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| Toyota Tales |
| TERRESA'S TIARA TALES - PART TWO |
Terresa had decided to keep her beloved Tiara, and in her quest for Tiara parts, she found
another Tiara enthusiast half a world away.
RACHAEL’S TIARA by Terresa Holmes & Rachael Lear
We decided to keep the little Tiara and try to restore it. We knew that acquiring parts was going to
be a chore from past experiences so David sought out to buy a parts car. He got on the computer and
typed in “tiara” on a search and learned about a few Tiaras that were for sale. But they were the
bejeweled kind of tiaras that women wear on their heads. After much persistence and time, David
found a “sashablue” who was looking for a slave cylinder for her 65 Tiara and a “puddleduck” who
was looking for a repair manual for a 64 Tiara Wagon. Both postings were well over a year old so
David had low expectations when he emailed both by writing, “Do you still have your car?”
Sashablue wrote back and that she had sold her car much earlier. We were disappointed but
encouraged that at least we got a response. Puddleduck also emailed back. She said, “Yes I still
have my car and it still runs.” David emailed back and asked, “Where are you?” “Australia” was her
answer back, and the correspondence just went from there.
We learned that Rachael Lear is the proud owner of a 1964 Tiara Wagon. She lives in Manunda,
North Queensland Australia close to the Great Barrier Reef. I’ll let Rachael tell the story of her
treasured car…
- “The Tiara I found was quite by chance. We had actually pulled over to inquire about a
‘for sale’ of a house. The woman told us it was sold, but there was the tiniest scrawled
writing about a car. We were actually looking for an old four wheel drive but when we
saw the Tiara, it was unbelievable. We paid 3 grand and she looked how she would of in
the show room. In forty years, the taco (tachometer) only read 62,000 miles as she’d
been kept under cover and only driven to the shops. We’ve only had problems with the
fan as somehow, there only came to be one and in the tropics it’s just too humid. One of
the hub caps are missing and the roofing installation has been removed as the owner
said, ‘Toyota just don’t know how to make interiors.’ Another funny thing is the factory
plastic is still on the back seat! We call her ‘Nancy’ after the original owner and she’s
actually my first car. I’ve learned to drive in her and I couldn’t ask for more. She’s so
elegant.
“The original owner and her husband immigrated to Australia at least 50 years ago
from Germany. Nancy told me the story of how they pulled up in a bus beside a show
room where the Tiara was being displayed. Her husband said, ‘That’s it Nancy. That’s
going to be your shopping car!’ Nancy said she muttered under her breath how much she
hated ceramic green but in the end it was her favorite color. She said that’s one of the
reasons she didn’t mind selling it to me as it’s my favorite as well.
“Her old man passed away at least nine years ago and Nancy had to give up her license
two years ago because her legs were going and she dreaded the thought of hitting a
child. Nancy was quite a character and repeated staunchly that a man is just too rough
for the car and that it was built for only a woman. She’d been holding it for people on
and off who supposedly wanted the Tiara more than anything. But she got sick of people
pushing her about and said yes to me. Apparently an older man came around the next
day and was quite angry she’d sold it on him. She said he talked too much so therefore
he wouldn’t have listened to the Tiara’s needs.
“That was nine months ago and she’s written on her service records lots of tips and
information. For example, ‘Always take metho on long trips and a tin of veggie oil for
out back towns. Benzene can be dirty or watered down, so put about one or two cups or
one third bottle of metho in tank and it will clean benzene. For brake fluid, add metho
and veggie oil together and all will be good.’
“It was quite heartbreaking the day we finally drove her out of the garage she’d lived in
all her life. Nancy said she had to stay in the house and couldn’t watch. The next week
Nancy sold the house she’d lived in since she first got to Australia and moved into a
retirement village. Now and again we think of Nancy driving with her husband around
Cairns and the tablelands. It’s really quite a beautiful piece of history and we feel quite
honored to drive in the beautiful old girl.
Well David and I still don’t have a parts car. But we’ve gained a new friend half way around the
world and Rachael loves Tiaras as much as we do. Thanks to the Toyota literature archives of Mike
Foertsch, Rachael’s copy of a RT-20 repair manual is on it’s way.
Part two of Terresa's Tiara Tales originally appeared in the May/June 2003 issue of the TORC
newsletter.
Sadly a few months after we ran the story, Terresa was to learn that Rachael was selling
Nancy. No word as to whatever happened. Maybe I need to follow up on this one!
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