What If Toyota Had Made A Corolla 4x4 SR5 In The '80s?

It would have been fantastic for performance-minded enthusiasts in snowy climates.

Toyota Corolla GT-S 4WD Rendering

Chris Bruce

By: Chris Bruce

Oct 24, 2019 at 9:39am ET

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Thanks in large part to its fame in Gran Turismo and a starring role in Initial D, the rear-wheel drive Toyota Corolla GT-S has become one of the notable performance vehicles in the 1980s. The combination of nimble handling and a high-revving four-cylinder engine made for a potent package. Now, Abimelec Design imagines an alternate history for this machine by rendering a version of the coupe with a part-time four-wheel-drive system.

The artist imagines that the Corolla 4x4 SR5 would drop the revvy 4A-GE for the 22R-TE. This rare variant of Toyota's famous 22R powerplant packs a turbocharger and makes 135 horsepower (101 kilowatts) and 173 pound-feet (234 Newton-meters) of torque. The mill was briefly available in the Toyota Truck and 4Runner in the mid-1980s.

Gallery: Toyota Corolla GT-S 4WD Rendering

Toyota Corolla GT-S 4WD Rendering

Abimelec thinks his Corolla 4x4 SR5 would use a drivetrain similar to the Toyota Tercel 4WD available in around the same period. The model featured a stick behind the gearshift that allowed drivers to switch between front- and four-wheel drive. Although in this version of the Corolla's case, the setup would need to swap between rear- and four-wheel drive.

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This Corolla also rides a little higher than stock and gets the steel wheels from the Toyota Truck at the time. The stripes and Turbo badges make it fit the aesthetic of the 1980s.

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Abimelec thinks the four-wheel-drive Corolla would have competed against the AMC Eagle at the time because they both offered all-weather traction without forcing a customer to get a pickup or SUV. However, the Subaru XT would probably have been an even closer competitor with its available turbocharged engine and push-button four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive depending on the model year.

Toyota Celica All-Trac ST165

It's worth noting that Toyota had an all-wheel-drive performance car in the U.S. in the late-1980s. The Celica Turbo All-Trac (above) took inspiration from the company's rally car at the time. Its 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder offered 190 hp (142 kW) and 190 lb-ft (258 Nm) that ran through a five-speed manual.

Source: Abimelec Design via Facebook

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