By Roy Nakano and Christopher Carreiro
It’s hard to imagine now, but back in 1995, few people considered restoring Toyotas or any Japanese car in North America as a serious hobby.
That’s what Stuart Resor found out after purchasing an RT43 Toyota Corona with an intent to restore it with his daughter.
It prompted Resor to establish the Toyota Owners and Restorers Club (TORC) in Carlsbad, California.
TORC began as a grassroots avenue for enthusiasts to help each other locate old Toyota parts and preserve the vehicles.
To bring this community together, the very first "Toyotafest" was held at Moonlight State Beach in Encinitas, drawing a modest group of about a dozen cars.
Interest grew quickly, and the show eventually relocated to Long Beach, California.
On May 30th, TORC held its 30th All Toyotafest at Marina Green Park, showcasing over 500 Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles.
Everything from vintage 1960s classics to modern icons were on display. This included first-generation Toyota trucks and Land Cruisers to modern performance Supras, MR2s, and Corollas.
The gathering included special vehicle displays, tons of merchandise, food trucks, and (of course) the All Toyotafest awards segment.
The impact of the All Toyotafest event extends beyond the show itself.
In 2005, Terry and Koji Yamaguchi launched the Japanese Classic Car Show (JCCS) to serve as a venue to showcase the full spectrum of Japanese cars.
Terry, who served as executive director of the 30th All Toyotafest, credited TORC and the Toyotafest as inspirations for the JCCS during a Japanese American National Museum panel in Little Tokyo (Cruising J-Town: From the Streets to the World: Legacies of the Import Car Scene).
On June 27, 2026, the fifth annual Nor-Cal Toyotafest takes place. Although it is a separate organization from the Southern California Toyotafest hosted by TORC, it is no doubt another one of the legacies of the SoCal effort.
Last, but not least, these events have had an impact on the value of existing Japanese cars in North America.
Whereas old imports like Datsun 510s, Honda CRXs, Nissan 240SXs and Toyota Corolla AE86s could at one time be scooped up at ordinary used car prices, today they command extraordinary prices.
You can thank organizations like TORC for that.
The authors are the editor and photographic editor for LA Car/LACar.com.
About Toyotafest and TORC: The All Toyotafest event is organized by the Toyota Owner's and Restorer's Club (TORC). TORC is considered the premier group for classic Toyota, Lexus, and Scion enthusiasts. Further information about TORC and the All Toyotafest is located at toyotaclub.org.
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