Can we forgive Toyota for burying the sporting ambitions of its Supra in the Celica at launch? The Celica was a spritely and economical competitor offered up against Ford’s Mustang, but when Toyota gave it the “Supra” treatment for model year 1979, the Celica’s nose grew along with its wheelbase. Objectively, the extra 5″ didn’t flatter the design, but the long-nose idiom was still popular by the late 1970s. The new car was aimed at Datsun’s 280ZX – the portly but luxe evolution of the brilliant 240Z. Bringing this car home from the showroom would set you back $10,000 – a hefty sum for the day – but it was festooned with features Toyota hadn’t offered yet: plush carpet, power options, clocks and cubbyholes. Its engine bay was graced with a silky six cylinder, but soft suspension reminded buyers that the point was conveyance, not track time. Here on craigslist is a first-generation 1979 Celica Supra, with only three owners in its history, and an asking price of $5995. The car is located in Aberdeen, Washington, and we have T.J. to thank for the tip!
The US-spec Celica Supra was delivered with a down-rated 2.6 liter, fuel injected SOHC inline six, making 110 hp versus the JDM version at 125 hp. Torque was decent, though, and the car could be had with a five-speed manual. Alas, this example has a four-speed automatic with overdrive. But its odometer reads just over 100,000 miles (documented), and its owners have cared enough to recondition the head, clean up the injection system, replace the belts and hoses, and rebuild the transmission. New struts and shocks round out the major repairs. The car is said to start immediately; according to the seller, it can be driven daily.
The interior is clean as they come, with the mildest of scratches here and there, light staining on the carpets, maybe a stitch or two loose on the e-brake boot. The door cards, seats, and headliner are in excellent shape. The cargo area has the aura of mild use, and the seller notes a hairline crack in the windshield. This Celica Supra came with a tilt steering wheel, air conditioning (R12), power windows, cruise control and a cassette player. The spare is still present beneath the cargo hatch – and it’s clean as a whistle in there, too.
The car still rides on its factory wheels, which could use refinishing. The seller notes a few chips in the cream paint, and a small rust spot or two – already treated. The badging, lenses and rubber trim are in fine shape. This first attempt at a new sporting tradition from Toyota was not a revelation, but it set the groundwork for the mid-1990s turbocharged variant. That Supra could sprint with the best of them, and will eventually attain a position in the pantheon of collectible automobiles. But this first-gen example will turn heads immediately, and at a very reasonable price.
Nobody? That’s too bad, because even a non foreign car guy like me, recognizes this as the best Celica, before the “blobbed out”. The engine bay was horribly complex looking compared to a Pinto, but was surprisingly trouble free. They weren’t cheap. I read, these cost about $6500 new, about the same as a Z28, but over its 35 year run, almost 4.2 million Celicas were sold. Can’t argue with that. These were great cars, I just wonder if the electronics stood the test of time.
One of my favorite comedians, that’s still alive, that is, Jerry Seinfeld made a joke about Asian car names by adding an “a” to the end. “A Super? No, A Supra, and a Maximum? No, a Maxima, and so on.
That first picture really makes this car look awkwardly proportioned, but then you scroll through the rest and it really is a sweet car. And the price is right. Too bad about the automagic trans. If you could make it a manual and slap a turbo on it you’ve got something.
This listing is sketchy. The interior shots are of 2 different cars, one with cloth and one with vinyl
No, the seats were vinyl backed and cloth front and sides. Made sense for durability too because the back seats were so tight that you invariably kicked the back of the front seats with your shoes. This way just a quick wipe cleaned them.
Beautiful looking car. Although I was way too young at the time to drive a car, I remember the first generation Toyota Celica Supra. I remember finding the front end appearance way more attractive than the “standard” Celica.
I don’t mean that. Take a close look at the front door panels in the shot with the open hatch. They’re vinyl. In that same shot, take a look at the tops of the back seats. Vinyl. Then look at the tops of those same seats in the shot of the rear quarter window. Cloth. They’re not the same seats. Maybe the seats were changed out but it’s funny the ad doesn’t mention it. The overdrive light on the dash also looks different from one pic to the next.
I believe you are on to something. As I recall, the original Celica seats for the second gen were the same style as the first gen: vinyl with a perforated vinyl seat cushion and seat back. I don’t remember the Supra though. It would be easy enough to look up. I don’t think that pattern was original even if they had cloth cushions.
Plush carpet and a clock came with the first gen Celica. Compared to the first gen, the second gen design was a WT*?
Third gen with the angular 1980’s design was back on track.
My first car was a 71 Celica ST
Later I found one of these on the main Chevy dealer used car lot
It too was an automatic so I passed
I really really wanted it too
Dalton is absolutely correct. We have a mix of 2 (maybe 3) different cars here. One is cloth YW41 code and the other is LJ41 leather (vinyl) trim code. In a cloth car, the rear seat headrests would be cloth. Also, the warning light cluster close up pic 9/24 is from a manual transmission car, not automatic because no OD light like in pic 10/24. Other than that, it is in decent condition and good price – especially for a relatively rare ‘slicktop’ (no sunroof) model. Also, the AI writeup is not of this model. It is talking about the 2nd gen Celica Supra (82-86) because of how it mentions ‘older’ 81-82 models
I was in highschool when that first came out. Some teacher bought one. I thought it looked stupid then, haven’t changed my mind since. Of course I’m finding cars in the 70s and 80s I didn’t like then, I still don’t. One of the ones that stands out is the Dodge Dart Swinger. I had a customer, and older lady. It just looked like a old lady car especially with the daisy sticker. I know they are now considered “hot rods” or something but still remind me of the bank teller’s car.