its bold striping, TRD model identification, air spoilers, wide alloy wheels with fat low-profile tyres, and twin rectangular halogen driving lamps. Inside, the TRD is distinctive. The new high-backed seats have been developed in South Africa specially for the TRD. They are covered in a special blend of piled velour woven for Toyota SA in Germany. The cloth has inherent resistance to soiling and dirt retention, while at the same time being able to "breathe" in hot weather. Its surface is not slippery, but has a high co-efficient of surface friction to help hold driver and passengers comfortably in their seats.The twin Dellorto carburettors, performance camshaft, and tubular branch exhaust manifold and exhaust system, are the main engineering modifications which will feature on the first 200 TRD's being built to homologate as the Class D rally car for next season. Many of these first production models are expected to go to private motor sport enthusiasts who are attracted by the economical way in which the Corolla can be used in both circuit racing and rallying, the company states. Price is R11 860.*
