1978 Toyota Celica GT Walkaround

A brief Walkaround video of my 1978 Toyota Celica GT Coupe. This is a car that I bought a few years back on Bring A Trailer, and then drove cross-country in, without a single issue.
Since I purchased the car, I have been enjoying it, and also working to bring it to the next level, replacing a cracked dash pad, broken interior door handle surround, removing the modern DIN stereo cut into the dash and replacing it with a proper OEM shaft-style radio and NOS dash panel, replacing the broken fuse box cover, reupholstering the "melted" rear armrest panels, and fixing the A/C, among other things.
It's a wonderful car, good looking, solid, well built, and thoughtfully designed. Being from 1978, it's not a fire-breathing performance monster, but it's sporty and fun, and compares favorably to my '71 MGB. It's also a great highway car, thanks to the 5-speed overdrive transmission, which results in ~3,200 RPM at 80 MPH. I detoured into the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee on my way home, including the Tail of the Dragon, and the car was a load of fun, and handled itself with aplomb.
When filming this, I left out the trunk. A separate trunk video can be found here: • 1978 Toyota Celica GT ...
This car is for sale on Bring a Trailer, auction ending 10/16/2021 @ 4:55PM: bringatrailer....

[@bruceyung70]

I have so many good memories of this car! I owned one back in the ’80s. It had a chrome luggage rack on the back of the trunk with a sunroof. Beautiful White color with striping on its side. I drove from Indiana to Michigan and back many times. Never let me down once and I regretted it ever since I sold it to upgrade to a newer Celica. I still remember how proud I was of owning this car! Enjoy.

[@julian23631]

My older sister got one, a 1978 lift back model after she graduated from high school. I took my first driving exam to get my license in it. It was an automatic so it wasn’t too hard to pass the exam. It’s great to see an example of car that I remember from my younger days in such great condition. Enjoy your Celica.

[@JamesRegiersModels]

I grew up with a 1978 Toyota Celica GT Liftback. Learned to drive on it. It served the family well for nearly 40 years, until I had kids of my own, and learned that the 1978 design doesn't work for modern car seats. I had to get rid of it soon thereafter. PBS station was happy. But I miss it.

[@hothatchpa]

What an absolute beauty. I have such a soft spot for these four eyed Celicas.

[@Gooey27]

God I love the look of that dash.

[@betonarchese]

Beautiful car. My first Japanese car was a 1980 Celica GT. Been in love with Japanese vehicles since.

[@ivanchubb885]

I had a 78 Celica GT. It wa one of the best cars I ever owned.

[@kheavridnt]

I had a 1978 ST and really miss it. 5 speed and a crank moonroof. Great car. Thanks for showing us yours

[@chollythecrazycorgihesinsa6505]

I had the same exact car except mine was dark brown…just telling my wife it was my favorite car!!!👍👍

[@Burwhale1]

This was the same as my first car. So many memories. Not the best car in the world, but incredibly tough. Perfect for a Learner. Thanks you for restoring this, its pretty special.

[@scottholt2]

So jealous. I had a red 78 GT, unfortunately I live in Nova Scotia Canada and she was taken by rust. I really loved that car and hearing the sharp buzz with the key in the ignition really made me smile. Thank you for sharing

[@petek2316]

Holy cow, I had the 78 hatch back, two tone, orange and black in the mid 80's while I was in college in Chicago. Since then I've had quite a few, very expensive cars, but the GT was the car that I will never forget.

[@schlepd911]

Mt first car was a Celica GT coupe. I miss it. This is a sharp car

[@chrisbrass8930]

I had a 1979 Celica GT coupe that I loved. I'm with you, I preferred the round headlights over the square ones that the 80's

[@scottconville9780]

This was my first car and I’d love to find another. I drove mine from 82 to 86 and this is really bringing me back. I’ve been looking for a while and I’m really surprised how few of these are still around. I don’t think I’ve seen one in the wild in a decade. Yours is really nice

[@SoBe80s.]

Absolutely beautiful! Love the color. I have had a 1980, 1981, 1985, 1987 but always loved the round headlight 78/79!

[@joeschneider67]

Wow...whatta memories

[@AngelHernandez-ls5wr]

Beautiful car i love those classic japanese cars from mid 70s early 80s.☺️👍👍

[@roderickedwards9852]

Toyotas is super reliable and dependable, I own 5Toyotas in my life time only 1Celica('75) own just less than a year, Nice ('78)!

