So you love your E7 Corolla do ya? Let's go through some basics with them!
So what the hell does E7 mean anyway? Well, many of you awesome fanboys out there understand that the AE86 is a RWD corolla sold by Toyota, also known as Sprinter Trueno or Levin. I'm sure most of you know that those letters and numbers are the code for the frame of the car and actually have a specific meaning!
A: Stands for the series of engine the car came with. In the case of the AE86, it was offered with a 3AC, 4AC and 4AG engines.
E: This second letter stand for the series of the car. E means corolla. MA70 would be an example of an A series chassis which is early celicas and all Supras (that's a whole other madness)
8: Third in the frame code is the generation. The AE86 is simply the 8th generation of corolla.
6: This is a body style marker, defining a certain drive train or body change. It can be fairly variable.
So, what do we mean by E7? Well, basically when people talk about E7 Corollas they skip the first and last places of the frame code. So they are saying, 7th gen corolla!
The E7 came with many different engines:
K series engine. such as the 4k and 5k in Japan and Australia. A very small, but 'affordable' alternative to the performance offerings.
T series, such as the 3TC (usa), and 2TG (Japan). Top of the line for their countries.
A series, both 4AC and 3AC. Single cam version of the famous 4AGE.
Basically speaking, there was plenty of different variety of engine families offered in the E7's so it's difficult to drop references with the engine code included. Most people swap the engines out for something more aggressive.
So why not the last place holder? Why isn't it referenced? It's simple, unlike the AE86, the E7 came in PILES of Body styles, but with only 3 last digits used, it's basically offers no detail in relation to an AE86, where if someone mentions they have an AE82, they are talking about a completely separate and different car!
The E7 was offered as a World car. What's a world car you ask? It's a model of car sold in nearly, if not every country in the world! For this very reason there is TONS of different body styles and variations! Let's see if we can get through them.....
Most common? The 4 door Sedan. A simple basic 4 door everyone can use. This is also the most known bodystyle of E7 when chatting and conversing with others.
2-door sedan. Not as common, but for E7 lovers, highly desirable. It's the shortest of the 7th gen Corollas, however the wheelbases never actually change.
My personal favorite, the E7 wagon. The longest, but the coolest. Granny spec!
Now we get into the long noses. The 'sports' versions of the E7's got slightly longer noses, and some pretty funky B pillars.
Notch back. My first corolla experience was in a Notch back. My mom owned an '81 and I loved that car!
The Liftback. Currently I daily one of these which seems pretty rare as it has a 4AC engine. Most long noses had T series engines in them.
Sport Back. For those of you who are into AE86's, this is essentially the father of the AE86 from a looks perspective.
The E7 was produced from '79 though '84 and there's a wide variety of variations on these body styles above. Some of the noses are quite different!
Quads are the first generation of headlights, offered both in Japan and North America, they are also the most desired. Be careful though when swapping, the Rad supports differ from nose to nose! Also note the highly desirable Chrome steel bumpers. As far as I know these were never offered in North America or Australia?
Single Squares thin sides. Hard to say, but very different from the other Single Square headlights. Even the fenders are different! Look closely to see that the corner lights are thinner than the ones below. Rad supports are different too, and even possibly the lower valance. :S
Least popular, but sadly most common, are what I call the Cheese Slices. Big Orange triangles. Japan was lucky enough to get them in crystal. Everyone else? not so much.
So we've covered the basics. What are some rarities and oddities?
Australian Slant Noses! Only found in Austown I'm told. These are what the e7's ended up with down there as their upgraded generation nose.
Japanese Slant Noses: This is the rarest nose known to E7 kind. Almost no examples of this nose float around for consumption. Good luck! They only fit the Long nose cars. Note: the long nose and short nose cars have completely different door/body lines, so although it may bolt on, it won't actually fit.
What I call the "Luxury Grill". Not a common grill, but seems to fit slim cornered nose cars. though, picture both here are short and long noses?
High Roofs. All the 'Van' aka 'Wagon' Variations were offered in a high roof variation in Japan and Australia. Not common, but quite cool!
The rare 2-door wagon. Like the picture above, was offered in both low AND high roof variations in Japan and Australia. Also note the chrome bumpers with the black caps, another bumper variation.
Rare 'work' Nose. Only found on Japanese corolla 'Vans'! Ueo Rocks one!
My absolute favorite? The TRUE E7 'van'. Offered everywhere but North America, these panel van wagons are amazing! Again both in low and high roofs!
So what's so special about the E7? why am I reading all this? To be frank, the AE86 has way to much of an illogical following. Having owned every generation from '77 through '92 of corollas (18 in total so far). I've come to learn that the E7 is not only the best, but the least appreciated of the Corollas. You ae86 fanboys rush out and blow wads of cash on 4AC equipped auto box AE86's, when for about half the price jump into a 3TC equipped E7 and really enjoy the art of driving one of the worlds most fun cars. The chassis between the Ae86 and E7's are nearly identical and almost every part swaps over. Plus they are even slightly lighter, sold in higher numbers and far more customizable with even factory pieces.
Famous E7's
Team MotorFix: a group of dudes that build some of the most badass E7's in the world, and slide them bumper to bumper all day long.
Ueo's 2-door, high roof, Sift Garage car:
The wreck. A POS someone spotted still on the road. Years later I noticed it was a KE70!
Grant Scotts E7
Where can I read more?
Group 5's site. They even have a virtual E7 builder!
Wikipedia E70 article.
Toyota Oldies proper E7 write up...in german.
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You can’t kill old Toyotas, they live FOREVER!!
I own an 81 Corolla coupe and an 81 Corona. LOVE em and they’re fun to drive, too.
We’ve got a JDM KE72 with the “works” nose. Great car, a bit unforgiving though!