1971 Toyota Crown S70 (MS75) Coupe

The Crown coupe is a rarely sighted classic that's gained serious attention recently, and its stylish and sporty stance is something we wish we saw more of during the 1970s. The integrated (non-protruding) bumper designs, for example, were well ahead of their time, and gave these cars a very neat appearance. 

This example is advertised on Ebay in Sydney, Australia. Australia produced the Crown locally (including a pickup version in the model range), but unfortunately missed out on the coupe. It's believed that there are only a handful of these in Australia, with any examples being private imports. The coupe body style was sold new in the USA, but in very low numbers. Enthusiasts over there always jump on the opportunity when a good one occasionally comes up.

Assuming the seller's description is accurate with respect to the car having very little rust, $14,000 (AUD) represents a reasonable starting price for negotiation, and although we've seen cars go cheaper outside of Australia, those cars generally had serious rust issues, repairs for which could add up to several thousands of dollars (for example - this one here at 4,800 (GBP)). The relative scarcity and seeming originality of this car makes it look like a worthwhile investment, particularly if you could negotiate the price by a few thousand. We really don't think you'd lose in the long term with this one, and our advice would be to keep it stock standard, with just a few period modifications.

If you're a Crown expert, we'd love to here from you and learn more about them, so please don't hesitate to make your comments on this car at the base of this page. If you own one, add it to Classic Register so we can preserve the details of these rare Japanese classics into the future. If we spot any other opportunities like this, we'll make sure they're known – you can follow us on Facebook or sign up for our weekly email to see our best picks of the latest additions to the Register.