The Toyota Sprinter, a variant of the Toyota Corolla, was manufactured by the Japanese automaker from 1968 to 2000. Toyota aimed to come up with a sportier version of the Corolla. The Sprinter has been used as the base vehicle for two joint projects by Toyota and US automaker GM. The car, known as the S-car, was sold in both the United States and Australia. Each generation of Corolla, up until the introduction of Corolla E140 in 2000, was sold alongside a Sprinter sibling. They were only available in Australia from 1983. They disappeared from the Australian market from 1985 to 1993, only to be reintroduced in 1994. 

First Generation (1968-1969) E10 Series

Toyota introduced the first-generation Sprinter in 1968. It was the only Sprinter to use the “Corolla” name, as it first came out as a trim of the Corolla coupe. Like the rest of the range in this generation, it was powered by a 1,077-cc K engine but later upgraded to the 1,166-cc 3K engine in 1969.

Second Generation (1970-1973)

Toyota ditched the Corolla name on the E20 series Sprinter, which started selling at the Toyota Auto Store network as the Toyota Sprinter Trueno. It still used the 3K engine from the first generation. In 1972, the 1,588-cc 2T engine was introduced. 

Third Generation (1974-1978)

The third Sprinter was based on the third-generation Corolla. Differences between the Sprinter and Corolla, as was the case in the first two generations, were mainly cosmetic. It was initially given E41-47 codes and later updated to E50-55 series in 1974. In 1978, it became the E60 series.

Fourth Generation (1979-1982)

The fourth-generation E70 series Sprinter was based on the fourth-generation Corolla coupe, 4-door sedan, 2-door sedan and liftback. The changes made were still merely cosmetic. It was fitted with more complex grille, headlights and taillights. It received a facelift in 1981 that included a wedge-shaped nose. Australian-sold models were equipped with a 1.6L engine that achieved peak power of 58kW and a torque of 127 Nm. 

Fifth Generation (1983-1986)

The fifth-generation E80 series was based on the fifth-generation Corolla range and sold either as a front-wheel or rear-wheel drive. It was, however, the last rear-wheel-drive Sprinter to come out of production. It was a trendy drift vehicle that was favoured by sport car enthusiasts.

Some of the features that were exclusive to the RWD Sprinter included pop-up headlamps and slightly-raised front bumper. The cars still used the 1.6L 4A I4 engine (58 kW, 127 Nm) paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox. It was available in a base coupe model that came with alloy wheels as standard equipment.

Sixth Generation (1987-1990)

The sixth-generation Sprinter was introduced in May 1987 either as a front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. It was offered as a sedan (MX), 5-door liftback (Celio) and a station wagon (Carib). 

One of the many changes in this generation was the new 1.6L 16-valve DOHC engine introduced for the GT-grade cars. It had individual throttle bodies and variable valve timing (VVT). The vehicles fitted with this engine could accelerate from 0-100km/hr in 6 seconds. 

Seventh Generation (1991-1994)

The E100 series seventh generation Sprinter was released in 1991. For this generation, Toyota introduced the 4-door hardtop sedan, Sprinter Marino, which had frameless windows and door. The cars came fitted with a 1.8L 4-cylinder engine rated 85kW and 155 N.m.

Eighth Generation (1995-2000)

This generation also shared the Corolla eight-generation range. It was the last model to use the Sprinter badge after Toyota decided to use the name Allex instead. This model, which was exclusively available as a sedan, was only marketed and sold in Japan. The Australian-delivered Sprinter was available in base hatch model and powered by a 1.8L 7A-FE I4 petrol engine (85 kW, 155 Nm) paired with 4-speed automatic and 5-speed manual. The standard equipment for this 5-door, 5-seat hatch included an anti-theft alarm system, central locking, power steering, power windows, and a radio cassette with four speakers.

Only the fifth and eighth generations ever made it to Australia as new Sprinters, and sales only lasted up to 1996. With this limited period, finding a Sprinter would not be as easy. However, its Corolla siblings abound in the country, so finding interchangeable auto parts wouldn’t be that difficult.