Fifty classic Toyotas in an old parking garage, and for over 40 years, no one has been able to get to them. To classic car fans, this sounds like the script for a bad movie. However, it is reality and takes place in the catacombs of Nicosia.
In 1974, to be precise, 52 brand-new Toyotas were shipped from Japan to the Cypriot capital. Shortly afterwards, Turkish troops attacked the island and it was divided into a Greek and a Turkish sector. The models had been delivered to an underground garage… in the demilitarized zone of the capital of Cyprus! The zone can be visited, but only under the escort of UN peacekeeping forces, so the Toyotas have been standing underground in their concrete grave for 40 years.
An editor from the German magazine Das Bild managed to secure permission to visit the abandoned underground garages. What he found there was a time capsule containing Toyota Corollas, Carinas, Celicas, and Crowns. Tears would well up in the eyes of every classic car fan, and especially every Toyota fan, precisely because the Japanese classic cars from this period are quite rare.
The question is whether the cars will ever leave their dark garage. Although most examples may only have 20 or 50 kilometers on the odometer, they are in poor condition. Forty winters, vandalism, and thieves have left their mark on the cars. In addition, there is a lot of dirt and dust, and if it takes much longer, many examples will be beyond repair. What a terrible shame!
Small update: the editors of oldtimerblog.nl pointed out to us that a Dutchman had already visited this location in 2011. The German magazine 'das Bild' may well be pleased and report it as news, but the Dutch were actually there more than 3 years earlier.
