This great-looking, somewhat faded 1979 Toyota Celica ST Sport Coupe is from the middle of the second-generation redesign of this iconic model. The big bumpers do it no favors in the looks department, but otherwise, it’s hard to beat the look of a notchback coupe for me, especially one in orange. The seller has this example listed here on eBay in West Des Moines, Iowa, with an unmet opening bid suggestion of $7,500.
The seller refers to this base ST Sport Coupe as being “original,” and then goes on to say it’s been repainted, the radio has been changed, and the engine has been changed. Otherwise… Maybe they mean “original spec” or “original style,” or a combination of those things. It certainly isn’t original anymore. The paint, I believe, is a dark orange color (called “Orange,” believe it or not) that was offered in 1979, not red as they say. I would want no other color on this car if it were mine; it’s perfect. I don’t even mind the fact that the paint is said to be 36 years old and is faded in spots.
The second-generation Celica was made for the 1977 model year until July of 1981, and there was a notchback coupe, as seen here, in either GT or ST trim, along with a hatchback, or what Toyota called a liftback body style. Some aftermarket companies offered convertibles, and some goofball named Scotty G made a sedan version. Make mine a notchback every time.
Toyota was the first Japanese car company to have a big presence in the U.S., as far as having a design facility here, going back to 1973 in El Segundo, California. Well, what did you expect, Omaha? That’s where this car was sold new, according to the dealer info on the back of the car, so there is some rust on the body of this one to deal with. The interior looks nice overall. The seats look like new, and with some deep cleaning of the carpet, it would look great inside.
The replacement engine is the same as what would have been there from the factory, Toyota’s 20R, a 2.2-liter SOHC inline-four with 96 horsepower and 120 lb-ft of torque. They don’t say why it was replaced, and they list the mileage as being 50,000, but the odometer appears to read 77,626. So, is that 126,626 total on the car? Nobody knows. A 5-speed manual will make this a fun-to-drive car, and there’s a new gas tank and many other new parts. Any thoughts on this Celica?
This brings back memories. I really liked the ads for these when I was a kid. ( and I like the sedan Scotty) These are good looking, well built cars. And I agree with Scotty, these aided in puting Toyota on the map in the US. I know this one may not be “original” but still seems very solid, considering how many of these were just simply used up, or rusted out, and scrapped. Even the bumpers at least to me, do go along with the car pretty good.
This listing was ended by the seller on Sun, Jan 18 at 7:46 AM because the item was lost or broken.
I had a 74 GT with a 5 speed. Fun, economical and great lines. Mine had the 18rc which was prone to exhaust valve burning and timing chain issues but the 20R solved those problems. Not a fan of the big bumpers but still over all, a great RWD car! Buy it and have fun!
Our neighbor had one. Beige with brown interior. Hatchback. I don’t remember the precise year but it had the front end like this. So a 1978 or ’79. I just remember how new it smelled. Look at it now. My goodness time has gone by!
When I was still at school, I had a 81 ST coupe in white/ blue interior here in Germany.
It was a great car, very reliable and had a much better look with the european rectangular front lights and smaller bumpers.
I upgraded it (illigally) with some wider wheels from a Z280, which gave a great stance.
Unfortunately, after some years it showed some serious rust in the trunk and both doors were corroded at the underside, too.
It was too much for me to fix in those days as a poor young man.. I still think about this car…
Replaced an intake manifold gasket on my ex-wife’s back in the day and had a hell of a time trying to hook all those hoses back up the way they were before I started. Even though I had taken a photo before I began. Otherwise it was a pretty reliable car
The wife (now-ex) had an ’80 or ’81 Coupe. In black. With the black color the fat bumpers didn’t look so bad. I was a Toyota parts manager at the time and ordered up the euro-spec Supra sway bars, installed a set of Bilstein shocks/struts and Cressida 15″ wheels. It had every option Toyota had that year except automatic transmission. So with the 5 speed it was kind of fun to drive. Power sunroof, factory equalizer, it had it all. Top speed was 114 MPH in either 3rd, 4th or 5th gear. I made a 100 mile run (Susanville CA to Alturas CA) I just under 1 hour. Also raced a guy in a Turbo Thunderbird from Echo Summit to Placerville with no traffic and no police presence. I would eat him up in the corners and he would do the same to me in the straights. (US 50 there is 2 lane down hill in the mountains with lots of turns and a few areas to pass) That is one car that I wish I had kept.
My daughter bought a 79 Celica with her own hard earned $500 in high school. Car had 250,000 miles on it, finally busted some valve springs ???? close to 300,000 miles(and many years afterward) but she learned to drive a stick with it and got her drivers license so it all worked outl
6500 for a 78 GT 5spd liftback brand new. I had a GT coupe like this one later.
Fantastic car to thrash on as a kid because I couldn’t break mine. That is saying something.
While all my old cars are American, all my trucks are TUNDRAS
20r was a good engine
Never liked this body style. To me, they turned a sporty looking car into a 2dr sedan. My first new car was a ’77 GT coupe.