How much is a 1987 Toyota Corolla GT worth? The thick end of £50k, it seems.

A 1987 AE86 Toyota Corolla GT is sold by Car & Classics for a whopping £46,250, showing it’s not just fast Fords from the 1980s fetching serious money.

We’ve seen the rise and rise of 1980s cars as modern classics, with cars like the Ford Sierra Cosworth fetching the sort of money you could buy a house for not long ago (and probably still can in parts of the UK).

Now it seems Toyotas are joining the club of high worth 1980s mainstream cars with a 1987 AE86 Toyota Corolla GT selling on Cars & Classics online auction for a whopping £46,250.

It seems a lot for an old Toyota, but the AE86 Corolla GT is much-loved for its peppy performance and RWD handling. And this one is a bit special.

Bought new by a lady in 1987 for £12,500, it’s remained with its original owner for all this time, and she’s only given it up because she can no longer deal with its heavy (by modern standards) steering.

Completely bog-standard – but with a standard spec including sunroof, radio cassette (ask your dad) and alloys – the Corolla has done 92,000 miles from new with full history and every bit of paperwork, from original brochure on, the owner ever had.

As an indication of how much the Corolla has increased in value in the last 15 years, it was only saved from being written-off by the owner’s insurance company after it was keyed and not considered a viable repair in 2006. The owner bought it back and had it repaired.

Chris Pollitt, head of editorial at Car & Classic, said:

We talk a lot about survivor cars, but this is the true definition of one. Only the true adoration of this ‘86’ prevented the insurance company from obliterating it after incurring paint damage. The frantic bidding in the dying minutes confirmed the demand for a car that is now rightly cast as a legend in its homeland.