This1 1977 Toyota Celica GT Liftback is a collector’s item, believe it or not, with a strong following among fans of vintage Japanese cars and the Toyota brand at large. This one may not be your first choice for a project, but it does appear largely complete with a decent interior. It doesn’t run, apparently parked due to a bad starter, and the starter was apparently never replaced. The engine still turns by hand, but the seller is not going to perform a deep dive on any other mechanical issues that may be lurking. The Celica is clearly cosmetically challenged and suffers from a few bad repaints and some rust that isn’t explicitly disclosed. Find the Celica here on eBay with a Buy-It-Now of $3,500.
When the Celica came out, it became a hit among consumers in short order. Up to that point, the only real exposure to Japanese cars was that of econoboxes and other fuel-sippers that while certainly economical, weren’t much fun to drive. Factor in a muscle car market that was a shadow of its former self and you have all the makings for a sporting Japanese car to enter the fray and steal the hearts of car shoppers. The taillight design earned it different monikers referring to it as a Mustang in miniature, or a Japanese Camaro, a reputation that was helped by the fact it didn’t try to be a pure sportscar but rather a better version of the ponycar.
Power wasn’t exactly in abundance and automatic transmissions were seemingly more the norm than the manual ‘box. The seller wants the pictures to do the bulk of the talking here, and while the outside leaves much to be desired, the cabin is pleasingly complete for a long-idled project. The seats will need some upholstery work, but you could easily live with them by just throwing some covers over for the time being. The fake wood trim is obviously tired, but it still looks handsome in places (like around the instrument cluster). The door panels are complete and the carpets don’t look too bad, either. The condition of other small details like the leather cover around the parking brake handle suggest the Celica was taken care of up until it was parked due to the faulty starter.
The engine in this era of the Celica wasn’t very exciting, or even remotely sexy. But by 1977, it had grown to 2.2L and was noted for its smoothness and respectable performance, especially compared to the Mustang of the same era. Of course, it was also getting heavier and the federally-mandated crash bumpers didn’t serve to beautify it at all. The liftback design introduced new levels of convenience and made the otherwise attractive design even more functional. Overall, their values fluctuate wildly today, with the earliest models in survivor condition commanding big money and examples like these, while obviously cherished, available for far less. Which generation Celica do you prefer?
I like both this generation as well as the early generation. I would think restoring one one of these would be more difficult than domestic product due to the lack of reproduction parts so it would definitely pay to buy the best example you can find. This one is a bit too haggard and the automatic transmission makes it less desirable.
As soon as I saw the shifter I knew why it had survived.
I have always thought these cars look like a smaller version of the 1969 Mustang SportsRoof. Very similar lines; even the dash looks similar.
Even the triple tail lights look like a nod to the Mustang. Toyota got this one right I am glad to see tbey are being collected.
Check out the JDM version. Without the dreadful 5-MPH bumpers, the resemblance to the Mustang is even stronger. It was deliberate – the original Celica was inspired by the Mustang, but was smaller to better suit home-market customers.
I had one, but it wasn’t a fastback. 1976 pushrod 1600 5-speed; still quick enough to rattle up the A1 cruising at 80+ after a caving weekend in Yorkshire.
Very good look that Toyota moved away from in ’78 or 79. Still pretty cool until they went to the box/straight lines of the 80s. No one thought too highly of these at the time, so very few were kept and cared for like a Camaro/Mustang of the era. This is one that when I see at a show, time is spent looking at it and chatting with the proud owner !
My wife and i have a hobby restoring these 70-77 Celica’s s in Oregon. We have all model years here with a good mix of Coupe and Liftback versions. All our Liftbacks get the Japanese market upgrades including the extremely rare 5 tail light version from the GT2000. We have on all Original 1975 Japanese version RHD as well with the 18rg Twin Cam dual side draft carbs and the P51 Porsche designed 5 speed. Waaaaay faster and sportier than the US ever received. Anyone interested in collecting these should source em with these options
I had a 72 with a mint black interior. While I knew it had a following I sold it shortly after cutting off the roof. I think I was just getting bored! I wish I still had it and I hope the buyer Reinforced the frame and built a suitable top for it! It had those terrific :-) bumpers!
Every time I see one of these I think if a night in the mid-80s in high school cruising with Van Halen blasting on the Alpine deck spraying a fire extinguisher out the tiny back window. Ah, the days
I use to drive around town with my buddy in the back of my convertible and he’d spray bike riders and “sweethearts” walking with a fire extinguisher!! Ahhhh the days of summer fun!
My first car at 16 was a Toyota celica
I loved that car more then anything I owned it was a 1983 celica ST with the trunk
I have so many memories with the car
The car was so reliable and just a good looking car for it’s time
I met my 1st girlfriend with the car and went on many dates with her in that car
I never had any problems with the car breaking down
Toyota really made a very reliable car that never broke down
Sounds a bit fishy. Parked for a starter motor ? These puppies are not hard to work on and a starter Moyer is as cheap as a tire. I’m thinking there might be more wrong.