The first couple generations of Toyota Celica were great examples of Japan copying the styling of muscle cars and pony cars and transferring the look onto a sporty chassis. The first-gen Liftback model was the closest, with it’s three-bar taillights and loop-style grille arrangement. These are fun cars stock, but there’s always room to improve, and one gentleman in South Carolina is putting a beauty of a custom Celica Liftback up so that he can get a boat.
Visually, the car is a knockout. Those bumpers are the JDM-style, all steel small bumpers and are very hard to find in any condition. The paint is Frost Lime Green, a 1969 Camaro color, and is sprayed over a host of body modifications, including shaved marker lights, filled fuel door, and filled USDM bumper mount ports. Those Appliance wheels are quite-literally fresh out of the box, and are 15×7 front and 15×8.5 rear. The interior hosts a racing seat and a quick-release steering hub, with the rest of the interior remaining stock.
The good news is under the hood, where a 4.0L V8 from a Lexus SC400 now sits, hooked to the Lexus 4-speed automatic, which was converted to house a 2600-stall converter and a slip yoke system. Out back is a GM 12-bolt from a Chevelle that is built to kill, complete with 4.56 gears. This puppy will up and effing move. Toyota AE86 Corolla springs and a custom rack-and-pinion system work together to keep the car going in the same direction.
At $15,000, provided all of the mods look good, this thing comes in as a steal. It looks good and should run like the devil was after it, and it’s light, so even with the added weight of the V8 it should still be tossable. What’s not to like?
Click Here to see the Celica’s Craigslist ad
that thing should really fly with the aluminum 4.0 liter v-8 in it.
Looks like a mini Mustang from the rear 3/4 pics. It should be a fun one, I like it.
I have one a friend built on my alignment rack right now. Its a 1973 with a 1uzfe engine. However its now a forged bottom end, custom cams, and a pair of precision twin 67mm turbos.
It has a custom adapter setup to run a LS SFI bellhousing, flywheel, clutch and a T-56 magnum transmission.
He mini tubed the car, and is going to head down the track for the first time with this new setup tomorrow.
Previously the car had a stock engine, with a single turbo. Traction was limited and 11sec 1/4 miles in the 130+ mph range were pretty normal. The new chassis and tire setup should eliminate the 660′ burnouts.
would like to see videos of that,i know where a 69 corolla is at for less than 2 grand that would be a bad mf’er with my old grand national motor in it…street trim at 3900 lbs,the g n would run 11.90’s, i figure the corolla should be over a 1000 lbs lighter so that would be an easy mid 10 sec. car in every day street trim ….now i just need to find some money…anyone want to donate?
Had a 75 and 76 Celica back in the early 80’s but rust was a MAJOR enemy to these cars in the northeast.
Would like to get a mid-80’s Celica GTS and swap in either a LT1 or LS1.
Thats a sweet little car. Toyota should build a new retro one.
That car has been built in my head for years now.