Toyopet Master

Toyopet Master series
Overview
Manufacturer - Toyota (Kanto Auto Works)
Production - Jan 1955 ... Nov 1956 (Master) / Nov 1955 ... Sep 1967 (Masterline) / 1956 ... 1959 (Master Ribbon)
Assembly - Japan
Designer - Tozo Yabuta
Body and chassis
Class - Compact
Body style - 4-door sedan / 2-door extended cab coupé utility / 2-door coupé utility / 2-door delivery
Layout - front-engine, rear-wheel drive
Platform - ladder frame
Related - Toyopet Crown RS / Toyopet Toyoace SKB
Powertrain
Engine - 1,453 cc type R OHV I4
Chronology
Predecessor - Toyota RH
Successor - Toyota Corona (Master) / Toyota Crown Van/Pickup (Masterline)

The Toyopet Master, introduced in January 1955, is a passenger car that was an evolution of the earlier Toyota SF/RH sedan (also known as the Super) with a modernized body. As with its predecessor, the Master has a ladder frame truck chassis with leaf sprung solid axles both at the front and the rear. The more conservative Master was sold in parallel with the first Toyota Crown as a frugally equipped and robust version meant for taxi usage. The Master and Crown shared the same R-series engine, which produces 48 PS (35 kW) in the Master. It was sold at a chain of Toyota Japan dealerships called Toyota Store, next to the more upscale Crown, which was intended as a private purchase alternative to the Master.
History
In 1955 Toyota wasn't sure if its independent front coil suspension and the rear-hinged back doors installed on the Crown wouldn't be too radical for the taxi market to accept. When sales of the Crown proved satisfying, the Master sedan was discontinued in November 1956. The Master's body was built by Toyota's Kanto Auto Works subcontractor, as with the preceding RHK Super model. Along with the perceived need for a more robust and conservative model for professional users, Toyota was also interested in providing Kanto Auto Works with assembly work to make up for Toyota moving the production of the Crown entirely in-house. Project Manager Tozo Yabuta quickly developed the Master using a large number of the RHK's parts, with the first prototype running in March 1954. One seemingly retrograde step was moving from the RH's four-speed to a three-speed transmission (although the new unit was fully synchronized), but Japanese buyers at the time associated the need for many gears with weak engines.
The Master sedan was partially replaced with the smaller Toyota Corona in 1957, at a new Toyota Japanese dealership called Toyopet Store. The RR Master's body panels were used in cut-down form as an economical and fast way to design this new ST10 Corona. Production facilities for the Master were transferred to the Crown. In 1995, Toyota revisited the approach of a commercial grade Crown sedan, designed primarily for taxi usage, and introduced the Toyota Comfort which is still in production, with prolific usage across Asia.
Masterline (RR)
The Toyopet Master range also included the Masterline RR16 pickup, the Masterline RR17 van and the later Masterline RR19 double pickup (with two rows of seats). They were introduced in November 1955, originally only as a single-cab pickup and a van. These replaced the SG commercial models and were the first car-based trucks to enter production in Japan. The chassis were built at Toyota's main Aichi plant and then transported overland to Kanto Auto Works in Yokosuka, where the bodies were assembled mainly by hand. The double pickup was added in August 1956, around which time the engine was upgraded to provide 55 PS (40 kW). By 1958, power had been increased again, reaching 58 PS (43 kW). The double cab pickup was built by Central Motor Co., who kept building this bodystyle of succeeding generations until December 1970. The double-cab could seat six people with a maximum cargo load of 500 kg (1,100 lb), but was subject to the lower tax applied to commercial vehicles, making it popular with construction firms and the like.
The Masterline commercial models were carried over after the discontinuation of the Master. In 1957 the light van was lightly changed and was now fully glazed, rather than having pressed steel in the rear side windows. The first generation Masterlines were built until replaced by a new Crown-based generation in March 1959, for the Toyota Store sales channel. A total of 19,400 Master and Masterlines (excluding the Central Motors-built RR19s) were built by Kanto Auto Works until production ended in 1959. A smaller Coronaline version was also developed to be sold through Toyopet dealers.

wikipedia.org (en)

Toyopet Master

Toyopet Master
Общие данные
Производитель - Toyota
Годы производства - 1955-1956 (Master) / 1955-1967 (Masterline) / 1956-1959 (Master Ribbon)
Класс - Компактный представительский
Дизайн и конструкция
Тип кузова - 4‑дв. седан / 2‑дв. купе
Компоновка - переднемоторная, заднеприводная
Колёсная формула - 4 × 2
На рынке
Связанные - Toyopet Crown RS / Toyopet Toyoace SKB
Сегмент - D-сегмент
Другая информация
Дизайнер - Тодзо Ябута
Toyota SA {} Toyota Corona

Toyopet Master - компактный представительский автомобиль, представленный компанией Toyota в январе 1955 года. Являлся модернизацией Toyota SF/RH, разделяя с ним шасси с лестничной рамой и рессоры подвески.
История
В 1955 году компания Toyota не была уверена в том, что независимая передняя подвеска и задние двери на шарнирах, установленные на Crown, не будут слишком радикальными для такси. Когда продажи Crown оказались удовлетворительными, в ноябре 1956 года седан Master был снят с производства и заменён моделью Toyota Crown.
Masterline (RR)
В модельный ряд Toyopet Master входили: пикап Masterline RR16, фургон Masterline RR17 и двухкабинный пикап Masterline RR19. Все они были представлены в ноябре 1955 года. Шасси были изготовлены в Айти и выпускались в Йокосуке. Пикап с двойной кабиной выпускался до декабря 1969 года.

wikipedia.org (ru)