Toyota Celica 2.0 GT-i Liftback - striking turnaround

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT-i Liftback - striking turnaround

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Created on September 19, 2019

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - consumed just over 10 liters per 100 km in the test at the time

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - good handling, little front-wheel drive influence

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - above-average driving performance

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - over 200 km/h fast

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - the aerodynamically shaped body put up relatively little resistance to the wind

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - a clear departure from its predecessor in terms of form

Bild von Partner Porsche AMAG Mai Foto-Galerie 2026

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - classic hatchback coupé

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - the tailgate only opens as far as the rear lights

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - short 4.37 meters long

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - the tailgate opens up a flexible interior space

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - no-frills design

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - large glass area

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - short rear ...

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - very flat radiator grille

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - Interior looks typically Japanese

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - clearly drawn instruments

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - this is how you drive economically, but if the yellow diode on the right lights up, you have to take your foot off the gas to drive economically

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - Warning lights with clear symbols

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - Lever switch for the windshield wipers

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - comfortable seats with sufficient lateral support

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - access to the rear is of course a little more difficult

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - lots of hard plastic around the center console

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - standard radio tape recorder

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - electric windows

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - Upholstery fabric

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - transverse-mounted 16-valve two-liter engine

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - two overhead camshafts for the two-liter in-line engine

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - transverse-mounted front engine

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - Notes on frost protection

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - Oil specification

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - Warnings to the owner

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - Chassis number

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - Lettering on the front

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - Toyota and Celica lettering on the front

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - Toyota and Celica lettering on the front end

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - Folding headlights in use

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - Folding headlights at work

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - Folding headlights in rest position

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - retracted folding headlights

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - Headlight section

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - elegant aluminum wheels

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - recessed door openers

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - all important features are labeled here

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - clearly labeled

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - large lettering on the tailgate

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - Rear light

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - simple Toyota lettering

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - refueling left rear

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Toyota Celica - Elegant coupé from the Far East with a top speed of up to 190 km/h - shown at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show

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Toyota Celica (1986) - Liftback Coupé in the first year of production

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Toyota Celica Liftback (1987) - with characteristic front section

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Toyota Celica (1985) - the fourth generation of the Celica, built from 1985 to 1989, for the first time with front or all-wheel drive

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Toyota Celica Liftback (1986) - as a hatchback coupé

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Toyota Celica Coupé (1986) - not offered as a notchback variant in this country

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Toyota Celica (1988) - Advertising - No confusion

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Toyota Celica Cabriolet (1988) - open version

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Toyota Celica (1985) - Refiner Schwan has already converted the front-wheel drive coupé into a convertible - IAA 1985

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Toyota Celica ST165 Group A (1989) at the Eifel Rallye Festival 2015

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Toyota Celica (1989) - the fifth generation of the Celica, built from 1989 to 1993, chubbier than ever before

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Toyota Celica 4WD (1989) - new edition of the Celica, shown to the public for the first time in Frankfurt - turbocharged four-cylinder two-liter with 205 hp in the all-wheel drive coupé - IAA 1989

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Toyota Celica 2.0 GT Liftback (1989) - Invoices from the beginning until today

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Summary

The year 1985 was a shock for fans of the traditionally designed Toyota Celica, as the fourth generation came with front-wheel drive instead of rear-wheel drive, a transversely mounted four-cylinder engine and aerodynamically rounded bodywork. But even traditionalists had to admit that the new coupé was much better than its predecessors. But the model had not become cheaper. This driving report tells the story of the fourth generation of the Toyota Celica, describes driving impressions and shows an original example with an almost unique history in pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

Everything new
Confusion excluded
Lots of equipment for the money
Cultivated sportiness
Also available as a convertible and all-wheel drive
Broad-based competition
Short build time
Exceptional specimen
As from the brochure
Further information

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Until 1985, the Toyota Celica was built in three generations in the same way as classic sports cars, around three million units in total. The longitudinally mounted engine sat at the front, the driven wheels, held by a rigid axle, at the rear. It also had an angular design. However, the fourth-generation Celica presented to the world at the IAA in Frankfurt in 1985 represented a complete turnaround: Front-wheel drive and a rounded, elegant design shocked previous Celica fans, at least at first. The new Celica had practically only the name in common with its predecessors and, of course, the focus on sporty drivers. The new coupé had already been presented in traveling exhibitions in Japan in August 1985, and shortly afterwards the Japanese were able to buy it from dealers. The rest of the world was then able to see how Toyota envisioned the sports coupé of the future in Frankfurt in September.

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