Generation Gap: Toyota Celica Edition

"Amoore100" (amoore100) 01/20/2016 at 22:18 • Filed to: Generation Gap, Toyota Celica

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Welcome to Generation Gap where we ask you about your favorite generation of a certain multi-generational car nameplate. Then, explain why your choice is right to the rest of us uneducated folks.

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Continuing the trend of 20th century, largely reliable Toyotas, this week we have the renowned Celica, the original RWD sports car which spawned the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Over the years, it gradually became based on a FWD economy car chassis, but does that detract or improve its appeal? Whether you call it a Sell-ick-uh (American) or a Sell-eek-uh (British), which generation of this classic Toyota sportster are you drawn to the most?

The options:

First Generation [1970 - 1977] A20/A30 (facelift)

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Second Generation [1977 - 1981] A40/A50 (facelift)

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Third Generation [1981 - 1984] A60

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Fourth Generation [1985 - 1989] T160

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Fifth Generation [1989 - 1993] T180 (facelift)

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Sixth Generation [1993 - 1999] T200 (facelift)

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Seventh Generation [1999 - 2006] T230 (facelift)

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TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > Amoore100 01/20/2016 at 22:21

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There’ll always be a special place in my heart for the second gen Celica - my dad owned one for 25 years before he was forced to sell it, still calls it the best car he’s ever owned.

TheHondaBro > Amoore100 01/20/2016 at 22:26

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This one. Red GT liftback. My favorite car of all time.

TheHondaBro > Amoore100 01/20/2016 at 22:27

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ST205 or bust!

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Amoore100 01/20/2016 at 22:27

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I seriously love this pre-facelift 2nd Gen coupe. So clean and hopeful.

Amoore100 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 01/20/2016 at 22:28

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Agreed. So very much a product of the era.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > Amoore100 01/20/2016 at 22:30

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Give me a first generation Celica lift back with a crown or century v-series engine and 5 speed so I can have the 3/4 scale pony car of my dreams.

Amoore100 > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/20/2016 at 22:32

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A five speed V12 Celica? Sounds great to me!

dogisbadob > Amoore100 01/20/2016 at 22:33

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I like most of them, but the 3rd gen is my least favorite.

I love the first, second, 5th, 6th, and 7th gens.

The first is a fucking classic and looks AWESOME! The second gen has that cool 70s/80s futuristic look, the 5/6 gens have the 90s awesomemess Toyota absolutely at the top of their game and the rally heritage and shit including the best cheating ever. The last Celica has the 2ZZ which is cool, and looks fast.

The 3rd gen is ugly, and the 4th is a tad less ugly, but still below the rest.

The 7th gen looks fast

gin-san - shitpost specialist > Amoore100 01/20/2016 at 22:33

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The 7th gen gets a lot of flak for being FWD, but it was one of those first cars that I noticed looked cool - I would’ve been around twelve years old at the time. I didn’t know much about cars at that point, but the 7th gen was really different from anything else on the road at the time. It wasn’t bad in the GT-S trim with the VVT-i engine. Apart from having a F40 poster when I was younger (which I knew nothing about), I think the 7th gen Celica is what started to get me interested in cars. If I could find a lower mileage GT-S I’d be very happy, but there aren’t many good examples around anymore.

I love the look of the first gen, and 5th-gen onwards. The ones in between don’t do a lot for me, although I’d still be very happy to own one of these.

dogisbadob > Amoore100 01/20/2016 at 22:33

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pretty color

dogisbadob > Amoore100 01/20/2016 at 22:34

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no 2nd gen hatchback? :p

Your boy, BJR > Amoore100 01/20/2016 at 22:34

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I've always loved the 5th gen the most. No clue why.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Amoore100 01/20/2016 at 22:34

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First or Sixth (If it’s a GT-4). Either way, they both look awesome

Amoore100 > dogisbadob 01/20/2016 at 22:38

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Fully concur. I love the looks of all of them, but the 3rd gen actually appeals to me in this ugly-mutt 80's wedge car kind of way. The first gen is obviously legendary, the second has many styling cues that would end up on the Supra, and the fourth has a classically elegant bathtub design. After that, I feel like they got a bit too overstyled, but you can’t deny their awesomeness in rally livery.

And yes, despite being a Matrix coupe, the last Celica was elegant enough for what it was.

dogisbadob > Amoore100 01/20/2016 at 22:40

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I LOVE that Toyota Castrol rally livery!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amoore100 > gin-san - shitpost specialist 01/20/2016 at 22:43

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I also liked the 7th gen as a kid, although looking back on it I feel like some body lines (and the hood scoop) were a bit gratuitous. It’s hard to say which car was the one that made me a gearhead, but I was definitely a Japanese only guy up until my preteen years.

It’s interesting how the Celica has evolved in this timeline from Japanese muscle car to RWD performance coupe to AWD rally machine and finally FWD economy hatch. It kinda represents the evolution of Toyota as a whole, actually.

Berang > Amoore100 01/20/2016 at 22:44

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The first generation, because it looks like a car.

Amoore100 > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 01/20/2016 at 22:44

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YES!!! Rally Celica’s are the best!

Amoore100 > dogisbadob 01/20/2016 at 22:45

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Now there’s one. I just figured it would be too close to the Supra which we already did, so I featured the coupe for a change.

Amoore100 > Berang 01/20/2016 at 22:45

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Then what do the rest look like? I’m genuinely curious...

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Amoore100 01/20/2016 at 22:53

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Rally everything is best. But especially Toyotas. But seriously... Where did they go wrong?

Boxer_4 > Amoore100 01/20/2016 at 22:53

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You forgot the Eighth and Ninth Generations:

Seriously though; the Seventh generation is probably my favorite just because a friend of mine used to have one, and it was awesome. The Fifth and Sixth generations are awesome, too, because ‘90s Toyotas.

Desu-San-Desu > Amoore100 01/20/2016 at 22:54

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A 1977 Celica GT RA29-W50 is and always will be one of my all-time bucket-list cars. I have promised myself that I have have one of my own before I die.

Berang > Amoore100 01/20/2016 at 22:56

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Bars of soap mostly.

MgS > Amoore100 01/20/2016 at 22:58

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1st, 3rd and 4th gen Celicas are all great cars. The last two generations missed the mark entirely for me.

The 2nd gen I have really mixed feelings about - muddy design cues mostly.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > Amoore100 01/20/2016 at 23:00

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V8 actually

Depending on the year, 2.6-4 liters of hemi head overhead valve v8. Makes a nasty noise too.

The Hope of Africa > dogisbadob 01/20/2016 at 23:02

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Screaming 90's!

The Hope of Africa > Your boy, BJR 01/20/2016 at 23:03

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Same here bruh

The Hope of Africa > The Hope of Africa 01/20/2016 at 23:11

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Best done with a sticker similar to the beretta indy

Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut 01/20/2016 at 23:59

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I voted 2nd gen, as that was my first car. ^_^

gergey - Wishes vette was Datsun > Amoore100 01/21/2016 at 00:58

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Fifth gen!

Was the first car I bought, (second car I owned, the first was a free POS) and I loved it dearly. Toyota Super Red II, man what a great colour. Also this livery!:

OzzyTheJack > Amoore100 01/21/2016 at 10:22

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I learned to drive on a first gen Celica. In fact, I nearly totaled it one week after I got my license. It was not my fault (really!) and we had the car repaired. The car was originally gray and was resprayed the same yellow as the picture above. My view may be skewed by the freedom that the car represented for a 16 year old but I loved driving that car.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > gin-san - shitpost specialist 01/21/2016 at 10:55

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Despite being FWD, the 7th Celica wasn’t bad at all. IIRC, they were damn good in their class in AutoX.

vicali > Amoore100 01/21/2016 at 11:33

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All the trac.. everytime..

gin-san - shitpost specialist > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut 01/21/2016 at 11:43

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I thought the GT-S was a good example of a small Japanese car with a high-revving engine and all the power on the top end. I didn't think it was bad, but that whole FWD argument is what most people belch out about this car. Yes, we know it used to be RWD/AWD but that didn't make the 7th gen car awful.

Amoore100 > gergey - Wishes vette was Datsun 01/21/2016 at 19:10

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That gen seems to be a sweet spot between the muscle coupes and the economy cars that preceded and succeeded it. They do look gorgeous in the wonderful Castrol livery and I imagine they are great fun to drive as well!

Amoore100 > Boxer_4 01/21/2016 at 20:13

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Haha, I would imagine labeling the tC’s as Celicas would create some disorder among the ranks...I find it interesting how everyone speaks highly of the 7th gen yet it currently has the fewest votes...I guess it’s difficult to look past the awesomeness of 90's Toyota.

Amoore100 > Desu-San-Desu 01/21/2016 at 20:14

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They look magnificent and are probably more reliable than the muscle cars that they replicate. 10/10 on my drive before I die list, if not own.

Amoore100 > Berang 01/21/2016 at 20:14

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Haha, too true!

Amoore100 > MgS 01/21/2016 at 20:19

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Well the last few gens were moving towards the less sporty but still not bad FWD chassis. The second gen may look awkward, but remember, it’s what spawned the MkI Supra.

Amoore100 > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 01/21/2016 at 20:24

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Well they race Aurises now, but it doesn’t detract from the point that most modern Toyotas are simply sleep inducing.

MgS > Amoore100 01/21/2016 at 20:51

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The MkI Supra was what the 2nd gen should have looked like - the extra hood length made the difference in the proportions working.

I don’t think it’s a “bad” car, it just never worked for me visually.

Amoore100 > MgS 01/22/2016 at 00:00

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Yeah, for me that’s the third gen, just a bit too wedgey with almost a TR7-like appearance. Still rather like it though. The Supra had better proportions because instead of the Celica’s I4, it had the longer I6 which thus needed a longer hood. Add that to the hatchback body and it looks like a rather elegant grand tourer.

Amoore100 > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/22/2016 at 00:13

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That’s right! I always forget that the earlier Centuries had V8s since I’m so used to hearing about the silky smooth 1GZ-FE V12 that the latest ones have. The V8 must be a wonderful powerplant, tuned for limo duty but still with that visceral quality of a hemi motor.

Amoore100 > OzzyTheJack 01/22/2016 at 01:48

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Haha, what a great story! Now I'm a bit jealous of your first car...

MgS > Amoore100 01/22/2016 at 10:17

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The square lines of the early 80s were a “love it or hate it” thing for many. That era produced several of my favourite cars - I quite liked what I perceived to be “clear, sharp lines”, and that included the Celica. I can appreciate that some would not have cared for it though.

I loved the MkII Supra as well - it really did look like a “step up” from the Celica, and the proportions worked exceedingly well.

Amoore100 > MgS 01/22/2016 at 18:10

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Yeah, interestingly enough I’m usually a fan of 80's ruler styling but the trapezoidal front end of the Celica is just a bit too radical for my tastes...

And I totally see what you’re saying about the second gen now; it looks rather boring, and it could easily be mistaken as just another entry level coupe for basic transportation, but the Supra’s two part grille and long hood gives it a much more upper class appearance.