This story first appeared in the US in the September/October 2024 issue of Hagerty Drivers Club magazine.
The day I got my driver’s licence was the day I got my first car: a high-mileage, white 1994 Toyota Celica GT-S with a five-speed manual. It didn’t matter that the floor was rusting out and that I stalled it at nearly every stop sign – I had a car that I loved. Sadly, that first love didn’t last long, as within months, the cost of repairs surpassed what I had paid for the car. With a heavy heart, I sold it for parts and moved on to more sensible transportation.
A few years later, I found another white 1994 Celica. The owner was cleaning out his garage and needed to sell his Japanese-market GT-Four model. Even though it was four-wheel drive, turbocharged, and right-hand drive, the car reminded me a lot of my beloved GT-S. I made him an offer and drove my new Celica home.
The GT-Four ran great, and I enjoyed it for a while before a fuel leak ruined the party. After getting it up on a lift with my husband and father-in-law, we found the leaking fuel line and noticed the suspension needed immediate attention. The repairs themselves were relatively simple, but no one in North America had the parts we needed. The car sat for nearly a year, and I contemplated whether it was time to give up on yet another Celica.
In my husband’s search for parts, he found that Toyota had built 2500 “WRC” GT-Fours in 1994 to make them eligible for competition in the World Rally Championship. All GT-Fours had some radical differences from the standard Celica, but the WRC specials had some hidden extras.
I had to know if I was lucky enough to have picked up one of these WRC cars. We referenced some old Toyota press material and started with the obvious indicators: Super White II paint, blocks raising the rear spoiler height, and a tiny wing on the hood to prevent flexing at high speeds. Then we found more rally-bred extras like intricate piping for a (deactivated) turbo anti-lag system, additional heat insulation material, an intake water-injection system, and water spray nozzles aimed at the intercooler. This was, in fact, one of the 2500 specials.
From that point, I knew my Celica was a keeper. We eventually caught a break when TCB Performance Parts, a UK vendor specialising in Toyota sports cars, got back to us with all the parts we needed. The car was on the road a few weeks later. Although it will never see a rally stage, knowing my GT-Four was built for competition makes me love it even more.
