OTHER: Welcome to Sabine’s world of Toyota classics

Remember when i bought a Micro-fiche reader on a local auction website and when picking it up realized that the owner was a lady who also happended to have an incredible toyota classics collection?
I didn’t have much time back then so ever since, i wanted to return with more time and a camera and have a chat. Luckily that finally happened the last weekend.

Turns out that Sabine, the owner, is an absolutely lovely person with an absolute passion for old toyotas.

She’s a former toyota mechanic and ever since then got bit by the Toyotaku bug.

She’s got an excellent taste and knowledge when it comes to old toyota steel. You won’t find any “hoarders” crap there, it’s all finely selected and well kept cars and parts in the collection.

Everything is neatly sorted, labelled and taken care off.

And if not, it was this car that was clearly used as a cheap fun little project for what seems to be some “Lemons” style race or show car. 🙂

Meanwhile she’s turned into a police instructor and tinkering with cars is only her hobby these days. But i counted 15 classic toyotas in and around her house plus a few more in the second level, so calling it a “hobby” is probably the wrong word.

“Passion” may be a bit more accurate and i absolutely adore it.

I have to be honest, i’m not an toyota expert, but most of the cars seem collectable more sportier versions and less the crappy rusty family wagon (Even though toyota made some pretty cool station wagons!). All are in excellent condition, or currently undergoing a full restauration.

She told me even the workshops call her from time to time, when it’s about to adjust some old carbs or help with some older cars that requires knowledge in vintage cars.

She told me she gets offered cars from time to time, from people who wish that their old toyota ends up in some loving hands. I don’t know the stories behind each car, but this Hilux for example used to serve in the fire department in a swiss mountain village in its previous life.

I also loved the various memorabilia hanging on the wall. but what absolutely blew my mind was the toyota tool kit, complete with the rare wall mounting board.

When i told her how impressed i was, she brought me to another room where she had a similiar complete set, which had just arrived from a closed down toyota dealership and was still wrapped.

And then to another room which also serves as a party room – where she also had an evern older mostly complete set of rare toyota workshop tools including the mounting boards. WOW! This is my kind of collectable stuff!!

In said room there is also a small “Barn find” exhibition and some random toyota memorabilia hanging and standing in every corner.

There was even a little toyota themed Bar. I mean how cool is  that?

And a little museum corner dedicated to her police job:

Next she brought me downstairs to the cave, where all the parts are stored. WOW! Sabine has gained quite a reputation in the toyota scene over the years and often buys complete lots when an old workshop closes, and therefore unsurprisingly has a massive amount of NOS and used spare parts. The stuff shown here is only a part of her stock. (click for large view)
She told me she only sells it to nice person and that’s a thing i really appreciate. Not for the money, but doing it for the sake of keeping nice old cars alive, for people that deserve it.

She’s probably got mostly every Workshop manual from Toyota in either digital form, printed manual or as a Microfiche. This is again only a part of the collection:

Back in the main workshop, she showed me her very first car. A modified Corolla GT which is pretty cool! As you can see Sabine was always smiling and probably as excited to show me around as i was to see them.

Thank you so much Sabine for letting me nose around and telling your story. It’s so cool to see such places exist and people doing it for pure passion and not for clicks or show. I absolutely adore the work put in tall these cars, the garage and even the parts storage and how much fun it was to meet you and have a real “car guy” chat with you, even though i felt a bit bad for not knowing a lot about toyota, i absolutely appreciate everything about them. I hope to be able to meet again when time allows ar at the (hopefully soon returning) classic car meets.
So long i have these photos to drool over….