AE112 Corolla

As the ‘90s recession ravaged on in Japan, Toyota was forced to cut costs from its eight generation Corolla.

What emerged was a cleverly reskinned version of its predecessor that felt immediately old against its resurgent Mazda 323, Holden Astra and VW Golf rivals also released at the same time.

Identified by its round headlights, the AE112 relied on its long list of standard features, which included a driver’s airbag, air-conditioning, CD player and front power windows.

Both Conquest and CSX models were powered by a revised version of the evergreen 85kW 7A-FE 1.8-litre engine, mated to a five-speed manual or four-speed auto transmission.