Toyota Toyopet Corona Deluxe RT40
Toyota proved its new family sedan by running one for 100,000 kilometres at high speed—then watched it become Japan's best-selling car.
1965 Toyota Corona T40/T50 at the Louwman Museum · Rutger van der Maar · CC BY 2.0
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
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More than a set of wheels.
The third-generation Corona arrived in September 1964 with cleaner styling, a wider cabin and a tougher reputation earned on the new Meishin Expressway. This page follows a 1965 Japanese Deluxe four-door with the 1.5-litre 2R engine and four-speed manual. It does not borrow the two-door hardtop introduced in July 1965 or the export-market names and equipment used elsewhere.
Look a little closer.
A near-production Corona ran day and night for 58 days to cover 100,000 km on the Meishin Expressway—about two and a half trips around Earth.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
A marathon before mass production
Toyota began the 100,000 km high-speed durability run on September 14, 1964. The Corona completed the distance in 58 days, giving engineers a giant pile of real-world evidence and the public a memorable proof of reliability.
Source: Toyota 75 Years · Birth of the third-generation Corona ↗The car that topped Japan's charts
The RT40 became Japan's best-selling passenger car within four months and held the lead for 33 straight months from April 1965 through December 1967. It also became Toyota's first model line to reach one million domestic sales.
Source: Toyota 75 Years · Corona lineage, third generation ↗Where these facts come from
- Toyota 75 Years · Birth of the third-generation Corona
- Toyota 75 Years · Corona lineage, third generation
- Toyota Automobile Museum · Corona RT40 database
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed September 30, 2026.