Today's car of the day is Jada's 2001 Toyota Celica.
The Toyota Celica name has been applied to a series of coupes made by the Japanese company Toyota. The name is ultimately derived from the Latin word coelica meaning "heavenly" or "celestial".
Throughout its life span the Celica has been powered by various four-cylinder engines. The most significant change occurred in August 1985, when the car's drive layout was changed from rear wheel drive to front wheel drive. During the first three generations, American market Celicas were powered by various versions of Toyota's R series engines. The four-wheel drive turbocharged model (designated All-trac in the United States or GT-Four elsewhere) was produced from 1986 to 1999. Variable Valve Timing came in late 1997 Japanese models, and became standard in all models from 2000 on. Through seven generations, the model has gone through many revisions and design forks, including the Toyota Celica Supra (later known as the Toyota Supra). The Celica was available as notchback and liftback coupes, as well as a convertible.
For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Toyota Celica
My love of Toyota Celicas and Supras is well-known. This generation is one of my favorites as the styling reminds me of the 1982-85 models. The previous generation Celica was too ugly for my tastes but this one fixed it nicely. And then Toyota went and killed it off and replaced it with the stupid Scion tC. This one arrived as a Christmas RAOK from James. Thanks!
In late 1999, Toyota began production and sales of the seventh generation Celica. It closely resembled the XYR concept with the exception of the front bumper and rear spoiler. The 2000 model year Celica was an element of Toyota Project Genesis, an effort to bring younger buyers to the marque in the United States. Toyota took time to lighten the car and lower cost whenever possible. Power window and door lock controls were placed in the center console so only 1 set was necessary for both doors. Initial moonroofs were made of polymer plastic instead of the traditional glass.
The Celica came in two different models. The ZZT230 was powered by a relatively economical 1.8 L 4-cylinder 140 hp (104 kW) 1ZZ-FE engine and the ZZT231 powered by a higher-performance 1.8 L 4-cylinder 190 hp (142 kW) (in Europe and Japan) 2ZZ-GE version, co-developed with Yamaha, the latter featuring a two-step variable valve lift control in conjunction with its variable valve timing. In 2004, CNNMoney.com rated the Celica as one of the best cars to purchase for gas mileage.
Exporting of the Celica ceased in July 2005. However until mid-May, customers could still order one, although it was advised they took action before that time ended. Outside of Japan, the Celica received a small restyling with new bumpers and headlamps, continuing its sales.
The last Celica was rolled off production line on April 21, 2006. In its last year, the Celica was only officially sold in Japan.
In the US and Canada, two models were offered; the base model GT and the sportier GT-S. All models are in liftback only body shape. In the interest of light weight, optional sunroofs were polymer plastics instead of glass. In later models, the sunroofs were made of glass, probably for cost reasons. All models featured dual front airbags, daytime running lights (DRL) with auto-on parking and headlights, and 4 cup holders; two in the front and two in the rear. Rear seats were contoured for only 2 passengers and can split down 50/50 to increase cargo capacity. Two-speed front wipers had variable intermittent adjustment. The rear wiper had a single speed and fixed intermittent speed. Windshield and rear window washers were also standard. Options include ABS, rear spoiler, fog lights, HID low beam headlights, upgraded JBL stereo system, 6-disc CD changer, leather seat surfaces, side-impact airbags, floor mats, vehicle intrusion protection (VIP) alarms with door lock/unlock feature, cargo net, and hatchback cargo cover. The Celica had a center-mounted stack for the windows and locks to make it cheaper for young buyers.
The GT was powered by the 1ZZ-FE rated at 140 bhp (104 kW; 142 PS) at 6400 rpm and 125 lb·ft (169 N·m) of torque at 4200 rpm. It uses Toyota’s VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing with intelligence) system which modulated the intake cam phase angle to increase torque and horsepower throughout the rev range. This is a similar engine used on the Matrix, Corolla, and MR2 Spyder. Buyers had the option of between a 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual transmissions. The vehicles were shod with 195/60/15 tires with front disc brakes and rear drum brakes.
