The transmission provided quieter highway cruising, and decreased the larger engine’s fuel consumption. This transmission shared most components with the four-speed manual transmission, but included an additional gear set in the rear of the case that provided an overdrive fifth gear. In early 1972, without a lot of fanfare, Toyota started to offer a five speed transmission option behind the 2-TC. This upgrade was available in the two door coupes (but not the two door or four door sedans) and included radial tires and a small mini console. In fact, there were some who said a 2-TC equipped Corolla offered more bang for the buck than the BMW 2002. This engine provided a big jump in power, giving the Corolla first rate performance. In September of 1971, a larger 1,600 cc engine became available (the 2-TC). The base car (shown here) came with a motor displacing 1,200 cc’s (the 3-KC) and a four-speed manual transmission. In the Fall of 1970, a new generation Corolla arrived on the scene. The rapid growth in five speed transmissions brought on by this pioneering model forms the basis of this article.ġ971 Corolla Picture Courtesy of Kevin Martin Based on history, they were clearly happy with the results. Up until 1972, five speed gear boxes only arrived in the US mounted in European exotics with peaky small displacement engines. But in 1972, Toyota offered a five speed transmission in a single model, looking to test the American waters. If I had been a child of the sixties and grew up surrounded by big torque V-8s mounted in front of Muncie and Borg Warner 4 speeds, these five speed boxes may never have seduced me. In fact, I’ve upgraded three separate cars to five speed transmissions, despite the fact that the effort expended far outweighs any increase in vehicle value. Still, that work provides solid proof of my five speed passion. (first posted ) I’m a big believer in five speed manual transmissions, and have been for years. When I was a kid, my father introduced me to the advantages of five speed gear counts and overdrive gear ratios, and since then I’ve preferred five speed shift-your-own transmissions over those containing a torque converter and planetary gears.

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