Skip advert
Advertisement

Toyota Celica GT

There's a really good car under there...

Evo rating
RRP
from £22,595
  • Great to drive...
  • ...under cover of darkness

The GT kind of passed us by when it was launched in the summer, which is pretty remarkable given its, er, arresting looks. It's based on the Celica T-Sport, which means it gets the top-spec VVT-i (variable valve timing with lift) 1.8-litre screamer that also does service in various Lotuses, a close-ratio six-speed 'box, front-wheel drive and Toyota's latest stability control (VSC) and traction control (TRC) systems. You also get different springs, which lower the ride height by 30mm, plus unique 17in alloys wearing asymmetric Pirelli PZeros. Oh yes, and that bodykit.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The rear aerofoil has a whiff of functionality about it, but there's really no excuse for those sill-skirts. Obviously these things are subjective, but it's unlikely to appeal to anyone who doesn't subscribe to Max Power incorporating Big'n'Bouncy. And isn't the point of the 'maxing' culture that you customise your car to express your individuality (even though, ironically, they all end up conforming to exactly the same aesthetic)? In which case a new set of skirts and spoilers would be top of your shopping list anyway...

Quick, jump inside. That's better. The GT's leather and Alcantara seats are excellent and the controls well placed (the pedals, for example, are so well matched for heeling and toeing that you're soon doing it almost subconsciously) and everywhere there's a slick precision to the way the Celica does its stuff. Actually, I'd forgotten just what a brilliant chassis this is, and in the GT it feels sharper than ever. There's a wonderfully alert, living feel to it, and as you slice into corners you can feel the suspension working, bobbling around, not in an unsettling way but in a busy, involving fashion. Any electronic interventions are discreet, messages stream back from all four corners, and you feel right there, nice and low, at the centre of it all.

The engine, as ever, is a mixed blessing. The way it whips from 6500 to the 8000rpm red line is a hoot, but below six-five there's really very little there, and unless you take it literally into the red, each upchange drops you back out of 'the zone'. Like the looks, it's definitely not for everyone, and together they deny the Celica the wider audience that its chassis deserves. Which is a shame, because in a few months' time the Celica will have ceased to be, perhaps destined to be a 'nearly' car. So if you don't mind the way it looks, grab one while you still can - just remember to tick the 'thick skin' option.

Find used Toyota Celica's for sale on the Classic and Performance Car site here.

Specifications

EngineIn-line 4-cyl, 1796cc, 16v
Max power189bhp @ 7800rpm
Max torque133lb ft @ 6800rpm
0-607.2sec (claimed)
Top speed140mph (limited)
On saleNow
Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Best used sports cars – proper performance cars for less than a new Golf GTI
Cheap sports cars
Best cars

Best used sports cars – proper performance cars for less than a new Golf GTI

With the sun shining and fuel prices palatable, now is the time to indulge your used sports car desires
1 Jul 2025
Can Lotus survive its latest crisis?
Lotus factory
Opinion

Can Lotus survive its latest crisis?

Lotus’s latest troubles are grabbing headlines, but the writing’s been on the wall for some time.
28 Jun 2025
New 2026 Ferrari Amalfi revealed – physical buttons return in the 631bhp Roma replacement
Ferrari Amalfi front
News

New 2026 Ferrari Amalfi revealed – physical buttons return in the 631bhp Roma replacement

The Ferrari Amalfi picks up where the Roma left off, as a more capable, debugged super GT that’s finally brought back buttons
1 Jul 2025