zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
For $9,995, Could This 1980 Toyota Celica GT Be The Grand Prize?
For $9,995, Could This 1980 Toyota Celica GT Be The Grand Prize?-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:54

Today’s Celica is a rare USGP edition, and a car that apparently has had its entire service history documented in detail. It’s in great shape too, but will its price prove to be one record not worth chronicling?

You can always tell when a brand is it trouble when they start dissing the very core of their customer base. Olds did that in the ‘80s with a campaign based around the tagline “Not Your Father’s Oldsmobile.”

Yeah, eff those guys, my dad was COOL!

Also cool was the price on last Friday’s . Once America’s best-selling car, fully 68-percent of you felt that this last of its line droptop should sell for its full asking price. Maybe someone will buy it for their dad.

The United States Grand Prix has been held off and on for more than 100 years, and as you might expect, through a number of changes in sanctioning bodies. This year’s race will be held in late October at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas. Both Justin Timberlake and Stevie Wonder will be performing at the event, and Wonder will be driving the pace car.*

In 1980 there were two F1 races denoted as U.S. Grand Prixs—the USGP East held at Watkins Glen, and the USGP West, run on the street course laid out in Long Beach, California.

That same year, Toyota celebrated their sponsorship of the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race—which was part of the USGP West weekend—with a limited production edition of their sporty liftback, the Celica. The winners of the race that year were Parnelli Jones and Gene Hackman, in case you were curious.

The USGP edition of the Celica featured special striping and standard alloy wheels, along with mud flaps, matte black B-pillar, and an egg crate grille on the outside. The interiors were likewise spiffed up with unique white vinyl upholstery with black piping, and a stacked, three-component (radio, cassette, and graphic equalizer) stereo system.

The cars were made available in three colors—Red, White, and Blue—and only 200 of each hue were built. A dash plaque denoted the car as a member of this exclusive club.

This comes in white, and appears to be in phenomenal condition for its age. The paint may be the least expressive color choice of the three offered, but it looks to be in excellent shape. Likewise, the factory stripes seem to have held up amazingly well.

One of the horrible choices Toyota made in the ‘80s was to address U.S. bumper regulations with big black rubber units on almost all their cars. Pollution and time conspired to turn these ebony obtrusions into desiccating pants ruiners for anyone unfortunate enough to brush up against one. The ones on this car oddly enough, look fine.

The interior holds up its end of the bargain too, and features upholstery you just don’t see any more, and a stereo that takes up fully three levels of the dash. The center console features a long-stick shifter for the five-speed stick, which is attached to a 90-bhp 2.2-litre SOHC 20R four.

Mileage goes undisclosed in the ad, but is likely documented in the copious notes that are included with the car. The seller claims that this Celica was owned by an engineer who kept track of the car like a scientist might document the every action of a new life form—up until it kills her.

This Celica won’t kill you. In fact, the ad notes that even the A/C works well so it will pamper you while in the process of not killing you. You might find that the price of this rare and exceedingly nice Celica kills the deal however, but that’s yet to be determined.

The asking is $9,995, and the seller says he’s a collector so he/she’s willing to cut a deal on a trade as well. We don’t deal in trades, so we’ll stick with the cash. What’s your take on this special edition Celica and that $9,995 price? Does that make this GT a first-place finisher? Or, is that price for this USGP edition have you saying GTFO?

You decide!

Syracuse, NY , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to onlytwowheels for the hookup!

Help me out with NPOCP. Click to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your Kinja handle.

* Unconfirmed.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
Hyundai Wants to Build Terrifying Walking Cars in Montana
Hyundai Wants to Build Terrifying Walking Cars in Montana
Look, we all love cars. But have you ever felt they’re missing something? We in their front ends, the side mirrors can pass as ears, but where are the bodies? And, even more importantly, these are ambulatory — where are the legs? Hyundai, it seems, wants to right this...
Jul 1, 2026
At $38,000, Is This 2012 Maserati GranTurismo Convertible A Gorgeous Deal?
At $38,000, Is This 2012 Maserati GranTurismo Convertible A Gorgeous Deal?
Today’s Maserati easily looks like something Ryan Gosling’s character would have driven in the movie Crazy Stupid Love. Let’s see if this GranTurismo is also crazy-stupid expensive. Yesterday’s was a mid-engine minivan from a company that at the same time also offered a mid-engine sports car. That was back...
Jul 1, 2026
I Want a Cool Exotic That Doesn't Scream
I Want a Cool Exotic That Doesn't Scream "Douche"! What Car Should I Buy?
Nathan has some extra room in his garage, so naturally, he needs to fill that space with a cool ride. He has a six-figure budget for an exotic-type ride but he doesn’t want the usual suspects. What car should he buy? (Welcome back to ? Where we give real...
Jul 1, 2026
At $37,000, Will This 1973 Cadillac Eldorado Set The Pace?
At $37,000, Will This 1973 Cadillac Eldorado Set The Pace?
With the Indy 500 coming up at the end of the month, all thoughts naturally turn to the cars that pace the famous race. Today’s Cadillac Eldorado held that honor for the 1973 running of the event, and is probably the classiest car ever to do so. Let’s see...
Jul 1, 2026
How Much Is the Timeless Style of a Fiat Coupe Worth?
How Much Is the Timeless Style of a Fiat Coupe Worth?
There are some cars that don’t age, or at the very least bend the rules of time. The Fiat Coupé is one of them. Looking at the example above, found for sale on via Motoexotica Classic Cars in St. Louis, Missouri, if I didn’t know any better I’d peg...
Jul 1, 2026
The Cadillac Escalade Is Losing Features Due To The Chip Shortage
The Cadillac Escalade Is Losing Features Due To The Chip Shortage
has struck again. It’s been rough on every automaker, slashing production to the bone as manufacturers scrabble for any semiconductors they can find beneath their couch cushions, but Cadillac has been hit particularly hard. Its cars have lost , (which later ), and now another seemingly simple feature: One-touch-up...
Jul 1, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved