Toyoda Model AA: Finding the world’s oldest Toyota

[patoz]

Technically, this was Toyota's first passenger car, but considering the roads back in the late 30's overseas, this was used as much off-road as it was on road. And check out the ground clearance under this thing!

Toyoda Model AA: Finding the world's oldest Toyota

Only 1,404 examples of Toyota's first passenger car, the Toyoda Model AA, were built in the six years of production from 1936 to 1942.

Until recently it was thought that none of these cars had survived to this day. Even Toyota itself had been forced to fabricate a ground-up replica of the Model AA because an original example could not be found to exhibit at the Toyota Automobile Museum in Japan.

So when news of a 1936 car, one of only 100 units built in the very first year of Model AA production, suddenly surfaced from within Russia, the discovery was met with a degree of scepticism. Nevertheless, even the most remote opportunity to uncover an example of the world's rarest production Toyota had to be followed up.

Read the rest: Toyoda Model AA: Finding the world's oldest Toyota - Toyota

Also: https://www.toyota.co.uk/world-of-toyota/stories-news-events/where-it-all-began-toyoda-aa.json

 

[toylandcruiser]

Shoot it's a Toyota. It'll probably start right up.

 

[patoz]

Shoot it's a Toyota. It'll probably start right up.

It did...

When you visit a museum you expect to see examples of absolute perfection – cars without a blemish or a mark that are lovingly cared for – but, for me, seeing an original AA complete with battle wounds and scars, knowing that when it was collected in Russia it still started and drove, just reinforces the dedication to quality that was at the forefront of Kiichiro Toyoda’s mind when he first started building the AA, and is still the heart of everything Toyota stands for today.

https://www.toyota.co.uk/world-of-toyota/stories-news-events/where-it-all-began-toyoda-aa.json

 

[tanglefoot]

Nice research! It really was a stately-looking thing!

 

[patoz]

Thanks for the picture! That does show what a nice looking car it was. :26_7_2: