>Toyota is known for the longevity of their cars and to prove that, the automaker is starting a competition. To celebrate the Burnaston plant’s 20th anniversary and to prove that their longevity reputation holds true for all of their cars, Toyota wants to find the oldest surviving British-built Carina E. The Carina E mid-size sedan was the first Toyota to roll off the assembly line in 1992 of the newly opened Burnaston plant in Derbyshire.
Toyota discovered that approximately 17,000 Carina models built between 1992 and 1997 have been in regular use in the UK to this very day.
“There’s a serious message behind the mission to find the oldest Carina E,” the company said in a statement. “Achieving the highest standards of build and quality are central to Toyota, and there was to be no compromise when the decision was made to begin its European manufacturing operation in the UK.”
Toyota is asking owner and enthusiasts to check out their VIN numbers of Carina E sedans by looking below the windshield wipers to make sure the car was built in the UK, not Japan. How you can tell the difference is if the VIN numbers start with an “S”, the car was built in Burnaston, and if it starts with a “J”, the car was imported from Japan. Once this is determined, car owners and enthusiasts can inform the company by sending an email to toyota.contact@tgb.toyota.co.uk.
The owners of the oldest Carina Es will be invited by Toyota to tell their car’s story and have it photographed, as well as be givng the opportunity to win the use of a new Auris for a week.Image courtesy of rorinabila