[@eritfree3597]

Wow!Its Beautiful!My Uncle.Came home from Vietnam and told me “If You want a Good car buy a Toyota!He bought a Brand New I think it was a 77 Celica just like yours except it was a Mild Light Royal Blue!Original 5 speed!He drove it and maintained it well.He had it till 96 or 97 in which He sold it to his Army Buddy in Maryland for His daughter.Never changed the clutch too!😊

[@pmac2558]

Nice to see your Celica in orange like period colour of the day & of Fast n Furious Supra movie car. My 1st car, my baby, is an '81 red GT coupe with square headlights, front air dam & rear wing, I still love old Celicas, Celica Supras & Supras evolved from our cars.

[@MuhammadNadeem-gn4in]

My uncle have that in white color in KSA 1981 i was kid at that time this Car is awsome..

[@BlackCat-nv5sf]

Thankyou very much for making this video - great to see.

[@bobjones-sf7bn]

i had a 79 orange lift back...it had ford ranger shocks on the rear.. it was my ...work.. camper ..truck all in one loved it ... yours is show room quality... mine was a beater

[@princessmeganelsaa]

I love old classic cars ♥️♥️♥️😍

[@user-rl1ow6so8c]

My gosh! This is exactly the same as my old car including color. 20R engine is super nice n strong. I had very good old memories on this

[@darrentylor5473]

We had a 1976 hatchback, was the best 5spd transmission I ever drove... Light and sloppy yet you knew you were in BC it slipped in like butter...

[@tdgdbs1]

I remember was debating between this and a 78 Datsun 510; got a 510 and always had a what if moment, then finally bought a 80 Celica Supra. All great cars of their times.

[@Dave0071]

WOW!! What a beautiful Toyota JDM Legend🙌

[@cooterwallace]

Great lookin ride man. Take care of that diamond in the rough. 👍

[@temujinkhan6326]

so nice... wish I can find me an old celica like this or an old datsun

[@april7_]

It is in excellent condition and well kept! Got 12 years newer in same condition JAP/EU version 3S-GE engine 2 liter, trying to keep it as it is!

[@balmoresegovia8853]

This car looks amazing

[@danhooper3819]

In 1982 I had a 1977 Celica GT with the 22R 5 speed, that was a very fun car to drive, cool looking as well.

[@nancyrosario8294]

I love those cars

[@greghudson1489]

Wow! If it was yellow, that would be my first new car! A really fun and reliable car. I am amazed how good it looks.

[@LTTang]

Mine was yellow too

[@abraxusvolta9070]

I had 78 GT liftback 5 speed in early 80’s. I disconnected that buzzer. one cool car. wish i would have kept it despite things falling apart on it.

[@comeandtravel1]

That's a clean one! I had a 78GT Hatchback and an 82 Hatchback. Both fun cars and you could almost throw a 4x8 sheet of plywood in the back with the rear seat down and I did sleep in there a few times.

[@rvhopper]

mine had 330 thousand miles on it the 20 R great motor!

[@JonathanWhoever]

Back in the 80s a friend in High school had the brown version. Don't remember if it was GT. But it fun to drive.

[@carlosrodriguez-tt9hh]

...FROM COSTA RICA...NICE CAR.

[@terryfleming7084]

Nice Celica! My first new car was a 79 lift back in dark brown. After years of owning that car, I wished I would have bought the coupe!

[@ruslanmathvich8593]

Very nice car, don't know why it is so unpopular. I have similar jdm RHD coupe model with 12T engine, very fun to drive, car gives a special feel when driving.

[@robbalinski1606]

Very nice celica for sure! take care of it, import prices are on the rise. My dad had a first gen celica GT and ST back in the 80's said it was his favorite 2 car's he'd had, even after having cuda's, camaro's, challengers and chargers. I'd have 3 Celica's myself now and a few supra's love the 90's and older toyota's

[@nancyrosario8294]

This car is awesome, I liked a lot!

