A JDM Pony Car
For me it feels like the GT Celica doesn't get enough love, its bigger brother the GT 4 left some really, really huge shoes for it to fill.
The term “Pony Car” is thrown around in reference to the Ford Mustang, but it really became a classification of its own. An unlikely brand, Toyota, decided to pick a spot in this class of vehicle and create a cheap, compact sports car for the masses. This car was not big on power, neither was it big on weight, it was just enough all around for the driving experience, and over the years it’s varying evolutions has stayed true to this principle.
This JDM “Pony Car” is known as the Toyota Celica, or “Celica”, as British or Aussies would call it. It’s name derived from its Latin root meaning Celestial. Going through the history of this car though would take a long time, as the line was established in 1970, with its clear similarities to the fastback Mustang being quite evident. Going into the 90’s however, the Celica over its 5 generations, was really coming into its own, with the offshoot of the Supra Mk 3 and MK 4 being derived from its earlier chassis's as well.
A 90's restomod
This particular Celica didn't always look the way it does now, in fact, the car is actually a full restoration. It'll probably be up for debate in the comment section of the article, saying that buying a Celica GT is a waste of time. For me it feels like the GT Celica doesn't get enough love, its bigger brother the GT 4 left some really, really huge shoes for it to fill.
The GT isn’t a turbocharged car, it isn’t 4WD, and it isn't amazingly fast, but it’s special in a lot of respects. Toyota brought their expertise to this car as well when it was being developed, and although it may be considered down on power, it's really high on fun.
It utilizes the same powerplant found in the Toyota MR 2 and an older version of the same motor found in the JDM Toyota Altezza. It's naturally aspirated 3SGE engine behaves more like a 4AGE with a lower torque band but the power is still high up in the rev range. It's a momentum car. Fortune favors the brave when you want to get the most out of this car.
The Celica GT's chassis also benefits from the GT4, although the rear subframe is a bit different, it's wheel arches and layout is basically the same as its homologation variant meaning it feels like well balanced and well put together car. Changing the standard 15-inch road going wheels with larger 16-inch wheels really set it off.
Looking ahead
JDM cars are having a hard time in many ways attaining a Classic status, and it seems like some of them have to work twice as hard as many other cars from other regions. What's contributing to the value of JDM cars though, are actually what's going toward their detriment, it's really an oxymoron in it's greatest form. Modders have taken every clean slate and written all over it. JDM cars have been praised for being fun to mod, and fun to change, to the point that finding some models like this Celica in it's purest form unmolested is next to impossible.
JDM cars are also subject to fads. The internet moves in cycles, finding one model after the other where all models are used up and it's on to the next one. So the next time you see those 10 mm spacers on E-bay, or you see that "Cold Air Induction" mod coming your way, don't do it. Enjoy what you have, or mod your car in a more tasteful way, because you may be sitting on the next gold mine.
Happy Motoring! - Alex.
Additional Images
Mk 4 Escort Update
With most of the interior out though, Alvin and I were really able to see where all the rust was at in the chassis. Outside of the rust in the expected places, he spent some time fixing some badly done work made by the previous owner. The car has been through a lot through its time here and it's actually quite refreshing to see it being stripped down and refreshed.
Well, its a lot rustier than I thought it would be, but it can still be saved.
Since the last time I posted about The Escort, if you have been following us on Instagram, I've been live streaming the progress of the car. If you haven't seen it, that's okay, you can read it here. The car has been stripped, that took about a day, to get everything out safely. The car is 31 years old, many of the interior's parts have rotted or become excessively brittle, we really need to pay due attention to things.
Trash car will soon have it's time to shine.
With most of the interior out though, Alvin and I were really able to see where all the rust was at in the chassis. Outside of the rust in the expected places, he spent some time fixing some badly done work made by the previous owner. The car has been through a lot through its time here and it's actually quite refreshing to see it being stripped down and refreshed.
The project as it stands now.
“Yeah we can still save it, don’t worry.”
The windscreen and sunroof were removed as well, and I finally got some good news, the sunroof rack was not rusty, at least that bit was fine. The rest of the car though, I'd have to leave in his competent hands.
