2. Toyota Sera
At first glance, the Toyota Sera looks like a generic Japanese compact from the early ’90s, but drivers can see why this little car is so special when you open the door. Conceived on a regular Corolla platform powered by a standard 1.5-liter four-cylinder, Sera is technically a regular car. Still, the design and technical solutions of the cabin, doors, and roof are unique.
The Sera project was kind of a design exercise to show the world how a boring compact car can be transformed into a design marvel. In order to do so, Toyota installed a glass canopy, which partially opened with butterfly-style doors very rarely seen on anything except for the McLaren F1 supercar. This feature’s production was very demanding, and Toyota needed special tools and machines to fabricate door mechanisms and make a specially curved glass. However, Toyota’s engineers managed to pull it off, and the Sera was introduced in 1990 and stayed in production until 1996, during which time over 16,000 were made. Unfortunately, almost all sold exclusively in Japan.
