1987 Toyota Celica

“ Low Mileage - 1 Previous Owner ”
One of the many joys of working here is that we get to see cars like this, one-owner-from-new survivors that transport us straight back to a time when we could only look on in awe as some lucky so-and-so drove past in a new one.

Background
The fourth generation of Celica, the so-called T160, broke cover in August 1985, a month that was dominated in the UK by Madonna’s Into The Groove.

Notable for being the first Celica whose power was sent to the front wheels rather than the rear, it was offered as either a two-door or a three-door coupé or a convertible like the one you see here.

Engines were 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre and the bigger engine in this convertible boasts 125bhp and 125lb.ft of torque, enough to propel the 1,060kgs Celica to a top speed of 130mph after passing 62mph in just under nine seconds.

Toyota elevated the Celica to the status of its official rally car, unveiling the four-wheel drive GT-Four in 1987, which also featured a locking centre differential to help tame the 190bhp and 190lb.ft of torque the turbocharged engine delivered.

The GT-Four made its debut in the 1988 Tour de Corse, where it came sixth. It took its first non-WRC triumph in Cyprus that same year and took its first WRC-victory a year later in Australia.

Overview
This Toyota Celica convertible, registration number ‘E680 AYJ’, shows a former keeper on the V5C Registration Certificate but as the second is the original buyer’s wife, who put in into her name after he died, it’s really a one-owner-from-new car.

Which would be remarkable in its own right – and then you discover it’s had a minimum of one main-dealer service every year; it’s not often you see 38 main-dealer stamps in the book for what was a relatively modest car, is it?

It’s still very original too, with a hard-won patina and evidence of preservation rather than restoration, something else that separates the great cars from those that are merely very good.

Showing just 42,000 miles on the odometer, a reading we’re confident is saying is accurate, it starts, runs and drives very well and everything we tested worked as it should.

Being offered with no reserve, we can see this ultra-original Celica attracting an awful lot of interest.

Estimate: £6,000 - £9,000

View Current Bid Price HERE