Toyota Celica Graded: What Were the Best Celicas of the Past?
Welcome to Graded. Here we discuss legendary marques, models, or trim packages and affix a letter grade to a selection of vehicles falling under that topic. The grades mean nothing and are completely arbitrary. I fully encourage you to tell me what I got wrong and how you would grade them instead. Have some fun with it.
The Toyota Celica is one of the best known nameplates for Toyota with a lifespan that lasted over 35 years, and it's coming back according to the brand. It is one of those rare cars that was offered as rear-wheel drive, front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive during its lifetime. Starting in 1971, the one constant for the Celica was its compact size and good fun for not a lot of money.
For this week’s Graded, we have gathered 10 Celica’s spanning the model’s seven generation. We are focusing on Celica’s that only ever made it to North America, so the special Japanese models are not included here. Let me know which grades you would change from the list below.
1971 Toyota Celica ST
Grade: C
The original Celica was a fairly stylish compact coupe. Performance wasn’t great and the original ST didn’t do it for me. I appreciate it as a cool classic, but there are other Celica’s I’d take over it.
1975 Toyota Celica GT
Grade: C+
I much prefer the overall look of the GT to the earlier ST, even if it had to wear those ugly 5 mph bumpers by 1975. The larger 2.2-liter engine did improve performance, but it was far from a sports coupe at this point.
1980 Toyota Celica GT USGP
Grade: B-
The second-generation Celica was introduced in 1977. For the 1980 model year a special edition of the GT was introduced, called the USGP. That stood for the United States Grand Prix, to commemorated Toyota’s involved in the Grand Prix of Long Beach, California. I’m a fan of the overall look of this generation and the ’70s stripe package adds something to this rear-wheel drive lift-back.
1985 Toyota Celica GT-S Convertible
Grade: B
This was the last rear-wheel drive convertible Celica. I like the looks of this generation, and the compact convertible styling would be right at home heading to the beach.
1989 Toyota Celica All-Trac Turbo
Grade: A-
Performance took a serious turn for the Celica in the late ‘80s thanks to the car’s involvement in World Rally. Powered by a 190 hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the all-wheel drive Celica didn’t care what the weather was like outside – it was ready for fun.
1989 Toyota Celica GT-S Coupe
Grade: B+
For those that didn’t want the cost or complexity of the All-Trac, or maybe preferred the coupe body style, there was still this sporty option. Called the GT-S coupe, the front-wheel drive two-door came equipped with a 135 hp four-cylinder engine. I actually prefer the styling of this car over the All-Trac.
1993 Toyota Celica All-Trac Turbo
Grade: A
In North America, this was the ultimate Celica. Compared to the last generation All-Trac, power was bumped up to 221 hp and 224 lb-ft of toque. Just as important, more rally car styling made its way into this car including the big hood scoop, hood vents and larger rear wing.
1993 Toyota Celica GT Convertible
Grade: B-
If fun in the sun was more your thing, the Celica GT could be had as a convertible. Although it lacked any real performance, it had all the style of the GT-S and was a great, affordable convertible during its day.
1996 Toyota Celica GT
Grade: B
Sadly, with the sixth generation Celica, North American’s did not get a version of the All-Trac. The best we could purchase was the GT. Power came from a 135 hp engine that by 1996 wasn’t all that special anymore. The car’s biggest redeeming qualities were its stylish exterior and decent handling.
2001 Toyota Celica GT-S
Grade: A-
For the Celica’s last hurrah, we got the GT-S with a high revving, 180 hp 1.8-liter engine. Launched right in the heart of the tuner era, this car has a strong cult following. Keeping with Celica tradition, styling was ahead of its time and performance was above average.
Become an AutoGuide insider. Get the latest from the automotive world first by subscribing to our newsletter here.
A 20+ year industry veteran, Mike rejoins the AutoGuide team as the Managing Editor. He started his career at a young age working at dealerships, car rentals, and used car advertisers. He then found his true passion, automotive writing. After contributing to multiple websites for several years, he spent the next six years working at the head office of an automotive OEM, before returning back to the field he loves. He is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), and Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA). He's the recipient of a feature writing of the year award and multiple video of the year awards.
More by Mike Schlee
Comments
Join the conversation