[@beb1527]

We had a '78 (my brother's) and a '79 (my Dad's) at the same time. Liked the '78 better for the 120 MPH speedometer (also because the '78 was optioned with a Sunroof, which was so rare back then). The '79's speedometer only went up to 85. Not sure if it was due to how they were optioned, but both had manual steering. The ratio on the '79 was quicker, and therefore much harder to turn. I took my driving test in the '79. Both of ours were Liftbacks with 5 speeds. Both had the coldest AC I ever remember feeling. You couldn't kill these cars if you tried to. My first car was a '76 Toyota Corona with the same 20R engine. The '76 version had 96 horsepower and could take leaded fuel. The Celica's we had took unleaded only and had 90 horsepower.

[@TomRymes]

That’s fantastic! The 85 MPH speedometer was a Federal regulation.

[@OllamhDrab]

Ah, I do miss seeing those around. I actually learned to drive in one like that, different colors, though. :)

[@gordonfrank]

I had a '79. Would love to have it back.

[@rapidtransit8373]

I had a 1971 Celica. I had a 1971 Corolla baby blue 4 speed had the 2 TC motor

[@bonarasmey5563]

Man, you've kept it in good condition 👏 👌

[@HasanAli55123]

Very nice car 👍👍👍

[@rubennunez3654]

Cute car love celicas take care of that car 👍💪💪🙌

[@TomRymes]

I wish I could, but it now belongs to someone else. Can’t keep ‘em all…

[@tabryis]

We require more celica moments

[@TomRymes]

I wish I could oblige, but I sold this car last fall!

[@LTTang]

Wow. I had the hatch back version when I was in college. The coupe with a manual was much better made. I did 230k+ miles out of it. This is a very good find.

[@Mitkawatch]

Fantastic colour!! Epic car 👍

[@johngranato2673]

I had one in lime green--with the 4 speed stick

[@MrRanvic]

Beautiful cat. Enjoy

[@joeyconservative]

Job well done now find a second-generation hatchback

[@zackamanda9799]

4:28 Full set of gauges , nice.

[@andreenunez3588]

Quiero uno en mi cochera!

[@williamvalentin4938]

My father had one nice car

[@REMNANTRising2005]

If it was white I would buy it, I had one in 1983 I wish I still had

[@TomRymes]

Here is a white liftback car for sale on bring a trailer: bringatrailer.com/listing/1979-toyota-celica-8/

[@hyrumdahunter]

please can you help me can you show mw where all of the fuse boxes are please

[@fedediesel7536]

Una belleza!! una de las mas lindas que vi. Felicitaciones por como quedo! Soy de Argentina y tengo una del 81´. Una pregunta, como le pusieron un cable AUX al estéreo?

[@TomRymes]

Lo mandé a John de Factory Radio Service y él lo hizo. www.factoryradioservice.com/

[@panoskarliotis382]

this generation of Celica didn't sell much not only in my country, Greece, but in Europe in general...I guess it sold well in the US and Canada, maybe also in the rest of the world except Europe...and the next Celica generation, from 1981 till 1985 didn't sell well in Europe either...in fact only three Celica generations sold well in Europe, the 1970-1977 generation, the 1989-1993 generation and the 1999-2006 generation...

[@gooondie]

Absolutely gorgeous. Love the second gen Celica! Have you considered looking for chrome bumpers, or do you prefer the black ones?

[@TomRymes]

I considered it, but they are few and far between in North America, and the car looks good with the stock bumpers, IMO. Either option is good looking, in other words. Lastly, I sold this car a few months back (this video was for the auction), so it’s not an option anymore!

[@Paramount531]

Is that 31,000 miles or 131,000? That one sweet ride! In the second gen, I definitely liked the lines of the notchback the best.

[@TomRymes]

131,000. Thank you for the kind words.

[@derechojohan81arias72]

Hermoso! Estoy en Colombia tu me podrías enviar una foto de la confección de las mangueras del carburador? quiero completarlas

[@TomRymes]

Desfortunadamente, no, porque lo vendi! De todas maneras, el mio tenia el sistema de emisiones de California, y por eso no sera lo mismo. Busca el grupo “Old School Celica Club” en Facebook. Imagino que haya alguien alli quien te pueda ayudar.

[@beaujac311]

The only thing I did not like about the 1978 Celica was the grill. It just looks odd to me. They changed it up the next year and it looked a lot better. By the way I owned a 1976 Celica coupe orange metallic.

[@TomRymes]

To each their own, but I prefer the ‘78 & ‘79 grille and headlights to the ‘80 & ‘81, which looked too generic to me!

