Mike and Terry Kincaid (above). The Toyopet Corona (photo) which they had as Linfield students looked like this, Mike said, except it was white.
When brothers Mike (1969 B.S. Business) and Terry Kincaid were Linfield students they had “wheels” like no one else. They were driving a Toyopet with right hand steering.
Before getting continuing this story, some background. Brothers Kincaid hail from Kailua (Oahu), Hawaii. Both are Kailua graduates – Mike in 1965 and Terry in 1966 -- from The Kamehameha Schools of Honolulu. They were outstanding student-athletes for the “Kam” Warriors. Mike was an all-Northwest Conference first team linebacker, lettering playing for both Coaches Paul Durham (1966 and 1967) Ad Rutschman (1968 season). He was a “Wildcat top defender” award winner, too. Mike lead the Linfield team in tackles in two seasons.
Back to the story…. A Toyopet? It was one of Toyota’s earliest passenger cars. When the brothers needed transportation while studying at Linfield, their father came to the rescue.
In 1966, via an associate of their father – Donald Kincaid, president of D.R. Kincaid, Ltd. -- bought a white Toyopet Corona 4-door sedan in Osaka, Japan. It was loaded on one of the company’s freight ships there. After the ship docked in Portland, it was off-loaded there.
Mike and Terry picked it up. “I wasn’t expecting a right hand drive car,” said Mike. “So, I was a bit anxious (driving on the way) back to Linfield, had to adjust to look left (in) the rearview mirror and clearing the vehicle was a major adjustment.
We got a lot of curious looks from other motorists all the time. It didn’t take long to become accustomed to driving it.” In 1966 the best known, best selling foreign car in the U.S. was the German-made Volkswagen Beetle.
According to one history of Toyota, “By 1967, Toyota had become well established in the United States, albeit as a niche player.” The history includes the fact sales of the Toyota in the U.S. “hit 6,400 in 1965, and reached 71,000 by 1968….”
The (3-speed manual transmission) Toyopet “we drove was unique by U.S. standards,” said Mike. It may have been one of the few new cars in McMinnville or Oregon with the steering wheel on the right hand side. Their car was manufactured for driving in Japan, where vehicles travel on right. “I believe it was the only Toyota I saw in Oregon and traveling “all over the Northwest,” said Mike.
The brothers drove it for two or three years. He said the car “had a lot of guts.” Apparently their Toyopet was similar to the Toyota Corona being sold in the 1966 in the U.S. with a 90-hp engine and a 3-speed. By comparison, the 1966 Beetle had a meager 50-hp engine. The brothers had the Toyopet a couple of years when, alas, it was wrecked in an accident. While the Toyopet is long gone. Memories of the car live on for Mike and James. Background information:
- In addition to his Linfield business bachelor’s degree earned in 1969, Mike earned a MBA/master’s of business administration in 1975 from Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif.
- When Mike was a 1967 season first team All-Northwest Conference linebacker, there were two other players in the conference selected for the same honor. One of them was Willamette’s Cal Lee, a grad of Honolulu’s Kalani High School.
- Mike’s Linfield football playing career included playing in two historic games, both season openers. In 1968, it was the Wildcats’ 15-13 win over the University of Hawaii in Honolulu during Paul Durham’s last season as Linfield coach. In 1968, in Ad Rutschman’s first game as Linfield coach, the ‘Cats beat Boise State 17-7 in Boise. A story about the Boise win says Mike “contained many a (Boise State football team) sweep” vs. Linfield.
- In high school, Mike was an outstanding athlete. In addition to playing football, he also competed in high school for Kamehameha in basketball. These days his athletic pursuits include handball and canoe sailing. For more information about Mike and canoe sailing, see these two stories:
