Toyota Celica GT-Four
Rare Group A rally weapon, tamed just enough for the road
Like many Group A rally cars, Toyota’s Celica GT-Four lives in the shadow of the Delta Integrale. Considering that Carlos Sainz, Juha Kankkunen and Didier Auriol took WRC drivers’ titles in a Celica, and Toyota won two championships in 1993 and 1994, that’s unfair. And with 185bhp, the ST165 GT-Four was the most powerful 2.0-litre Japanese car available when it was launched in 1986. UK sales began in 1988, and limited supplies of the mandatory unleaded fuel harmed initial sales. It sold in the USA as the Celica All-Trac.
A year later came the updated ST185 GT-Four. Its swooping bodywork was accompanied by a boost to 225bhp, plus a torque-sensing limited-slip diff. An improved ‘Rally Competition’ version came in 1991 to homologate the WRC car. It was known as the Carlos Sainz edition in the UK and included wider wheelarches, a new water-to-air intercooler and a snorkel on the bonnet to help keep timing belt temperatures down. Toyota took the Manufacturers’ title in 1993 with Juha Kankkunen and in 1994 with Didier Auriol.
The third and final incarnation – launched in 1994 – is by far the best-developed and most effective roadgoing Celica. Honed in the wind tunnel, its tall rear wing added 50kg of downforce at 60mph, though the optional riser blocks could be removed to reinstate visual subtlety. Pop-up headlights made way for four round units too, and power increased to 255bhp.
Some 2500 WRC homologation cars were produced, with everything needed for the WRC team to activate an anti-lag system, water injection and other competition tweaks. It found an impressive turn of speed during the 1995 season. Perhaps a little too impressive – the FIA got wise to a hidden device that circumvented the mandatory air intake restrictor, giving a power advantage. Cue stripped points and a year’s ban.
It was expensive in the UK, which limited sales, and increasingly tough competition from the Ford Escort RS Cosworth and the more practical Subaru Impreza Turbo meant most were sold in Japan. UK sales stopped in 1996, but the GT-Four continued in its homeland until 1999.
It still impresses with serious cross-country performance. Firm suspension, precise steering and strong brakes all work well, while the boosty power is exhilarating – even if the soundtrack isn’t particularly great. The five-speed ’box offers wellspaced gearing while the four-wheel drive system means traction and grip are never an issue.
The question isn’t why should you buy a Celica GT-Four but, rather, why shouldn’t you? It’s maturing into its styling, and can still be bought for sensible money. More importantly, it’s a genuine Group A homologated rally machine. Not only did it put in some seriously impressive results, but it bested the Integrale at the very thing that made it such a legend. matthew Hayward