Let's start talking modifications though obviously, this is a bit more than just a full restoration of the machine, it's a build. Being that it's a build, the best time to delete, or reinforce usually is at the stage of bodywork. I have a few things in mind for the car, that gives me personal satisfaction, and a few things the car will need to prepare it for the new heart it will be receiving the coming weeks.
First of all, I am killing those rear triangle things Ford confidently adds to their 4 door models, I hate those things, toss them please, never let them see the light of day. With the rear side window delete and replaced with some sheet metal, it should help give the car a more modern feeling.
I'll be adding some structural mods that are functional as well, The rear shock towers will have a strut bar, and one will be added to the front of the car as well, in order to beef up the feel of the car. The rear strut bar will be a homemade job, so we will be doing some planning in order to make it work.
The interior of the car is clearly in arrears. I'll be doing some cosmetic changes to the door panels. The old door panels have really seen its share of life, so I will be replacing them with some aluminum cuts. I am not sure if this will save weight, but it would definitely look a lot cleaner when it's finished, it should have a nice carpet finish on it.
The final piece of the puzzle would be finding a new windscreen. The old one started to split with age, and it became opaque around the edges. I am starting to believe that finding a donor car would be correct action to take, but I will see what we can work with first. Surprisingly enough, seeing the entire car broken down is giving me a lot of motivation to get it up again.
Stay alert for more updates on the build as it continues. Until next time, happy motoring!
-Alex
The MG Shop
These days MGs are a collectors item for car enthusiast. We got the opportunity to photograph this pair of MGs recently. They both took him four years to restore and the results are fantastic.
The MGB roadster first started development in 1962. To many back then, this was the epitome of the British sports car. The car checked all the required boxes for things a sports car should have back then: a long hood, it was deliciously streamlined, low ride height, nice exhaust note and as a bonus it was affordable and also if you really tried you could fit 1.5 passengers in there.
These days, MGs are a collectors item for car enthusiasts. We got the opportunity to photograph this pair of MGs recently. The owner Ryan aka Woody was so enthused by the cars he restored two of them. It took him four years to restore the pair and the results are fantastic.
The blue MG is from 1972 and the red is from 1971. In a previous life, the blue car was an ... interesting mustard color (it's one of those colors you either hate or love).
He keeps them tucked away in his garage away from those nasty UV rays and liquid sunshine. The garage itself is a very eclectic place filled with some MG paraphernalia, family photos and racing trophies, you see, Woody is actually an extremely talented professional race car driver.
The garage was the kind of place all car lovers want to have, where you keep the things closest to you; your family, your legacy and definitely your cars.
There's nothing like OEM parts. The attention to detail during this restoration is what I like the most about these cars, from the wooden gear knob to the dials and the overdrive switch to the right of the steering wheel, it's all really well done, and of course a single din pioneer head unit for only the freshest beats was added.
They really compliment each other.
Both of the cars are completely stock with the factory inline 4 1800cc SOHC, dual carbureted engines which made about 92bhp from factory, a few modern quality of life touches were added to the engine however because unfortunately, British sports cars weren't too reliable.
The parts added were a Lucas ignition coil, braided fuel lines, new wiring and hoses.
I just absolutely love old cars! The lack of computers basically means it's just you and the car interacting, the ultimate driver's experience...as long as you aren't to ambitious with your speed around a corner. It's all good fun!
Their styling is actually quite reminiscent of 1960s American muscle cars, mainly the Mustang. You can see the similarities when you look at the arches over the rear lights and the distinct round headlights, they're just placed a little higher on the MG roadster. It was a smart design choice as the cars were very popular in America when it was released. This was a change from the MGA.
Their styling is actually quite reminiscent of 1960s American muscle cars vs the MGA.
Woody's MGs aren't driven that often, as you can tell by the condition they're in. They're probably only driven on weekends with the top down on a nice long road, dodging potholes.
There's something special about someone's love for their car, it doesn't matter what kind of car. You can really tell when someone puts a lot of work into a build and has a lot of love for it and for cars in general. If it's one thing you can say about Woody, he loves cars. As car lovers I think we can all respect that.
Maurice (fist bump)
