Filed under: Toyota, RR of the Day
RR of the Day: '71 Toyota Celica
We've been champing at the bit for close to a week to induct this particular Toyota into our RR of the Day and when the owner finally came through with the details we decided to make an attempt at giving this week a theme: 70s and 80s Japanese coupes. So, if you've got a two-door from the Land of the Rising Sun, follow the directions after the jump to submit your ride to our Flickr pool.
In 1971, Toyota decided to bless our shores with the Celica, originally powered by the 1.9-liter 8R engine and fitted with twin Solex carbs. The current owner, Koich, received the Celica with a later model's fuel injected 22RC motor, but decided that a more potent swap was in order.
After the vehicle was completely stripped, Koich and his two friends, Andy Vang and Andy Reyes, went to town, fabricating a slew of components to fit an F20C from a Honda S2000. The original ECU was ditched in favor of an AEM unit and the S2000's electronic gauge cluster was nestled into the dash with a minimum of modifications. The slicker-than-snot tranny had its final gear replaced and the driveshaft was cut down to size and balanced.
Underneath the three-decade young body, Koich replaced all the suspension components with aftermarket pieces produced by Techno Toy Tuning. The original stoppers were swapped out with cross-drilled rotors and squeezed by Wilwood calipers, in order to cope with the added oomph.
Inside, a ten-point cage was installed, which caused the ejection of the rear seats, while up front, a duo of Sparco buckets keep Koich and his pals firmly in place when he decides to let the two-liter mill scream into the upper reaches of the rev range.
Koich admits that the current suspension doesn't lend itself to track day hoonage, but with the addition of some stickier tires and few geometrical adjustments, we can only image how much fun could be had.
How to submit to RR of the Day:
Create a Flickr account if you don't already have one. Search for and join the group called 'Autoblog RR of the Day'. Upload up to three photos of your ride to your own account at a size no larger than 450 pixels wide if possible and include as much information about it and yourself as possible. Even if your ride is sweet, it will not be chosen if there's not a lot of info accompanying it. Click on each photo and just above the picture it will say "Send to group". Click that and select the Autoblog group. You're done, that's it!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Sue Esponte 10:18AM (12/19/2006)
My father had a blue '71 Celica ST when I was little kid. It was such a great little car. I love what Koich has done. Its more than enough to take it to the track or an autocross but subtle enough not to scream "MODDED". It looks amazing!
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ezbst 10:23AM (12/19/2006)
Another one of my all-time favorites as RR... it looks awesome. But it wouldn't be a proper 70/80's theme week without including that Datsun 510.
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curtis 10:30AM (12/19/2006)
I never knew this Celica existed, I've always been a fan of the Celica's, even the last model however odd it looked. This has my vote, I don't even care what else there is this week.
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Nellydesign 10:32AM (12/19/2006)
I've always loved this car's design. It's a little like a scaled down challenger but that's why I like it so much:)
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Mr_Oak 11:02AM (12/19/2006)
I've wanted one of these ever since I was a kid, still would love to get my hands on one. This is a very fine example. Good work!!
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lavardera 11:22AM (12/19/2006)
This version had a real late 60s Camaro vibe. Subsequent model was channeling the 69-70 mustang fastback. Such copycatting would normally bother me, but these cars looked great.
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BartMack 11:28AM (12/19/2006)
I agree with the others, this is a great car, I like it.
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Brent Vinson 11:31AM (12/19/2006)
Brings back memories for me big time.
Mom replaced her '72 Cougar W/351 Cleveland that got 9 mpg with a four speed Celica. I learned to drive on it.
Beat it like a rented mule, took it to the strip 20 times, 7000 rpm clutch drop launches, pedal to the floor power shifts. Not really fast but lotsa fun and NOTHING EVER BROKE ! I abused that little car every chance I got. NOTHING EVER BROKE ! You could up or down shift without even using the clutch. Burned up the junk Dunlops in 20,000 miles, installed a J.C. Whitney rear sway bar to tame the understeer. NOTHING EVER BROKE ! Finally hit some ice one X-mas day and rolled it seventeen times into a creek upside-down.
Once the wrecker fished it out, got 'er back on the wheels, guess what...started on the first try and ran fine ! If it wasn't for the crushed roof I could have driven it home !
B.V. in Cincy
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egd 11:44AM (12/19/2006)
The front end is straight off a 68/9 Fairlane/Torino.
The taillights are copies og 65 Mustang taillights.
The sides do look like a challenger on the coupe.
The fastback celicas have Mustang lines.
Still a cool car.
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Justin 12:04PM (12/19/2006)
reminds me of a mini challenger, muscular looking n all, but wouldnt do much for me w/o a good sounding torquey v8
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AutoFan 12:10PM (12/19/2006)
Cool. I was expecting the usual "swapped out the 8R with an 18RG" line. The S2000 engine rules though. That thing must fly...they only weighed about 2000 pounds.
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Peter 12:11PM (12/19/2006)
I love this Celica. It has one of the cleanest F20C swaps I've seen. Although it pains me a bit to see a Honda motor in there, you gotta admit, this car has been done right. Kudos for an awesome old school ride!
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Stelios 12:37PM (12/19/2006)
Love these cars. While they do have soem resemblance with certain USA-made vehicles, in person these are more lithe and graceful. Aged very well. As a current (7th generation) Celica owner, how can I not give this baby full marks, anyway?
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David Thompson 1:10PM (12/19/2006)
Nice. I would have gone for an Altezza 3S-GE swap to keep it in the family, though.
Also, which gear is the "final" gear in a FR transmission?
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Andy 2:25PM (12/19/2006)
I like this RR a lot. It's different, it's attractive, and nicely modified. This is what a real RR should be.
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Pinkerton 2:43PM (12/19/2006)
Beautiful, only in California. Any '71 Celica within 500 miles of here has long since turned into a lump of rust.
Nice ride, nice taste in modifications.
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Don McMahon 3:01PM (12/19/2006)
It's great to see this car again. I've owned about 6 in the past,from 71 to 73GT. Great car,under powered as most were back than, but was such a well thought out car none the less. I too played with one GT, dropping a Buick 3.8L into it. Barely fit with the duel exhaust! Glad to see you've kept it alive.
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Casey 3:34PM (12/19/2006)
One of the best examples I've seen. Fantastic job. I've got a 16 yr old son who loves this car. That tells you alot.
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racer_41 3:44PM (12/19/2006)
One of my all time fav cars! Hey B.V in Cinci! I had a 73 silver Celica ST in high school. Ever see it around Mt. Healthy back in the day? It was one of the first cars sold by a little new Toyota dealer on Rt4 called Tri-County Toyota. Hilarous story BTW! I should say, at least it is now anyway. I almost bid on one a few weeks ago in CA that had a twin-cam swap. Now that's one "retro" design I would like to see a bit of if there ever is another Toyota Celica. Add a bit of 2000GT and ya got a ride there.
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iamhoff 4:19PM (12/19/2006)
Man. First that 510 and now this! AB readers are a great bunch, and they've got some schweeeeeet rides. Comment 1 had it right...it looks modded, but not stupid. Everything is done right, without being outrageous...from the chin spoiler to the rims (Panasports? EMPI's? Can't tell but they look perfect) to the super slick interior (love the S2000 gauges) to the absolutely sick engine bay! Gorgeous! Those license plates are even correct for the time period. Don't know if they are the original issue for the car, but here in Cali the plates switched from the Yellow on Black to Yellow on Blue for MY 1970. Very nicely done.
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