The AE92 Corolla 2-door coupe was never officially sold in Germany, which – I assume – is due to its American styling, which would not appeal to continental European customers. In fact, I never heard about a sporty coupe variant of the Corolla before, and when I encountered this AE92 on the junkyard in Reilingen in August 2012, I had no clue what car I was looking at. Still, the sporty styling, the flat nose with the pop-up headlights and the side stickers strangely appealed to my early-20 manhood, and I curiously stepped closer to snap a few pictures.
The reason why Rhineland-Palatinate petrol heads are occasionally honored with the presence of rare USDM vehicles is the Ramstein Air Base. GIs doing their service in Germany occasionally bring their vehicle with them from the US, and when it gets replaced by a newer one bought locally, some very rare USDM cars end up on the gravel of some shady 2nd hand car traders, or – more likely – on a junkyard in the vicinity. I once visited a KN13 Pulsar that was for sale in that region.
Featuring the beefier 5-mph front- and rear bumpers, side markers and shorter rear license plate, this car openly displays its USDM origin. The side skirts and rear spoiler probably means that this was the upper-spec version, featuring the legendary 4A-GE engine.
I wish I could go back in time to tell my younger self to take a few more pictures. Unfortunately, these three pictures are all I got. It took over 8 years until I finally saw another AE92 in Germany, which meant that this Corolla GT-S was probably crushed without any part removed by an enthusiast.
