Duality has a meaning of “simultaneously having two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas or values.” This 1977 Toyota Celica GT has a bit of duality going on but it’s not about beliefs, ideas or values. This GT can be found on eBay with an unmet opening bid of $3,500. It’s located in Hemet, California.
Most of you know that California is usually a place to find nice, rust-free cars; that’s yet another duality. A dented fender? No problem, but rust can be a problem, sometimes an overwhelming problem for buyers. The duality of this car being rust-free but having a major rust problem area seems strange, but it is what it is, as some people say.
As you can see, here is where that rust rears its ugly head on this otherwise rust-free Celica. Dang you, vinyl tops! I love them, but they can wreak havoc like nobody’s business. The seller says that the “only rust on the vehicle is where the vinyl roof was attached at the last 30% of the back of the roof.” Unfortunately, it isn’t a little amount of rust, it’s a devastating amount, at least for someone like myself who doesn’t have the experience to fix anything even remotely like that.
Ahhh.. California. That sunny California can also add to the duality mix by having that hot, dry weather wreak havoc on soft parts, both car, and human. Let’s concentrate on soft car parts here, though. As a first-generation Celica, albeit the last year of the first-generation, these are desirable cars. The next owner will want to source a lot of interior parts for this restoration. Or, as the seller suggests, this one is “Ready for your Vintage Japanese Tuner JDM build.” I never like to see wires dangling, but hopefully, this interior can somehow be pieced back together again.
The engine looks equally used, in fact, well-used. I don’t understand how can things get to the point of being this far gone before some maintenance is done on a vehicle. But, look at that sparkling Interstate battery! That’s duality in action in how clean and new the battery looks compared to the rest of the engine compartment. This should be Toyota’s 18R-C (California emissions) 2.0L inline four with just under 100 hp. It “Starts, Runs and Drives fair. It has factory AC” but it’ll be a daunting project even for the best restoration folks out there. Is this Celica GT worth bringing back to life again?
“Duality” has become our national pastime these days.
I’m guessing that this Celica is not a California original (later plates are a giveaway) and it’s been somewhere where moisture’s gotten under the vinyl half-top.
I’d suggest that this could be best described as a parts car…
Beatnik, to be fair there are a lot of reasons it could have the white plates.
If somebody lost the front plate, they had to get new plates.
Also if the previous owner had personalized plates, the next owner had to get a new set.
I am sure since they listed it in the ad, that the seller can prove it was sold and has stayed in california all of it’s life.
It’s too expensive for a big bumper car with those problems. If I were in the market for an early Celica I’d keep looking.
Steve R
I had the same car in my youth and it was a 20R engine. This looks quite like the same engine. After a Weber carburetor and a header ordered from Japan with the five-speed transmission. It would outrun any v6 and some v 8s in the long run. It would bark every gear and had a top speed of 135mph. What was really cool was the sensor unit mounted on the roof panel inside that sensed many things on the car from brake ware to electrolyte in the battery and so on. If its a 20 R then its worth it if not still might be a sleeper with the same mods.
This has way too much damage for the asking.
It is hard to take a car that was never cared for and bring it back.
There will always be a problem cropping up.
Had a 73 in 1987 when I was 16 it was a small bumper kinda looked like a mini challenger
It was 87 corvette red with aluminum rims and a aftermarket sunroof ,I thought it was the coolest thing in town!
Little did I know it was a pos bondo bucket that I hammered on and constantly fixed it
Long story short I rebuilt the 18rc and smoked my buddy’s 20r all day long but that might be because I really hammered on it….
The girls liked it and that would explain my 29yo daughter at 47 years old!
In Canada 18rc was replaced by 20r in 1975
It got those ugly bumpers in 75 too
By now, most here know my feelings on Asian cars, but,,,this is one of the few exceptions. It is indeed worth bringing back. While it may still ride crummy and have lousy seats, I think these were the best Celicas, before they got bigger and all bloated. Bulletproof mechanical’s, nice styling, but one humongous drawback, they were serious rusters. The condition of this car up north could be described as showroom condition, compared to what happened to these. One winter was all it took,and 5 years later( or 4 more winters) and these cars were shot. I believe it turned many off if buying a new one. Great find.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/carphotosbyrichard/4589267248
My Debbie girl friend of my sister bought one of these new….puttered around town….don’t think it had 15,000 miles by the late 80’s…she just drove to and fro to work and I wrenched on it for her for a few years…brakes and such. Beast of a gal – one of my cancer survivor friends – now going on 30 plus years since she had her big un’s removed. Always liked these and was sad she traded it in one day with out letting me know.
I had a ’72 I bought from a friend. I was the third owner. The car had the 18RC engine, 5 speed and factory air, and the clock even worked! (this was in the mid 1980’s). It was my beater/work car. Fun to drive.
Many years before becoming a “Münchausen Mom” driving my a crossover Honda SUV, my first car was a 1977 Toyota Celica in this very color (I believe it’s a very light powder blue). I got it a few months after my 16th birthday. I loved that old car and so did all my friends at Jeff Davis County High School in Hazlehurst, Ga! Unfortunately it leaked oil and but the dust after I forgot to add more oil to it. Oops! Got a few hundred bucks at a scrap yard and bought a Datsun 280 ZX (which blew a head gasket after a year). I now live in Adelaide Australia and still see some of these old Celicas on the outback roads!