Toyota Publica

Toyota Publica: which version to buy and why

The Toyota Publica in this catalogue is not one car with a long options list. It is six named versions across three generations, and the numbers that actually change are displacement, cylinder count, power, gearbox type, and front brakes.

The Toyota Publica in this catalogue is not one car with a long options list. It is six named versions across three generations, and the numbers that actually change are displacement, cylinder count, power, gearbox type, and front brakes. Kerb weight, gross weight, tank size, ground clearance, wheel sizes, 0–100, top speed, fuel use, CO2, and torque in Nm are not measured on every version here, so those cannot decide a purchase. What can decide it is arithmetic on the figures that are given.

If the question is “which Publica to buy,” start from the job: two-door Coupe with a small two-cylinder engine (generation 1 or 2), or two-door Sedan 2-doors with a four-cylinder engine (generation 3). There is no pickup, truck, convertible, ute, KP36, 700, or 1200 as a named version in this data set. Searches for those names do not create extra rows here.

Generations compared: what actually changed

1 generation (1961-06-01 to 1969-04-30) is a Coupe with two versions: 0.7 MT and 0.7 AT. Both use a 697 cm³ Gasoline Inline 2-cylinder engine, 2 valves per cylinder, boost No, engine layout Front, transverse, drive FWD, front suspension Independent, spring, front brakes Drum. Power is 28 hp (21 kW) on both. The only drivetrain fork is the gearbox: Manual 4 versus Automatic 2.

2 generation (1969-04-01 to 1978-03-31) is still a Coupe, still two versions: 0.8 MT and 0.8 AT. Displacement rises from 697 to 790 cm³ (+93 cm³). Power rises from 28 to 36 hp (+8 hp, about 29% more than 0.7 MT / 0.7 AT). Kilowatts go from 21 to 26. Cylinder count stays 2, layout Inline, valves 2, boost No, drive FWD, front brakes still Drum. Gearboxes again split Manual 4 (0.8 MT) and Automatic 2 (0.8 AT). Engine position is not measured on generation 2, unlike generation 1.

3 generation (1969-10-01 to 1988-08-31) is the only Sedan 2-doors in this file, with 1.0 MT and 1.1 MT. Both are Gasoline Inline 4-cylinder, 2 valves per cylinder, Manual 4, FWD, front suspension Independent, spring, front brakes Disc. Boost is not measured on either sedan. There is no automatic in generation 3 in this data. Production of this generation runs to 1988-08-31, which is the longest stop date in the file.

Calendar overlap: generation 2 starts 1969-04-01 while generation 1 still runs to 1969-04-30; generation 3 starts 1969-10-01 while generation 2 continues to 1978-03-31. A 1969–1978 Publica is therefore not “one generation” by year alone. Body type in the data is the cleaner split: Coupe (generations 1–2) versus Sedan 2-doors (generation 3).

Toyota Publica engine: power per litre, not folklore

Specific output (hp per litre of the given displacement) is allowed arithmetic on the given numbers:

0.7 MT and 0.7 AT are the same engine on paper: 28 hp from 697 cm³. Choosing between them is gearbox only.

0.8 MT versus 0.7 MT: +93 cm³ and +8 hp. Specific output rises from 40.2 to 45.6 hp/L, so the extra displacement is not “empty” in this table. 0.8 AT versus 0.7 AT is the same engine step with the same Automatic 2 pattern.

1.0 MT versus 0.8 MT: cylinders go from 2 to 4, displacement +203 cm³, power +22 hp (36 → 58). Specific output jumps from 45.6 to 58.4 hp/L. Front brakes change from Drum to Disc. Body changes from Coupe to Sedan 2-doors. That is the largest architecture step in the catalogue, not a small tune of the same car.

1.1 MT versus 1.0 MT: both generation 3, both Manual 4, both FWD, both 4 Inline. Displacement +84 cm³ (993 → 1077), power +15 hp (58 → 73, about 26% more), kW +11 (43 → 54). Specific output 58.4 → 67.8 hp/L. Peak power rpm is given only on 1.1 MT (6600); on 1.0 MT it is not measured. If the sedan body is already chosen, 1.1 MT is the stronger of the two measured engines.

