Toyota Celica: Sleek Car or Silly Car?

Global markets were gobsmacked and intimidated by Toyota’s new found ability to deliver such a benchmark design at a budget price late in 1970. Far more than a show pony, the Celica also went the extra distance under the skin, sadly not always obvious in LT versions sold in Australia.

The frenzy around today’s new Toyota 86 can only provide a clue to the shock generated by the arrival of the first Toyota Celica on Australian roads late in 1971. Unlike any Japanese car before it, its styling appeared to be ahead of the trend as it wasn’t an obvious copy of any Western model. For just over $3000, there was much more to the Celica than exotic looks and a sporty cabin.

Even at base level, its new high-cam (but not overhead cam) hemi-head 1.6-litre 2T engine was combined with a standard 5 speed manual transmission that was still a rarity in 1971. Its twin-throat carburetor then ensured it could deliver 2.0-litre performance with the economy of a 1.2-litre model on the highway. It was perfectly timed for the oil shocks that followed its release. It was one of the few cars during this era of annual facelifts to continue unchanged until 1976. Beyond that, the changes were barely discernible until the next shape arrived in 1977.

There are few coupes sold anywhere in the world that could match the first Celica’s level of sales momentum without major styling changes over such a long period.

Its secret to longevity was an unstressed engine powering a body much smaller and lighter than its obvious rivals. Built on a relatively tiny 95.5 inch/2425mm wheelbase and weighing only 970kg, it was based on a Ford Escort-sized model not sold in Australia called the Carina. The Carina looked like a slightly stretched Corolla which it basically was, leaving the Celica a full-size smaller than the Ford Capri and the Torana GTR.

The genius was cloaking the ordinary little Carina in a drop-dead gorgeous pillarless hardtop body so that no one could link the two. Produced on a special assembly line exclusive to the Carina and Celica, Toyota achieved unbelievable economies of scale that were the envy of Detroit. Even its Japanese rivals were still two-door coupe versions of forgettable sedans.

The spin then and now suggests that it was derived from Toyota’s 1969 EX-1 concept car which is nonsense as the Celica was launched in Japan in 1970. The Ghia 450SS Chrysler-powered limited production vehicle from 1965-66, derived from an even earlier Ghia concept based on the Fiat 2300, is now recognized as the original source of inspiration. The EX-1 was little more than a concept aimed at sprinkling Toyota fairy dust over the production Celica. Apart from the EX-1 front, there was far less Celica in the EX-1 than the Ghia 450SS.

That same Ghia must have influenced several US cars of the same year including the Ford Torino and Dodge Challenger. The Celica was one of the first Japanese cars to be at the head of a styling trend, not behind.

Celica cabin reflected European feel outside. Although well-finished and appointed, cabin space was tight for big Aussies especially in the rear. Early trim didn’t like local sun either.

Like the fresh new styling, the Celica drivetrain was not related to the agricultural 1.6-litre engine just fitted to the local Corona at the time. Gross output on release was 76kW@6000rpm and 137Nm@3800rpm. The 1971 local announcement of the first Celica had all the hallmarks of AMI’s Ken Hougham and the local Toyota smoke and mirrors experts that followed him. The long lead Wheels issue of June 1971 featured a cover shot of the Celica ST, the mid-range twin-carburettor 84kW version that sat between the base LT and the hot twin-cam 93kW GT.

Inside, Wheels readers were treated to the promise of 16 second standing quarters and a top speed of almost 115mph/185km/h. They were also told that dimensions, apart from the lower roofline, were almost identical to the Corona, which they obviously couldn’t be if it was based on the Carina. As the local luke-warm LT (Low Temperature or Celica Light?) version went on sale several months later, the Celica was already established in local folklore as a hot, bargain-priced variation of the Corona before a Celica left the showroom.

Once the Celica LT hit the streets, it didn’t seem to matter unless you were forced to cover any distance in the excruciatingly tight rear seats. That’s because Toyota, like the Ford with the Capri, had dedicated more of the Carina’s wheelbase to the engine room for outstanding balance.

And the name? Yet another Toyota badge ending in the feminine “a”, like Tiara, Corolla, Carina and Corona that refers to items on high, this time based on the Latin root that delivers “celestial” to the English language.

Hard to imagine but this Carina was the first Celica’s starting point. As close to a Corolla as a Corona, the Celica’s ace card was to challenge bigger rivals with slicker-looks and better mechanicals based on a smaller car.  

The Sporty Celica

Early Celica buyers were both male and female. The Celica rapidly became the sporty car that you could hand over to a partner or younger family member without worrying if it was going to kill them. Light and easy to drive, the live axle rear suspension with coil springs and multi-link location and inherent balance ensured that you had to do something really stupid to get it out of shape.

