This opening photo is a good one showing the long-nose Celica and the five extra inches that were added to the fenders and hood to allow for Toyota’s sweet, silky-smooth inline-six found in the 1979 Toyota Celica Supra. This beauty can be found here on eBay in Hamilton, Michigan with an $8,800 buy it now price or you can make an offer.
I’m firmly lodged in the camp of folks who think this is one gorgeous car and the condition of this example appears to be outstanding. The seller has included a lot of good photos and a great 27-minute video here on YouTube showing this car. Thankfully, they show the engine in the video since they don’t include any photos of it, which is a little unusual given the great photos that they show in the eBay listing.
The first-generation Mk1 Supra was based on Toyota’s Celica hatchback and yes, the bumpers don’t add any beauty to this otherwise great design. But, this car looks almost perfect inside and out, or as perfect as an all-original, 45,015-mile, one-family-owned car can be. They don’t show a photo of the engine but it’s Toyota’s 4M-E 2.6L inline-six with 110 hp and it cold-starts, runs, and idles perfectly.
There it is, the 800-pound gorilla: this car has the 4-speed automatic rather than the 5-speed manual transmission. Some owners may prefer an automatic and I admit that I do sometimes like to not have to deal with shifting in commuting traffic. But, a car like a Supra really is nice with a manual. The seats look fantastic as does really everything that I see here. Have any of you owned a first-generation Supra?
VERY nice looking machine-what would it take to convert it to a stick, and would you?
Beautiful looking all original Supra. I guess I prefer the notchback, I didn’t realize that until now. I like the brown here and I’d leave the transmission alone.
Bakyrdhero, the Supra never came in a notchback.
@Miguel Thank you for pointing that out. I was confusing this with early Celica’s.
The car is beautiful!! How did the wheels get so bad Love the car!!!
I’d like more and better picture of rust prone areas. Fourteen of the 24 pictures were of the interior, from the look of the wheels it’s seen likely seen a fair amount of winter driving. The complete omission of the word, rust, from the sellers description suggests there might be some. After all, if you omit something from the description completely the buyer can’t fight the purchase later by claiming the item wasn’t as described. The video was unwatchable so I have no idea if it answered any questions about rust.
If it is as solid as it appears in the pictures, and if the miles can be verified as original, this is worth the buy it now price all day long. I had a couple Celicas back in the day and always wanted one of these. What a sweetheart.
Being a brown car, it isn’t as “hot” as a red or black car. For that reason alone, I would leave it automatic. If it were a sportier color, a trans swap would be in order.
Thanks, StevieG!
So Mr. Martian seems a bit cranky, but I wonder why during a 30 minute video in a speed shop a shot showing the undercarriage couldn’t be accomplished
The clear coat on aluminum wheels tended to fail pretty quickly back then, I’d say it looks like it saw some winter driving. Doesn’t matter how clean Grandma kept it, the bottom side probably has issues just from living in Michigan
Love that gen Celica/Supra.
This is where Porsche got the idea for the Panamera from.
Ah, that explains it. So the Panamera was designed by a committee at Porsche, in the same mindset that a camel is a horse that was designed by a committee.. I understand now.
My previous thought was that the Panamera had been a project by one of the prison industry’s limousine producing efforts into the sports car market!
As an owner of a 1978 Cressida with a 4M, and the automatic, I can tell you that this car will never feel sporty to drive with that engine and transmission combination. Granted the 4M-E is likely a bit more dynamic than my carburetor setup, but that transmission is definitely more “cruising” oriented. Forcing ti to kick down a gear takes a concerted effort.
Not a thing about this car to dislike, except maybe the lack of the sunroof option. Brown color, A+, that pinstriped cloth interior, A+, the white wall tires, A+, the trailer hitch? What is up with that? I am a fan of the 82 to 86 Supra but this car just grows on you.
I currently own 4 of this generation of Supra, and have been watching this one for the couple of months it has been advertised. I got the owner to send me pictures of the spare tire well which is where bad things happen in this car, and he eventually included them in the ad. While a little elbow grease on the wheels and some good undercarriage photos would put all doubts to rest, he is pretty close to the price point for an excellent example of the first generation Celica Supra. The upholstery is immaculate and unfaded, the rear seat side panels have not split and separated yet, and the hatch privacy cover and side ‘wings’ are still there – all top failure points for these cars. There are lesser cars for sale for double this asking price right now, and a couple of examples close to this one for thousands cheaper.
Who knows if there is actually w six cylinder engine in there. Looks suspicious to to have all thes epics and not one engine photo
These are Luxo cars, not GTs. I had the European Supra suspension on my Celica of this vintage. It drove and handled great. Although the 22R engine was kind of doggy.
Pretty car. But I hate there wheels on this car. It needs something else.
Auction update: this Supra sold at $8,800!
Thank God the MA60 supra aus got was completely different, that’s pig dog ugly.