1.1 MT versus 0.7 MT: +380 cm³, +45 hp (28 → 73, about 2.6× the power), cylinders 2 → 4, brakes Drum → Disc, body Coupe → Sedan 2-doors. That is not a like-for-like upgrade; it is a different class inside the same model name.

Torque in Nm is not measured on all six versions. Engine-swap talk and “motor” searches cannot be answered with a torque figure from this file.

Toyota Publica specs table (all six versions)

Every version is Gasoline and FWD. There is no AWD row. There is no automatic four-cylinder: automatics exist only as 0.7 AT and 0.8 AT.

Performance, mpg, and weight: what is not measured

0–100, top speed, city / highway / combined fuel use, CO2, eco class: not measured on 0.7 MT, 0.7 AT, 0.8 MT, 0.8 AT, 1.0 MT, and 1.1 MT. MPG cannot be ranked. A buyer who needs a consumption number is not served by this data.

Kerb weight, gross weight, ground clearance, tank, wheel sizes: not measured on all six. Weight per horsepower cannot be calculated. “Toyota Publica weight” as a search does not have a catalogue answer here. Do not infer that the sedan is heavier than the coupe; that mass is not in the file.

Rear suspension, rear brakes, fuel-system type, compression, bore and stroke: not measured (except where listed above). Front suspension is the same label on all six: Independent, spring.

Which version to choose

Buy generation 3 if the point is the strongest measured engine and disc front brakes. Between 1.0 MT (58 hp, 993 cm³) and 1.1 MT (73 hp, 1077 cm³), 1.1 MT is 15 hp and 84 cm³ ahead and is the only version with a power rpm (6600). Both are Sedan 2-doors, Manual 4, FWD. If the sedan body is acceptable, 1.1 MT is the default “most power per litre” pick (67.8 hp/L versus 58.4 on 1.0 MT). 1.0 MT is the milder four-cylinder with the same gearbox and drive; the “extra” on 1.1 MT in this table is displacement and power, not a second driven axle or a different transmission.

Buy generation 2 if the point is still a Coupe but not the smallest engine. 0.8 MT is 8 hp and 93 cm³ above 0.7 MT, same 2 Inline, same No boost, same Drum fronts, same Manual 4. 0.8 AT is that same 36 hp engine with Automatic 2. Generation 2 does not add cylinders or disc fronts relative to generation 1; it adds displacement and power on the two-cylinder pattern.

Buy generation 1 only if the Coupe and the 697 cm³ engine are the point. 0.7 MT is the four-speed manual; 0.7 AT is the two-speed automatic at the same 28 hp. Specific output is the lowest in the file (40.2 hp/L). Engine layout is documented here as Front, transverse, which generation 2 and 3 do not state.

Manual versus automatic is a Coupe-only choice. 0.7 MT vs 0.7 AT and 0.8 MT vs 0.8 AT share power, displacement, cylinders, boost, drive, and Drum fronts. The automatic side is 2 speeds; the manual side is 4. There is no 1.0 AT or 1.1 AT in the data, so a four-cylinder Publica in this catalogue is a Manual 4 or it is not in the table.

Do not choose by year searches (1972, 1974) without the generation row. A 1972 or 1974 calendar year can sit inside generation 2 (Coupe, 0.8 MT / 0.8 AT, to 1978-03-31) or generation 3 (Sedan 2-doors, 1.0 MT / 1.1 MT, from 1969-10-01). The version names, not the year, carry the engine.

Do not choose by pickup, truck, convertible, ute, KP36, 700, or 1200. Those strings are not version names here. The closest displacement labels are 0.7 MT / 0.7 AT (697 cm³), 0.8 MT / 0.8 AT (790 cm³), 1.0 MT (993 cm³), 1.1 MT (1077 cm³). No 1200 row exists.

Reliability and problems are not measured in this data. Cylinder count, boost No (where given), and gearbox type are the only mechanical splits that can be compared without inventing failure rates.

For sale listings (Pakistan, Bangladesh, UK, Australia) are not in this file. The comparison above is specs-only: 1.1 MT for maximum listed power in a Sedan 2-doors; 1.0 MT for the same body with 15 hp less; 0.8 MT for the stronger Coupe manual; 0.8 AT for the stronger Coupe automatic; 0.7 MT / 0.7 AT for the smallest 697 cm³ Coupe pair.