The LT’s more conservative 18.2 second standing quarters and 165km/h top speed were good enough for relaxed long distance cruising and stress-free overtaking. The exceptional fuel economy soon became a real plus. It also offered imported quality and reliability at a time when the local industry was in real turmoil and falling down badly in both areas.

Wheels in 1973 had to back pedal on its 1971 claims for the Celica: “The local distributor, AMI, fears availability of more powerful engines would cause all Celicas, regardless of engine, to be placed in higher categories and incur a sports car excess.”

This Toyota EX-1 emerged in 1969. It is often cited as the starting point for the Celica. For anyone who knows how long it took to get an all new model into production back then, this is a little fanciful especially when so little is shared with the Celica anyway. It was a useful curtain raiser if nothing else. (Image from: http://toyheadauto.com)

Of course, AMI was absolutely correct during a period when conservative and rigid insurance companies as a collective could make or kill a model (Robert Shannon had yet to pioneer his concept of insuring enthusiasts, not their cars, which revolutionized this situation).

The process was very simple. If the insurance industry placed a model in a high category that stopped you from getting insurance or you couldn’t afford the corresponding hikes in policy and excess, the finance companies wouldn’t lend you the money to buy it. By 1976, this process had killed virtually every high performance model including the hot Chargers, Falcon GT and the Monaro coupe a year later.

By keeping the Celica away from this spiral, AMI picked-up the scraps from the end of local MGB and Cooper S production, the withdrawal of the VW Type 3 Fastback and Ford Capri and the hostile insurance classifications of the Datsun 180B SSS and Subaru Coupes. Holden’s switch to the LH Torana left a legion of Torana GTR buyers nowhere to go and problems with the Mazda rotaries all helped.

The 1966 and 1971 dates on these magazine covers tell their own story. The Chrysler-powered Ghia 450SS was seen on US roads in limited numbers and inspired a number of all new 1970 models. It allowed the Celica to set the agenda for the first time for a Japanese coupe.

After surfing wave after wave of easy sales conquests, AMI was handed a tidal wave at the end of 1974 just as the first Celica was getting weary. The Whitlam government had to cut sales tax to stimulate an economy that had lost confidence. The Celica was in the perfect place at the perfect time for small car drivers across the board to upgrade to a government-subsidized Celica. This explains the flood of late 1974-75 models that hit Australian roads when the Celica should have been dead in the water.

Apart from slight grille changes, variations in the LT badge script, a switch from one-piece tail lights to segmented sections, different wheel covers, variations in bonnet flutes and moving the petrol tank out of harm’s way, that was all AMI had to do until 1976.

The process of turning the Celica into a car for hairdressers and their blue rinse customers was about to start.

There wasn’t a bad angle on the first Celica although the rear could seem a little narrow when parked alongside other cars.

The Hairdresser’s Celica

As the TA23 series upgrade of the original TA22 model arrived in February 1976, it should have been a source of excitement. The TA23 was given beefier 14 inch rims with radial tyres, a new vertical front aspect, a wheelbase increase of almost 100mm and a boost in width from 1610mm to 1620mm. Weight was lifted by almost 100kg.

Most of the extra wheelbase was ahead of the front wheels for what was coming next so rear seat space was still tight. The Celica was about to be dragged into the Corona class in weight and size. For just four months, the TA23 was on sale powered by the previous 2T 1.6-litre engine with an extra 100kg and bigger body to haul.

It was replaced in June 1976 by the RA23, the R referring to the 18R engine that AMI had certified for new Australian emissions rules ADR27a. This heavier, tractor-like emissions spec 2.0-litre SOHC engine was standardized across the Corona, Hi-Ace van and the Celica, hardly the stuff to raise the pulse of Celica buyers. The Celica was transformed overnight from a free-revving, rewarding drive to a slogger Corona or Hi-Ace van in party dress.

In Australia, the Celica was one of the few cars in 1971 that gave you a hint of the latest standalone muscle car look in the US. All local and Japanese rivals at that point were based on family cars while the Capri was relegated to another era.

Later 74.5kW/151.8Nm emissions figures highlighted why the new engine could not lift the bar with such a weight increase. However, its undemanding nature and ability to slog as an auto or cover manual drivers too lazy to change gears, made the Celica more appealing to a wider demographic. The coupe was followed by the late local release of the RA28 liftback with its pseudo-Mustang rear styling in 1977. For enthusiasts, the sharp new fastback looks did more to increase the gap between expectations and what the Corona engine could deliver.

The Corona process was completed in November 1977 with the release of the RA40. Like the first Celica, the RA40 was again ahead of the game in looks. It needed to be as it would soon be challenged in early 1978 with its first real rival since the Celica’s 1971 arrival: the Mitsubishi Sigma Scorpion.

