Toyota's wacky but wonderful Sera

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The Toyota Sera is quite a strange looking beast. It is also quite a brave move for a manufacturer more associated with pretty mainstream motors.

Originally created in the early 90's for the Tokyo show, public reaction to the motor was favourable, so Toyota decided to make a car based upon that.

This car was the version we now see, which has had minor alterations to the bodywork, interior and roofline.

The most distinctive feature of the Sera are the doors, with their wrap around glass area. This might seem impractical, but the way that the doors are designed is both functional and intuitive. The doors scissor up and out, and as the glass wraps to where the roof would be, this leaves quite a large gap, so one does not have to worry about hitting the roof. The doors open outwards in slighlty narrower than normal arc, so parking in tight gaps and getting out is not a problem! We haven't heard any horror storied of the doors packing in, but the struts can become weakened and need re gassing once in a while....

Despite the doors looking impractical for the weather, we tested one some time ago, and it was raining. The rain ran down the glass (which would have been the top of the roof) onto the windscreen and never into the car or us. Such is the design that you won't really get wet - no more so than a normal car...

The only drawbacks to the door design are the fact that there are tiny side windows, and all the glass...which could mean one would roast in the summer. To help this, there are shades which clip on to the top "roof" glass, and fortunately, the Sera has efficient air conditioning, although this can rob the car of economy as it has a fair sized compressor to power!

The Sera is not a roomy car. Up front, there is a reasonable amount of head and leg room, but the steering wheel was too low in our laps even when adjusted to its highest setting. Rear passengers would be better off catching a bus. Perhaps short journeys are ok, but I wouldn't want to be in there for long. Probably suited to small children or baggage.

Mechanically, the Sera was based on the Starlet, the chassis being based on the Tercel (of which Britain only got the 4x4, but there was a normal version too) so obtaining parts is not too difficult. In fact there are people who have been brave enough to tune or swap the engine for something a little more grunty. There is one awesome 300Bhp Sera in Japan, but that is extreme!

The car is well specified, with the (small) electric windows, central locking, air con, decent stereo (some have 12 speakers and surround!) and a myriad of options and packs which will have been added to the car in Japan. Transmissions are 5 speed manual or 4 speed (overdrive) auto, and are usually slick.

The engine is a 1500cc unit. It isn't particularly strong, but will rev to quite a high limit and returns good economy as long as it isn't abused. They can be tuned a little.

The interior is somewhat conventional, but stylish, with a swooping line from the front of the doors, through to the dash and off again. The dash is fairly simple, with just speedo, revs and fuel and temp guages, while minor controls are really limited to the centre console, which are hazards and rear screen demist, with aircon below, in the centre.

Everything else bar the ventilation is carried out on the two stalks, as normal. If buying a Sera, be careful, as the speedo may not have been re calibrated into MPH, as Japanese cars are always in KMH. There are some speciaists who will change this for a price.

The radio, if it is an original unit, will probably have to have some adadptation as they can't pick up UK FM signals past a certain point (no problem if it has tape / CD)

Also as the car isn't intended for release into Britain, you will have to make sure that it complies with UK laws, whch means getting fog lights fitted etc. Bear in mind too, that Japanese cars

of the period aren't always rust proofed either (they were designed for a much shorter life and generally get scrapped) but from experience I cannot remember seeing a scrappy Sera on the road (perhaps they are all tucked up safe, like they should be) Running on normal unleaded petrol is not a problem.

In Britain when they were first imported in 1990, they fetched £14000 or more, and despite being ten or more years old they can still command a price as high as £10000 - not bad for something not really exotic! There seems to be a steady influx of them into the country. You could even try and get one from Australia.

For more information on the Sera, visit OMICRON ENGINEERING (Norfolk, UK) They have a comprehensivs owners database, managed to put me right on a few things, and even make and get parts for the Sera!!!!


	Toyota's wacky but wonderful Sera (home) \| (back one) The Toyota Sera is quite a strange looking beast. It is also quite a brave move for a manufacturer more associated with pretty mainstream motors. Originally created in the early 90's for the Tokyo show, public reaction to the motor was favourable, so Toyota decided to make a car based upon that. This car was the version we now see, which has had minor alterations to the bodywork, interior and roofline. The most distinctive feature of the Sera are the doors, with their wrap around glass area. This might seem impractical, but the way that the doors are designed is both functional and intuitive. The doors scissor up and out, and as the glass wraps to where the roof would be, this leaves quite a large gap, so one does not have to worry about hitting the roof. The doors open outwards in slighlty narrower than normal arc, so parking in tight gaps and getting out is not a problem! We haven't heard any horror storied of the doors packing in, but the struts can become weakened and need re gassing once in a while.... Despite the doors looking impractical for the weather, we tested one some time ago, and it was raining. The rain ran down the glass (which would have been the top of the roof) onto the windscreen and never into the car or us. Such is the design that you won't really get wet - no more so than a normal car... The only drawbacks to the door design are the fact that there are tiny side windows, and all the glass...which could mean one would roast in the summer. To help this, there are shades which clip on to the top "roof" glass, and fortunately, the Sera has efficient air conditioning, although this can rob the car of economy as it has a fair sized compressor to power! The Sera is not a roomy car. Up front, there is a reasonable amount of head and leg room, but the steering wheel was too low in our laps even when adjusted to its highest setting. Rear passengers would be better off catching a bus. Perhaps short journeys are ok, but I wouldn't want to be in there for long. Probably suited to small children or baggage. Mechanically, the Sera was based on the Starlet, the chassis being based on the Tercel (of which Britain only got the 4x4, but there was a normal version too) so obtaining parts is not too difficult. In fact there are people who have been brave enough to tune or swap the engine for something a little more grunty. There is one awesome 300Bhp Sera in Japan, but that is extreme! The car is well specified, with the (small) electric windows, central locking, air con, decent stereo (some have 12 speakers and surround!) and a myriad of options and packs which will have been added to the car in Japan. Transmissions are 5 speed manual or 4 speed (overdrive) auto, and are usually slick. The engine is a 1500cc unit. It isn't particularly strong, but will rev to quite a high limit and returns good economy as long as it isn't abused. They can be tuned a little. The interior is somewhat conventional, but stylish, with a swooping line from the front of the doors, through to the dash and off again. The dash is fairly simple, with just speedo, revs and fuel and temp guages, while minor controls are really limited to the centre console, which are hazards and rear screen demist, with aircon below, in the centre. Everything else bar the ventilation is carried out on the two stalks, as normal. If buying a Sera, be careful, as the speedo may not have been re calibrated into MPH, as Japanese cars are always in KMH. There are some speciaists who will change this for a price. The radio, if it is an original unit, will probably have to have some adadptation as they can't pick up UK FM signals past a certain point (no problem if it has tape / CD) Also as the car isn't intended for release into Britain, you will have to make sure that it complies with UK laws, whch means getting fog lights fitted etc. Bear in mind too, that Japanese cars of the period aren't always rust proofed either (they were designed for a much shorter life and generally get scrapped) but from experience I cannot remember seeing a scrappy Sera on the road (perhaps they are all tucked up safe, like they should be) Running on normal unleaded petrol is not a problem. In Britain when they were first imported in 1990, they fetched £14000 or more, and despite being ten or more years old they can still command a price as high as £10000 - not bad for something not really exotic! There seems to be a steady influx of them into the country. You could even try and get one from Australia. For more information on the Sera, visit OMICRON ENGINEERING (Norfolk, UK) They have a comprehensivs owners database, managed to put me right on a few things, and even make and get parts for the Sera!!!!