Toyota Sera

Toyota
Toyota Sera (1990-1995)
Sera
Production period:	1990-1997
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Combi coupe
Engines:	Petrol engines : 1.5 liters (79 kW)
Length:	3860 mm
Width:	1650 mm
Height:	1265 mm
Wheelbase :	2300 mm
Empty weight :	930 kg

The Toyota Sera (model code EXY10) was a 2-door, 4-seat coupe that Toyota produced from February 1990 to December 1995. The car was only produced for the Japanese market, but was also imported (in small numbers) as a gray import to other countries with left-hand traffic such as Australia , New Zealand , Pakistan , Bangladesh , India , Great Britain and Ireland . The name of the series model Sera comes from French and means "will be". This should indicate both the futuristic design and the close relationship to the concept vehicle AXV-II on which the Sera is based. The most striking details were its butterfly doors, which opened up to the front, and its large glass dome.

history

In April 1983 Toyota started the Young Project under the direction of chief engineer Mikio Kaneko with the aim of designing a car for a young group of buyers and thus opening up a new market segment away from the conservative mass market. This resulted in the concept vehicle Toyota Palette (Y-1), which, however, did not receive the approval of the company management. After the project came under the control of Toyota headquarters in Aichi Prefecture in January 1985 , work began on a new concept. Three months later, the team was reinforced by designer Hiroyuki Yao, who was largely responsible for the exterior design of the new vehicle in the further course of development.

In order to give the interior an open atmosphere and to interpret the project slogan Live Performance , possibilities were discussed to design the passenger cell with a low belt line and the largest possible glass surfaces. However, the proposal to use a movable roof as in the Toyota Publica Sports concept vehicle presented in 1962 was rejected due to safety concerns. Finally, at a meeting, Hideichi Misono, who later headed the Toyota Design Center, presented a cardboard model with diagonally hinged butterfly doors. Those present were fascinated by the design and decided to implement the idea despite the technical challenges still to be solved.

In the further course, the management were presented with three different clay models to choose from and subsequently the prototype AXV-II (Y-2) was developed, which was presented to the public at the 27th Tokyo Motor Show at the end of October 1987. Due to the predominantly positive reactions, the management decided to transfer the concept to production.

After minor external adjustments, a pre-production model of the Toyota Sera was presented in October 1989 at the 28th Tokyo Motor Show. Series production began on February 9, 1990 at the Toyota subsidiary Central Motor . Sales started on March 8, 1990.

Toyota originally expected around 1,000 vehicles to be sold in the first month, but was surprised by the demand as it received 3,600 orders in the first two weeks. A total of 9,000 cars were sold in the first 12 months.

The basic version of the Toyota Sera cost around 1,600,000 yen (around 15,398 euros today). Popular surcharge options were the automatic transmission for 75,000 yen (around 722 euros today) and the Super-Live Sound System (SLSS) for 206,000 yen (around 1,982 euros today).

Other model variants of the Sera were also originally discussed - including a model with a more powerful engine and a half-open two-seater with a soft top - but ultimately not realized. There were also plans to sell the sera outside of Japan, but they were abandoned as sales estimates proved difficult.

In March 1991, the Toyota Sera was voted first place in the Car Design Award Torino - Piemonte for production vehicles by a clear margin .

The last Sera produced rolled off the production line on December 14, 1995. A total of 15,941 vehicles were produced of which 15,852 were registered in Japan.

Basic model

Toyota Sera

Since the car was only released in one body shape and with one engine type, there is technically only one EXY10 model. However, there was a whole range of optional equipment packages offered ex works. In addition, Toyota manufactured the car in three generations (called phases), which differ in certain details, e.g. B. the interior, differed, even if the differences were more of a cosmetic nature.

technology

All Sera were powered by the 5E-FHE four-cylinder in - line engine of the Toyota-E series. The engine developed 82 kW (110 DIN PS ) from a displacement of 1,496 cm³ and was designed for unleaded gasoline with a minimum octane number of 91 RON . The injection engine, which was also used in the Toyota Paseo , was installed transversely at the front and drove the front wheels. All versions of the Sera had power steering and either a manual five-speed gearbox or a four-speed automatic, which around 90% of buyers opted for. The brakes were equipped with ventilated discs at the front and drums at the rear. Only the versions with ABS had internally ventilated discs all around.

