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Toyota Mark II (1st gen) T60/T70 1968-1974
The Toyota Mark II (Japanese: トヨタ・マークII, Toyota Māku II) is a compact, later mid-size sedan manufactured and marketed in Japan by Toyota between 1968 and 2004. Prior to 1984, the model was marketed as the Toyota Corona Mark II. In some export markets, Toyota marketed the vehicle as the Toyota Cressida between 1976 and 1992 across four generations. Toyota replaced the rear-wheel-drive Cressida in North America with the front-wheel-drive Avalon. Every Mark II and Cressida was manufactured at the Motomachi plant at Toyota, Aichi, Japan from September 1968 to October 1993, and later at the Miyata plant at Miyawaka, Fukuoka from December 1992 to October 2000, with some models also assembled in Jakarta, Indonesia as the Cressida.
[B]History[/B]
The first series, called the Toyota Corona Mark II was an all new vehicle at its introduction in 1968, that sought to offer a car that was just under Japanese government regulations concerning maximum vehicle dimensions and engine displacement, thus allowing the Crown to grow larger and more luxurious. Using the established platform of the Corona sedan but slightly larger and wider, it was exclusive to Toyopet Store locations, and offered as a competitor to the newly introduced Nissan Laurel in Japan, and the Nissan Bluebird / Datsun 510 internationally that appeared August 1967, and two years after the Mazda Luce in 1966.
At the Mark II's introduction in the late 1960s, Toyota was known as a small, economy car manufacturer. The Mark II allowed Toyota to establish itself as a more mainstream, international automaker and pursue new market opportunities. The Corona Mark II was sold as a larger companion to the Corona, while still being smaller than the Crown. The Mark II introduced a comfortable front-engine, rear-drive vehicle that was larger than older Toyotas while maintaining an affordable price and better fuel economy than vehicles with larger straight-six and V8 engines, and shared most of its technology and appearance with the larger, more prestigious Crown.
As the Mark II began to become popular with drivers around the world, Toyota introduced variations of the Mark II with two different model names, both sedans but with different styling and marketing approaches. The sportier Toyota Chaser appeared in 1977, and later in 1980, the high luxury content Toyota Cresta appeared, and both were exclusive together at Toyota Auto Store locations. As other automakers continued to offer vehicles in this size class, the Mark II's popularity peaked in the 1980s. The Mark II's siblings, the Chaser and the Cresta were discontinued due to declining sales, partly influenced by the Japanese recession that started in the early 1990s, and were combined into the short-lived Toyota Verossa. The Mark II evolved into the Toyota Mark X which is still very popular in Japan and select international markets.
[B]First generation: Toyota Corona Mark II (T60, T70; 1968–1974)[/B]
The Corona Mark II, first offered for sale in Japan, September 1968, at Toyopet Store dealerships, was intended as an alternative model to the more established luxury sedan, the Crown, sold at Toyota Store dealerships, and the smaller Corona, also available at Toyopet Stores. It was a slightly larger vehicle than the Corona with a higher level of equipment offered at the time, sharing some of the features of the larger Crown, but taking the top position at Toyopet Store locations. At its introduction, the Mark II was third in Toyota's hierarchy of sedans, below the Crown and the all new, hand built, V8-engined limousine called the Toyota Century.
The four-door sedan was designated the T60, and the two-door coupé the T70. In 1970 there were minor cosmetic changes to the front grille. The 1600 cc 7R series engine was replaced by the 1,700 cc 6R series engine. A year later the 1500 cc 2R models were replaced by the 1600 cc 12R engines. Its competitor was primarily the Nissan Laurel in Japan, released earlier that year in April. In Japan, several trim packages were offered, paired with multiple engine displacements due to Japan's annual road tax obligation. The gradually larger engines obligated Japanese buyers to pay more tax, and equipment levels were gradually increased to justify the expense.
The US exported versions arrived for the 1969 model year and often include the more powerful R series motors compared to other regions. Before its US introduction, it appeared in South Africa, which was the first market to receive the 1900 cc engine.[6] While Japan and other markets often had 1.5-litre 2R, 1.6-litre 7R/12R to 1.7-litre 6R models as well. Engines were shared with the Corona, with both using the 2R, and the 12R engine. Transmissions offered were an automatic transmission with three speeds for export and two speeds in Japan, or a choice of either a four- or three-speed manual transmission.
The RT62 sedans and the RT72 coupé feature the 1.9-litre 8R four-cylinder engine, unique to the Mark II. The RT63 sedan, RT73 coupé, and RT78/RT79 station wagons feature a two-litre 18R four-cylinder engine, also unique to the Mark II. The suspension setup uses double wishbone with coil springs at the front and leaf springs at the back with a front-engine, rear-drive powertrain format.
The Corona Mark II is longer, at 4,295 mm (169.1 in) over the Corona's length of 162.4 in (4,125 mm) for the sedan, and the coupe, with a width of 1,610 mm (63.4 in) in comparison to 61 in (1,549 mm) for the sedan and coupe. The height of the Mark II is lower at 1,405 mm (55.3 in) over 1,420 mm (55.9 in) for the sedan, but higher at 1,374 mm (54.1 in) for the coupé.
For North America, the Mark II was available with bucket seats for the driver and front passenger, a center console with a floor-mounted manual transmission, electric rear window defroster, and a full size spare tire installed externally and underneath the cargo area on the wagon, with rear seats that fold down to a fully carpeted rear cargo area. The Mark II wagon was the largest wagon Toyota offered in North America, next to the Corona and Corolla wagons; the Crown wagon was no longer sold in North America.
Production of coupé utility model : April 1968 – July 1974.
[SIZE=1]Source: Wikipedia[/SIZE]
