Toyota GB must own one of the rarest Yaris VVTi’s in the world. A 500-mile, all original example with an unblemished rear valance. https://drivenit.co.uk/toyota-yaris/
It came into Toyota’s care, warranty still intact, with around 150 miles. Legend has it (it’s actually a fact) that the previous owner crashed it in his garage, ever-so-slightly marking the front bumper. He lost confidence in driving and parked the little gem away in the garage for the next 18 years.
I remember when Graham Bothamley from Toyota’s press garage took delivery of it a few years back. He was enthused with enthusiasm. Probably more than when his first child was born. This Yaris really was a one-of-a-kind. Something that is likely never to happen again in both our lifetimes.
Early Onset Dementia
Release into the wilds of the UK in 1999, I seem to remember it at the UK Motorshow in 1998. I don’t remember the 1999 Motorshow. Looking at the list on Wikipedia of new cars launched in that year and you’d be hard-pressed to remember it too. 1999 was a boring year! With the Millennium just around the corner and the bugs that were going to end civilisation, it’s hardly surprising no one was developing great cars. We were all set on a crash course of doom. Instead of the apocalyptic fiery hell of death we were told to expect, our sparklers at 1 minute passed midnight fizzed out and we were left looking at the new Vauxhall Zafira on the driveway and wishing it had happened!
1998 however was exciting. From a personal viewpoint, not coming from the Toyota stand. 1998 saw the launch of the Peugeot 206 and Ford Focus. 2 cars I was excited to see. Back then as a 23-year-old, the new offering from Toyota somewhat escaped me.
What I do remember of 1998 was a Yaris show car and a bizarre item thing full of tennis balls that you looked into. I can’t describe any better than that. No one at Toyota can confirm or remember this thing I was looking at either. I wasn’t into the chemsex scene so my brain hadn’t been losing memory cell power from illegal or otherwise substances during those rare moments of passion. And I know I didn’t dream this. I can only think this was to show the roominess of the cabin a bit like the original Italian TV advert for the 1980 Fiat Panda. And with that in mind, I’ll start with the inside.
Space Race In A Small Package
What a space Toyota gave you. Nissan was still out there selling bucket loads of the K11 model, so the Yaris was an important model for Toyota. It was an image changer since the forgotten Starlet was just that, forgotten. And what a car it really was. Looking at it today without my 1998 eyes on it, it is still ahead of the game 24 years later. Once upon a time, small cars were all about space utilisation. Issigonis had set the standard with the Mini and since then no one had really been able to match his ideology.
I’ll grant you that the Yaris wasn’t as small as the Mini or as clever. Nothing really has been but Toyota did give you vast amounts of space inside. 2 massive slots that could take a handbag flanked on either side of the dashboard. And then there was the easy-to-read digital display.
This was a daring design feature and a make-or-break for the Yaris. Despite car manufacturers promoting the affluent young in literature, it was the older generation that took on the Yaris. And once you get the grey pound, you are onto a sales winner. The greys talk to other greys and suddenly the virtues of the Yaris are being hailed across the country.
What Big Eyes You Have
It’s a typical small city car from Japan. There seems to be an absence of some sound-deadening material around the body panels making it sound a little tinny when you close the doors.
Overlook this cheapness and for under £8000 you got a car with friendly looks that were willing, able and reliable. Its cutesy face, now absent from almost every car on the roads today, was as joyous as it was to own a Yaris.
The Hustle
As true to form, the Yaris does all that you need of it. With its 998cc engine, 0-60 could be reached in 14.1 seconds, not that it was done many times. Despite the sporty sounding VVT-i initials on the body which to the grey pound meant a midweek special Vodka, Vermouth and Tonic on ice, it didn’t really feel like it did much. You didn’t really need to push the engine that hard. It was never intrusive and because the gearstick moved with Japanese precision, it always felt slightly quicker than the 14 seconds would suggest. And considering this predates any hybrid Yaris, Toyota managed to make it sound a little like a Hotpoint washing machine. Something granny could relate to.
What the greys would have appreciated and at 47, I am too, is the short throw needed on the clutch pedal. It feels like it’s around 3 inches in travel. It’s not, but so light and easy, that you wouldn’t tire of this manual in heavy Friday night traffic jams. The high driving position and spacious airy cabin make for a rather pleasant place to sit.
Tyre Kicking
If truth be told, the first Mk1 Yaris I drove was back in 2017. Funny enough it too was green. It amazed me just how good it was to drive. The aforementioned space inside with its grey fabrics and plastic opened up the space inside. I’ve been kicking myself since for ignoring the virtues of this rather great little car from Toyota ever since. If I was to recommend a small starter classic, I’d suggest one of these. But not this one.
That unblemished lower rear valance means it really should be in the Victoria and Albert museum. Forget the paintings, jewellery, carpets, ivory, stone, metal sculptures and works in crystal, this Yaris is a masterpiece of existence that has avoided the ravages of time. And not being reversed into a shopping trolley.