Drive components, underbody, suspension, steering and brakes corresponded to those of the Paseo and the Starlet. As a result, these parts are still relatively easy to get today as spare parts.

body

The Sera had a monocoque body made of steel, which had a low and rounded shape. It was a 3-door station wagon coupé . The most striking detail were the butterfly doors that were hung on the top and bottom of the A-pillars and opened similar to those of the McLaren F1 or Saleen S7 . The weight of the doors was borne primarily by strong gas pressure springs and also supported by smaller gas pressure springs in the doors, which compensated for temperature differences. Over time, the springs lose their gas filling, which can result in the doors no longer remaining open. However, this error can be eliminated by refilling or exchanging the dampers. In contrast to normal single-action doors, the butterfly doors of the Sera could also be opened in relatively confined spaces; only 43 cm of space to the side was required for a complete opening.

Tailgate and taillights of the Sera

The tailgate of the Sera was also exceptional, as it was made entirely of glass without a metal frame. This, together with the low windshield and the windows of the butterfly doors opening into the roof, gave the Sera the appearance of a glass dome. This arrangement gave the driver of a Sera good all-round visibility, even if the wide B-pillars restricted this somewhat, especially on the driver's side. This large proportion of windows also ensured that the interior heated up strongly in the event of intense sunlight, which is why the vehicles were equipped with automatic air conditioning and two roof panels that could be used as standard.

Since this roof structure, such. If, for example, little support was granted in a convertible, the Sera did not achieve the torsional stiffness of a vehicle with a closed roof. This can lead to deteriorated driving characteristics, which can also be due to the age of the vehicle and the failure of some chassis components.

Interior

The Sera was a 2 + 2 coupé with single seats in the front and a bench in the back, which had a fixed center armrest. Both front seats had to be moved forward and the backrest folded down to enable entry to the rear. Thanks to the deep rear seats, adults also have sufficient headroom. In all phases, three-point belts were installed at the front, while two-point or three-point belts were available at the rear, depending on the phase. The individual phases differed mainly in the interior design.

With a normal seating configuration (rear shelf mounted and backrests set up), the trunk has a remarkably small opening (52 cm × 82 cm) and the loading sill is relatively high. The trunk itself is quite large. The backrests of the rear seats can be folded down and both the parcel shelf and the luggage net behind the rear seats can be completely removed, turning the entire rear part of the car into the trunk. In fact, the Sera has a lot of luggage space for its size. The spare tire and tools are in a separate compartment under the trunk floor.

Other equipment details

Projection spotlights

The Sera EXY10 was one of the first cars to have projection headlights (although the AXV-II concept car still had regular headlights in 1988). The Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 was probably the first car to have scissor doors , the windows of which, like the Sera, reached into the roof.

export

Since the Sera was officially built for the Japanese market, all cars were right-hand drive and metric instruments. This allowed an export mainly to countries that had the same requirements. Only minor changes were required for the UK, where a mileage speedometer is required. Major modifications are necessary for export to the USA or most European countries. In Australia, the Sera generally require three-point seat belts and side impact protection to get type approval.

Phases

The Toyota Sera was produced in three different generations. It was available with manual or automatic transmission, standard or ABS brakes, normal stereo or super-live sound system (SSLS). There were also extensive special equipment packages to choose from during the entire production period.

