The Unusual Car of the Unusual Owners: Chrysler Imperial (Part 2)

The car was immediately purchased by the great Soviet composer Arno Babajanyan. The transport to Yerevan was arranged by someone named Vanik from Silachi (there is such a district in Yerevan).Throughout the years of service to the composer, the car was never used for the intended purpose.

Being a creative individual, Babajanyan was not a huge fan of technological progress, he was rather fascinated by the original shapes and incomparable design of this car. As for the technical side, it always remained in the background for the great maestro.

Arno Babajanyan passed away on 11 November 1983 at age 62. The story of this car could have ended with the death of the maestro, if it hadn’t been put up for sale again after 32 years. This time the owner of this magic car is our team. The car is currently is in our garage and needs undergoing extensive restoration work, which will be implemented in the near future.

The Unusual Car of the Unusual Owners: Chrysler Imperial (Part 1)

It should be noted that Japan's Ambassador to the USSR had very good taste and, I believe, corresponding ambitions in the choice of official vehicles.

To my knowledge, in the 1960s and 70s of the last century, the representative of the rising sun’s country preferred to be served only with American Chrysler Imperial Le Barons of different generations, the story of two of which is known to a small circle of people. By a twist of fate, one of those cars ended up in Armenia.

The car of the Japan’s ambassador was acquired in 1963. This Imperial Le Baron was in the Moscow residence of the Ambassador until 1968 and served him for all official events. In 1968 the car was replaced by a new, more perfect, similar model. A little later, the car received regular Moscow registration plates and was put up for sale.
To be continued…

The Immortal Toyota Crown (Part 4)

This engine is aggregated with a 5-speed manual transmission.
This Toyota is one of the brightest proofs of how reliable the cars of the past and the so-called cast-iron engines were. Having a mileage of more than 1.500.000 kilometers, this engine has never been repaired! Throughout the entire running period, none of the engine details has been replaced.

The car has undergone only few repairs so far: replacement of the oil pressure gauge (2010) and water-cooling pump (2011), as well as repairs to the injection pump (2012). It’s noteworthy that this car is actively used every day and there has been no major damage to the mechanical units.
The owner of this remarkable car plans to drive from Armenia to Japan in the near future, in order to visit the headquarter of Toyota Motor Corporation. So let’s wish good luck to the organizers of this challenging run.

The Immortal Toyota Crown (Part 3)

Now briefly about the technical features.
The Toyota Crown of the sixth generation was produced  between 1979 and 1983 and was offered in not only various body, but also engine modifications.  As for this model, it has a body index LS-110; moreover, the configuration even has its own name-Super Delux, which indicates the availability of an air conditioner, stereo system, electric windows and side-view mirrors, power door locks, and some other features.

The presence of a one-piece supporting frame, dependent rear axle and an economical diesel engine makes this car really distinctive. By the way, the power train of the “L” model has a capacity of 2.2 liters (2188CC), which produces 72HP and has a torque of 126 Nm. Exactly the same power train was installed on the legendary Hilux and Hiace known for their high performance and reliability on the hottest and hard-to-reach spots of our planet.
 To be continued...

Jaguar XK Roadster

Sunday morning in Perugia (Italy).
One of the desired jaguars and a cup of Italian espresso. What else do you need for happiness?

The Immortal Toyota Crown (Part 2)

Now, I would like to particularly highlight one model- the Toyota Crown, an executive sedan of business class. Although little known outside the country of the rising sun, this car was in great demand on the markets of Europe and Australia. 

In the late 80s the countries of the USSR were swept by an import wave of used and relatively inexpensive right-hand-drive vehicles from Japan.  As for this car, it’s one of the first Toyotas in Armenia. It appeared in Yerevan in 1989. Having been used as a taxi cab in its homeland for about 10 years and having been driven nearly 400.000 kilometers , the car, in a sheer factory condition,  was brought to Yerevan as an everyday vehicle.
To be continued...

The Immortal Toyota Crown (Part 1)

Nothing lasts forever in this world. But, are you sure about that? Try to impose this opinion on any owner of a Toyota with a diesel engine. Be sure, you will crash and burn- it’s like trying to make a primitive man to read War and Peace.

Moreover, if this is an atmospheric diesel engine, or even worse (for you), the engine belongs to the L family, your efforts will be completely wasted. Besides, you will be persuaded that these engines can run on used vegetable oils, jet fuel and all other unbelievable substances without any damage. The pity is that we, the automotive skeptics and owners of modern vehicles, will never be able to appreciate such cars. 
And indeed, there was a time when cars were built with a huge safety factor and used to be much more reliable than now. There was little use of cheap plastic and completely useless electronics. Preference was given to extremely simple and reliable designs. Nowadays, the modern market rules over the automotive industry making it simply unprofitable to produce “eternal” cars. The era of “disposable cars” makes oldies from distant 70-80s look especially exotic.
To be continued...