[@beaujac311]

@@TomRymes I meant to say the 1980 grill is the one I liked better. And I agree to each his own, but the grill on the 78 and 79 gave it a design that looked like it was made for the Japanese market. The 80 design does look more generic. I really wanted to get the 1980 Celica but being a college student at the time (1982) I could not afford it.

[@manuelpaz7234]

Where did you source your parts? I need dashboard stuff for mine.

[@TomRymes]

The Facebook groups can be a good source of parts, as can eBay. Check out “Old School Celica Club” to start. What dashboard items do you need?

[@manuelpaz7234]

@@TomRymes that silver plate that sorounds tachometer, radio, etc,. Also need radio and that rounded part that goes to the left of the radio, might be a clock? Was hoping to be able to send a picture but it won’t let me.

[@TomRymes]

@@manuelpaz7234the entire “silver” section of the dash is a single piece of plastic with a fake brushed stainless look decal on it. GT had the silver stainless decal, while ST had fake wood. Definitely keep an eye on eBay and join the various groups on Facebook.

[@joshuacase8866]

Do these cars have power steering? I'm looking at getting a 3rd generation Celica GT

[@TomRymes]

This is a second generation car, but power steering was at least an option.

[@joshuacase8866]

@@TomRymes Yah sorry I understood that you have a second gen, just figured you might know. So just to be clear 3rd get has optional power steering?

[@TomRymes]

@@joshuacase8866 I sold this car, so I can’t remember if it had power steering, but I think it did. I’d be surprised if the 3rd-gen cars didn’t. If you’re on Facebook, join the group “Old School Celica Club” and ask there. Someone will know.

[@rapidtransit8373]

Just wondering do you still have it???

[@TomRymes]

I don’t, I sold it two years ago. This video was for the auction on Bring A Trailer.

[@pafmotor5159]

The American GT is a decaffeinated Celica. The Celica GT for Europe came with a 18R-G engine, a much better engine.

[@TomRymes]

And, yet, it’s still a very good car.

[@rtrmasterrtr2599]

A real gt has an electronic fuel pump

[@TomRymes]

Please elaborate. This car was definitely a US-Model Celica GT. I can’t speak to models sold in other markets as a GT.

[@rtrmasterrtr2599]

@@TomRymes in the US all GT cars came out with an electronic fuel pump , 120 cluster seems that yours has a speedo change and a gt badge i use to do this all the time

[@TomRymes]

@@rtrmasterrtr2599​​⁠ Sounds like you are confusing this car, which is a 1978 model year, with later cars. Considering that the law requiring 85 MPH speedometers wasn’t passed until September 1979 (more than a year AFTER this car was built), the presence of an 85 MPH speedometer would be suspicious, not the other way around. As for an electric fuel pump, there was no difference between the powerplants for North American GT and ST cars, so no reason for different fuel pumps. Perhaps you are thinking of the later cars fitted with the 22R engine, or even the next generation? Do keep in mind that this is a California emissions car, so that might explain some differences, too.

[@rtrmasterrtr2599]

@@TomRymes no not at all maybe your confused and yours does have an electric pump ?? Ive owned over 30 of those cars definetely not confused

[@rtrmasterrtr2599]

@@TomRymes plus i live in cali im telling you we use to raid the junkyards for gt trim for all st's from 78-81 and yes there is absolutely no differense in performance ,engine is the same boat anchor

[@ArchimedeanEye]

ooft, the tractor engine version

[@mckessa17]

The Celica went from beautifull in 1977 to ugly in 1978.

[@TomRymes]

Thanks for insulting my car!

[@Paramount531]

I think the exact opposite. The first gen just looked too Japanese for my taste, though I did like the Liftback. The second gen is perfect!!!

[@mckessa17]

If you like the 78 that's all that matters.

[@kippaseo8027]

This was definitely before my time but I do remember quite a few older Celicas Of this Gen. Driving around Miami well through the 1980s. I don't remember ever seeing a 2 door co-op like this period most of the ones I've ever seen were the hatchback versions. We had a neighbor that had one That was like a silvery blue and they also had a matching Corolla wagon again as well as Is something called a Corona. At the time my dad drove an awful lime greem Toyota high lux From the early 1970s until purchasing a brand new 86 Toyota 4×4 in 85. I remember they all had that annohigh pitched buzzer. This was a cool video on an awesome car bro! Good luck and God-bless🙏

[@nxtgen2b416]

Had a 77'