Phase I (March 1990 - May 1991)

Most of the Sera models were produced in the original version (approx. 11,900 of a total of 15,941):

• Beige or gray-blue interior (depending on the exterior color)
• Tank cap with bayonet lock
• hard-wearing, ribbed upholstery fabric

Phase II (May 1991 - June 1992)

Second version (approx. 2,300 copies):

• Pastel-colored interior with beige or grayish upholstery, depending on the interior color
• screwed fuel cap
• different upholstery quality

Phase III (June 1992 - December 1995)

The last version of the Sera showed significantly more changes compared to the original version than phase II (approx. 1,700 copies):

• gray interior with a second color that was matched to the exterior color
• some engine improvements
• Side impact protection in the doors
• on request: airbags (only in conjunction with ABS)
• Three-point seat belts at the rear (optional up to November 1993)
• stronger gas pressure shock absorbers for the doors to compensate for the additional weight of the side impact protection
• massive plastic rear spoiler with third (LED) brake light. This was the only externally visible change to the Sera.

Phase III "Amlux" special model

The Sera Phase III was also available as a special Amlux model , which was supposed to be limited to 50 vehicles. Presumably, however, only 21 copies were produced between September and December 1992. The name was borrowed from the representative Toyota building in Tokyo . The Amlux building housed the largest automobile showroom in the world until the end of 2013 and is located in Ikebukuro . It's one of those oval skyscrapers that glow purple at night, but has a matte surface and bright white stripes.

The Sera Amlux was based on the Sera Phase III with automatic transmission and SLSS. It had the following equipment details to offer:

• Two-tone paint in green
• Axle caps in special colors
• Blue-tinted windows
• Six different colors to choose from for the seat covers
• Cover for the rear seats
• AMLUX logo on the floor mats
• AMLUX logo on the doors
• Personal name badge on every car
• Seat cushions and a special scarf designed on customer request

Optional equipment ex works

The Sera was available with various optional extras from the factory in all phases. The most important technical equipment was the ABS. Further details included:

• various logos and stripes as stickers
• Body kits
• Car phone / car fax
• Parking sensors
• tinted windows with pattern
• Roof coverings
• Ski rack (attached to the doors)
• upper spoiler made of smoked glass
• special patterns for seat covers and floor mats
• various car radios

Super Live Sound System (SLSS)

An important option inside was a special stereo system called the Super-Live Sound System or SLSS. The SLSS had a total of 10 speakers, 3 pieces of 10 cm tweeters in the front console (left - center - right), 2 pieces of 10 cm midrange speakers in the doors (left - right), 2 pieces of tweeters and 2 pieces of midrange speakers in a tubular attachment on the parcel shelf and a subwoofer in the trunk. The SLSS had a 3-way digital sound processor (DSP) with the positions "Off", "Casual" or "Funky", which could be set with a button on the radio that was labeled "WARP". This caused slight differences in sound due to preset ratios of highs and lows and switched the loudspeakers on either for listening enjoyment in the car or sound emission through the rear window.

Air filter and fragrance systems

Toyota Sera owners could also choose from one or two different electronic cabin air filters. There was either a single air filter / interior light combination that was mounted on the headliner, or a system that was mounted as "Air Fantasy" in the front console below the stereo system. The roof unit sucked in air through a fan from the front and blew it out through a filter at the back. The Air Fantasy system was connected to the car's air conditioning system and pumped small amounts of perfumed air through the vents, either automatically or if desired.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Toyota Sera: The Complete History . Headlight Magazine. 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
2. ^ E-mail from Mikio Kaneko . Toyota Sera Yahoo Group. 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
3. ↑ Toyota Sera Makes Debut: New Challenge for 1990s . Toyota Motor Corporation. 1990. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
4. ^ Toyota Wins Italian Design Award . Toyota Motor Corporation. 1991. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
5. ↑ Affiliates (Toyota wholly-owned Subsidiaries) -Toyota Motor East Japan, Inc. . Toyota Motor Corporation. 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
6. ↑ Amlux Sera. In: Toyota Sera Forum. October 1, 2019, accessed June 7, 2020 . 

Web links

Commons : Toyota Sera  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files