For the 1999 model year, Toyota differentiated the coupe version of the Camry with its own swoopier bodywork and the "Solara" submodel suffix. It was felt that the Camry nameplate and sobersided button-down styling was hindering sales of the coupe model, hence the change.
In 2000, a convertible version of the SE and SLE was added, done by shipping mostly-finished coupes to the American Sunroof Corporation for roofectomies.
The model got a slight styling makeover for 2002, with a new snout featuring a different grille and quad bulb headlamp array. The Lunar Mist Metallic SLE V6 convertible in the above photo gives a good look at it, at least on the un-rumpled corner.
While base models had a 2.4L DOHC VVT-i 16V four cylinder making 157 horsepower, the SE and SLE had Toyota's 1MZ-FE V-6, a 3.0L 24V DOHC motor that made 200 horses...with the 5-speed, that is. Cars with the four speed automatic were rated at 198 SAE net horsepower, and the SLE only came with the automatic. Other things that came with the SLE package were all kinds of luxury amenities, a decklid spoiler, and 205/60R16 tires on six-spoke alloy rims.
MotorWeek tested a 2001 Solara SE ragtop with the V-6 and four-speed slushbox and recorded an 8.2 second zero to sixty time and a sixteen flat quarter at 87 mph. Price as tested was $30,388 in 2001 dollars, which is about $55k in constant bucks.
This one was photographed with an Olympus OM-D E-M5 and an M. Zuiko Digital 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom lens in May of 2025.
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