Every Autopian Is An Expert In Something, And It’s So Awesome: COTD

Something I adore about our community is that everyone is an expert in something. We have engineers of all sorts of disciplines here, aviators, boaters, bikers, lawyers, and all points between. At exactly the right moment, someone’s expertise becomes uniquely relevant.

Yesterday, Jason wrote about the cool cars of the show Pluribus. Nlpnt got deliciously nerdy:

I have to point out that Corolla is not a ’75. It’s a 1978 model with a one year only grille, less fussy with plastichrome detail and with a more squared-off framing than the earlier style but less so than the other one year only grille the ’79s got. All that applied only to 1600cc TE31 sedans and TE32 wagons – the 1200cc KE31 had a flatter hood and simpler grille, also in early and late versions, and the Sport Coupe and Liftback had yet another face

Also, you can spot a stock ’75 a mile off because it had the style of chrome and black full metal wheel covers most earlier ’70s Japanese cars had, or chrome dog dishes on black steelies on base 2-doors, before going to the styled steel wheel painted light argent as seen here starting in ’76.

Then, you have the pedant who corrects the other pedant. Eric Gonzalez:

This guy Corollas.

You’re very right, but also not quite. All your data is based off 3rd gen US version Corollas. In reality in the rest of the world the grilles and other details varied a lot and don’t fully match what you got in the US, but the show happens mostly in the US, so your clarification is valid.

-Source: Owner of a global market 3rd gen Corolla.

You readers rock!

Jason wrote a Cold Start about a Vauxhall 14 brochure, and it’s refreshingly positive, like the car’s a glass that’s half-full. Twobox Designgineer:

I like that rather than a “sunroof,” it’s a “Sunshine Roof.” It sounds so positive. But… isn’t this a British car?

Finally, we’ll land on my story about my CrossCabriolet road trip next week. I asked you for recommendations for places to visit. Will Packer made me laugh:

There is also a big hole in the ground south of Flagstaff, which was made by space aliens throwing a medium-sized rock at us.
The amazing thing is how close it came to the visitor’s center!

I highly recommend a visit to the Meteor Crater if you’re ever passing through Arizona. You won’t regret it.

Have a great evening, everyone!

(Top graphic: Toyota)