This second generation Celica was created in Toyota’s Californian studio under David Stollery, a former child actor and General Motors designer. If the A40 series had been fitted with the VB Commodore’s square headlights instead of the separate round sealed beams as dictated by US regulations, it could have easily passed as a VH Commodore Hardtop.

For the second Celica shape, Toyota turned to its Californian studio with its heavy GM influence. For Australians, this side profile could just as easily belong to a VB Commodore coupe proposal.

In fact, the Liftback version had a profile uncannily close to the Opel Monza version of the first Commodore such was the heavy GM influence in the Toyota studio at the time. Chevrolet’s ground-breaking Monza style was arguably the source of inspiration for both. Of course, it was a hit in Australia and just about everywhere else.

For enthusiasts, it was another big setback with wheelbase boosted from 2490 to 2500mm, width up to 1630mm from 1620mm and another weight gain of almost 100kg as length and overhangs increased. Toyota was in no hurry to replace its 18R engine and its carryover 74.5kW/151.8Nm, instead relying on its bold new looks and extra cabin space to generate sales. At this point, Celica conquests in motor sport assumed extra significance to establish a sporty context for the new shape so blatantly missing in the showroom cars.

It was followed by the rubber-bumper upgrade in October 1979 with its bland narrow grille filled with four rectangular headlights, again dictated by the US market. Toyota’s commitment to Toyota Suspension Tuning (TST) from April 1981 was the only real highlight for a model that had long ago left its driver’s car roots behind. The local switch to net figures reduced its on paper output to just 66kW and 145Nm.

The 1975 Chevrolet Monza had a massive influence on GM coupes around the world including the Opel Monza version of the Commodore and Holden’s own Torana Hatchback. The second generation Celica drove through the middle of that credibility.

In November 1981, a fresh new RA60 with Japanese razor-edged or origami fold looks arrived. It followed the same proportions as the previous model with width boosted to 1665mm. Extra overhangs boosted length and weight while under the bonnet, it was business as usual. That didn’t seem to matter as the looks gave the new model plenty of extra presence which only tended to highlight the disappointment in the way it drove.

New rivals including a full strength Honda Prelude and Accord, an all new Mazda 626 coupe and the various Mitsubishi Cordia models including the Turbo, were starting to invade Celica territory.

The October 1983 SA63 facelift brought a more menacing black front with hidden headlights and semi-trailing arm rear suspension similar to that in premium Coronas and the Cressida. It was a step in the right direction as it had also gained Toyota’s brand new 2SC Super Responsive engine shared with the new Camry but without that car’s fuel injection.

It was enough to lift output to 73kW and 157Nm but more importantly the new engine felt like it wanted to perform. It rewarded keen drivers again. The independent rear suspension was an old school design with the usual toe and camber change but over broken Aussie road surfaces it did improve grip providing it wasn’t pushed too hard. But the Celica was now too heavy for any 2.0-litre carburetor engine.

Nice body, shame about the face. The original proportions might have survived but the generic front of the facelifted second generation Celica was not pretty. Still, it didn’t hurt sales when it suggested a bigger car.  

Unusually, Toyota rushed out a third engine for the RA65 version of this body series in October 1984 as the competition now included the Nissan Gazelle, a better Sigma Scorpion, a further refined Mazda 626 coupe and more powerful rear drive 929 coupe, Subaru Vortex, and a Honda Accord with a Prelude engine upgrade.

The new engine was the 22R which was really the old 18R 2.0-litre engine expanded to 2.4-litres with fuel injection. Outputs were boosted to 87kW and 198Nm but again, this engine was a slogger and nowhere near as pleasant as the new generation 2.0-litre that it replaced. The extra weight, gruffness and performance seemed to highlight the deficiencies in just about every other area.

The heading for the March 1985 Wheels road test “Rough rough” said it all. For the Celica’s patched-on older clientele, it seemed to provide more effortless performance providing you didn’t rev it, especially if it was loaded up with all the fruit including air-conditioning and the four speed automatic option.

Toyota’s final rear drive Celica was a crisp, unusual-looking car that still retains its stand- apart appeal. Complacency had generated refinement levels and suspension performance that were a disgrace to the Celica badge at anything much above shopping speeds. The Celica badge deserved better and got it late in 1985.

Despite its impeccable finish, classy metallic colours, aggressive alloy wheels shared with the top Corona 2.4 models, and its more imposing luxury coupe presence, it was no longer the Celica that younger Australians once knew and loved. The Celica had turned full circle to revisit the uninspired Corona 1900SL/Mark II Hardtops that the original Celica had so convincingly despatched into history.

Just as Australians were writing off this Celica as a serious driver’s choice and the last of its kind, Toyota revisited the early Celica with its first local wild twin-cam version late in 1985. It closely shadowed the new front drive Camry with another milestone new look, this time backed by substance. That story is for another time.