2. Toyota Cressida MX73/MX83

1985-1993 FROM $3000

The Cressida was a milestone for Toyota. Launched as the MkII in 1968, it sat between the popular mediumsized Corona and luxury Crown in the premium rear-drive sporting sedan (or wagon) mould, taking on our local Ford Fairmont and Holden Premier equivalents when sales started here with the, err, Mk2 MkII in ’72. The Cressida badge arrived in ’77, before the landmark Mk4 lead to Wheels’ famous ‘Toyota turns the corner’ coverline of March, ’81, declaring the company’s new-found dynamic capability. A real turning point for the brand that now utterly dominates. The plaudits kept on coming. The crisply styled MX73 of 1985 was praised as world class, while the MX82 of ’88 was probably our most revered Toyota of the time, ST162 Celica aside. In retrospect, the last Cressida’s refinement, performance and handling made it the missing link between Toyota and the first Lexus LS400. It was certainly something special. Despite such acclaim, that was the end of the line, with the bloated Camry-based Vienta from ’93 acting as the Cressida’s locally-made half-arsed replacement.