The JDM car movement has suddenly become famous and is spreading not only among car enthusiasts, but also in the local media, when Mr. Dang Le Nguyen Vu spent hundreds of billions of Vietnamese dong to bring hundreds of JDM cars to his garage. There has been a lot of discussion about the hobby of collecting cars of Chairman Trung Nguyen, but to be fair, thanks to that, the value of JDM cars has also increased.
In a chance encounter, we received information about a very special JDM car model, as this is one of the craziest designs that the Japanese car manufacturer Toyota has created on its decades-long car journey. That is the Toyota Sera car.
The most unique Toyota Sera in Vietnam
It is not known exactly when the only Toyota Sera sports car in Vietnam was imported, only that the car was once very famous because it belonged to the comedian Bao Chung, who is one of the veteran car enthusiasts in the 90s.
Currently, the Toyota Sera car is located in a northern province, and when we talked about the fact that many Vietnamese tycoons are hunting for their own unique car, the owner shared that he was very annoyed because he did not sell the car that many people asked for, even when it is an unbelievable figure for a JDM car over 30 years old.
Some JDM car enthusiasts in Vietnam also long for this Toyota Sera car, however, owning it now is an unattainable number, they can only play this car, with Cambodian or Lao license plates, 2 markets that allow imports of used cars easily, and even the quantity of Toyota Sera cars is quite large.
The birth process of the Toyota Sera car
The Toyota Sera (model code EXY10) is a 3-door 2+2 hatchback coupe produced and marketed by Toyota from 1990 to 1996. It was only sold officially in Japan.
Sera was first introduced in 1988 as the Toyota AXV-II concept car in a form almost ready for production and gained attention with a roof mostly made of glass and butterfly doors that tilted upwards and forwards before opening. This door style was seen 2 years later on the McLaren F1, a special 3-seater car that currently costs at least 8 figures in USD.
A year later, at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show, the production version of the Sera was unveiled. A vertically mounted and electrically operated model of the butterfly and butterfly door was also demonstrated to demonstrate the operation of the butterfly wing and rear-hinged doors.
Released with a single engine and body style configuration, the Sera had options for transmission, brakes, air conditioning, and sound systems. Toyota marketed three trim levels, sold on the market under the name Phases during the production and marketing process of Sera exclusively on Toyota’s retail channels in Japan – Toyota Corolla Store – as a replacement for the Toyota MR2, exclusive to Toyota Vista Store.
A total of 15,941 cars were produced from February 1990 to December 1995. 15,852 cars were registered in Japan. Approximately 30 pre-production cars were used for development purposes. Sera was developed in 3 stages.
3 stages of Toyota Sera development
Stage I, from March 1990 to May 1991, at this time, the initial construction process and the majority of total production of Sera (about 12,000 of the 15,852 cars produced) have 6 exterior colors (greenish-yellow, medium green, light green (light blue), wine red, dark gray and silver).
Interior beige/brown or blue-gray depending on the exterior color, pear-shaped fuel cap, durable ribbed seat material.
Stage II (May 1991 – June 1992): About 2,300 units of this second version were produced with pastel-colored patterns on the main parts of the seats with brown/gray cushions depending on the interior color, screw-type fuel cap, different seat materials.
Stage III (June 1992 – December 1995): 1,550 final Sera versions were produced, including gray interior with additional fabric colors to complement the exterior color, some modifications to the engine components, stronger inside door beams, optional airbags (can be automatically combined with ABS), rear belts with three points, stronger door braces to compensate for the stronger inside beams. The solid ABS wing integrates premium LED brake lights (the only exterior change of the Sera).
Transmission system
The Toyota Sera sports car model comes with a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder 5E-FHE unleaded petrol engine, the largest capacity version in the Toyota E engine series found in the Paseo and Starlet models. It produces a maximum power of 104 horsepower and a torque of 132 Nm.
This is installed in a transversely mounted front-wheel-drive configuration, front-mounted with an electronically controlled fuel injection system. All versions are equipped with a rack-and-pinion steering and hydraulic power-assisted and a 4-speed automatic Toyota A242L or a 5-speed manual Toyota C155. The braking system is vented discs at the front and drum at the rear, unless equipped with an optional ABS system with vented discs all around.
Lifestyle of a JDM Enthusiast: “Qua” Vũ Buys His Third Toyota Celica, with Matching Birth Year and Stunning License Plate
Introducing the newly unveiled 3rd generation Toyota Celica, now a part of Mr. Dang Le Nguyen Vu’s car collection, which belongs to the 1st generation produced 52 years ago.
Playing JDM Cars like “Qua” Vu: Picking this Toyota Celica one with a manual transmission, unmatched elegance
This is also the 5th car revealed in Mr. Dang Le Nguyen Vu’s Toyota Celica collection, with the difference being that this JDM car has a manual transmission.
Quick review of “Qua” Vũ’s newly acquired Toyota Sports 800 duo: Determined to collect all JDM cars in Vietnam
Dang Le Nguyen Vu’s passion for JDM cars shows no sign of stopping as recently, a pair of Toyota Sports 800 cars have emerged in the businessman’s garage. Perhaps the number of “Qua” Vu’s JDM cars has exceeded 60, and it is expected to increase rapidly this year.
“Qua” Vũ’s New Ford Pinto Review: A Wild Horse that Fascinates Car Enthusiasts – What Makes it Special?
This is one of the dozens of “abandoned” cars that Mr. Dang Le Nguyen Vu owns, but the difference is that it belongs to the Ford Pinto model, a name quite unfamiliar to car enthusiasts, especially those who only have a passion for the Ford Mustang line.
No more hitting the streets with JDM, “Through” Vu drives a beautiful white Mercedes-Benz SLK 350, a few cars like that in the garage.
Obviously, Mr. Dang Le Nguyen Vu has a strong affinity for the sports and supercar models of Mercedes-Benz. It is estimated that this entrepreneur owns dozens of “2-door” cars from the brand with the iconic 3-pointed star logo.