The GT-S was powered by the 2ZZ-GE engine rated at 180 bhp (134 kW; 182 PS) at 7600 rpm and 133 lb·ft (180 N·m) torque at 6800 rpm. The engine featured Toyota’s VVTL-i (Variable Valve Timing and Lift control with intelligence). A second stage valve lift control for intake was added to the variable intake cam phase timing. This is similar to Honda’s VTEC but was more advanced because of the variable phase timing that Honda had not yet released (i-VTEC). Variants of this engine were offered in the Matrix XRS, Corolla XRS and the Lotus Elise (with a Lotus ECU which added 10 bhp). Buyers had the option of a 4-speed automatic or 6-speed manual transmissions. The base tire size was 205/55/15 but the optional size offered was 205/50/16. The tire upgrade was merely US$42 so most GT-S models had the optional wheels and tires. All GT-S models had 4-wheel disc brakes and metal pedals. Manual transmission shifters and all steering wheels were upgraded to leather. Hatchback cargo covers were standard along with fog lights for models without the “Action Package.”
TRD USA offered performance upgrades such as lowering springs, dampers, anti-sway bars, brake disc pads, air filters, exhaust, short-shift kits (manual transmissions), and body kits. The exhaust offered an increase of 14 hp (10 kW), albeit mostly at higher RPM’s. A supercharger was also offered for the 1ZZ-FE engine however Toyota never marketed it directly for the Celica GT due to being too large to fit under the hood, The supercharger was available as an option for 2003-2004 Corolla and Matrix models. The most popular among buyers were the “Action Package” which offered a more pronounced front spoiler, rocker panels, a rear wing, and lower rear fascia extension. The revised front faring interfered with the mounting location for the standard factory fog lights, requiring them to be adjusted or removed when this option was added.
On the 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2004 GT-S models, the rev limiter is set to around 8200-8300 rpm (seems to differ vehicle-to-vehicle) while the 2002 and 2005 have it set to 7800 (left-hand drive markets only). This lower limiter on the 2002 and 2005 models reduces the available performance as the 2ZZ is primarily a high-revving engine, and it is more difficult for the driver to land in the 'lift' (aggressive cam) rev range on an upshift. This only affects the 6-speed manual transmission as the gearing is spaced to where shifting up at approximately 8,250 RPMs in any gear other than first gear will result in about 6,200 RPM after the shift, which is where "lift", or the aggressive cam, engages. This allows models without the limited RPM range to remain within the car's power band throughout the gears. First gear is excluded because the gearing ratio is much lower than 2nd gear. For 2003, minor updates were made to the car. The interior was mildly restyled, power antennae replaced the fixed one, the front and rear fascias were redone. In 2004, all models were fitted with a cabin air filter.
In July 2004, Toyota announced the Celica (as well as the MR2) would be discontinued in the United States at the end of the 2005 model year due to lack of sales. Celica sales hit 52,406 units in 2000, but dropped sharply to 14,856 in 2003. Just 8,710 Celicas were sold in 2004, and only 3,113 were sold in 2005. The sports coupe market, in general, was rapidly shrinking. The Subaru XT6, Nissan 240SX, Honda Prelude and Mazda RX-7 were already gone and the Acura RSX was soon to follow. In 2005, the Scion project released a spiritual successor for the North American market - the Scion tC.
Japanese models continued to carry SS-I and SS-II trim levels. The SS-I is powered by 1ZZ-FE engine, SS-II came with 2ZZ-GE engine. The SS-II also can be ordered with Super Strut Package with super strut suspension, rear strut bar, 16-inch alloys, metal pedals, and colored rocker panels. The SS-II has climate control AC with digital display. Options included the choice of the Elegant Sports Version with front lip spoiler and headlight covers, or the Mechanical Sports Version with full body kits. The JDM Celica was updated with minor changes in August 2002.
Toyota also released a limited-production version of the 7th generation called the TRD Sports M. This version was rated at 200 hp (149 kW) and featured a reinforced unibody and available TRD engine and suspension components. The Sports M was only sold in Japan.
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