A Camry from the Distant Past

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Hey kids, the Toyota Camry has been around longer than you think and is more than the white hybrid taxi you know today. Is this important? No. Should you care? Probably not. But once upon a time, in the 80s, Camrys roamed our roads in great numbers, driven by sales reps, mid level management and, in the case of this top spec ‘Ultima’ model, retired people. Rarely seen today but a pleasant sight when one of these handsome devils makes an appearance. Like this one. Read on...

The Camry first appeared in the late 70s as a name on a Toyota but really a part of the Celica or Corona range. It was the V20 model of 1987 when the Camry got its own identity here in NZ. These were built in Australia for Aussie conditions and were very popular. Solid, reliable and very well made with class-leading fuel injected engines and decent spec for the day. The very top of the range was the Ultima which got a 2 litre engine, alloys, electric windows, cruise control and a stereo with graphic equaliser! I get it, that’s not very impressive in 2026, but in 1987 it really was.

This particular survivor has travelled 284,300kms but looks so fresh considering it’s nearly 40 years old. And to be honest, it’s a good looking old thing, in a retro kind of way. And you could absolutely use it daily and take it to car shows on the weekend. It looks remarkably original right down to that factory stereo with separate EQ. I mean it’s worth the price of admission just for that and should not, under any circumstance, be changed for some modern thing with flashing lights (you could get it upgraded to bluetooth etc, that would be ok).

This car is available now for $4990 and comes with a 5 day money back guarantee. That’s pretty fair for a slice of usable 80s retro. More details here.