SV21 Camry

Only the name carried over. Now made locally as the Corona replacement, the second generation SV21 four-cylinder Camry came in four-door sedan and wagon variants (64kW 1.8L SE and CS sedan, and 88kW 2.0L CS wagon, CS/X and Ultima sedan).

The fuel-injected (EFI) 3S-FE 2.0L was the first twin-cam 16-valve engine built in Australia, and – along with the Camry’s suspension – was ST162 Celica-based. Transmissions were either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic.

Only the base SE lacked power steering, while a folding rear seat, cloth trim and clock were standard fitments.

Unstable-feeling handling may have offset good performance and packaging, but Camry sales boomed.

Fleet buyers particularly favoured the auto-only 2.0L Executive model from May ’88.

A month later, a premium priced, fully imported and equipped 117kW 2.5L quad-cam V6 Camry was successfully launched.

Silky smooth performance, new bumpers and cabin trim separated it from the four-cylinder sedans.