Toyota Celica GT-Four - ST205 (1995)
Discussion
About time I made a thread in here about this car, I think.
Ever since I was a young(ish) lad in the mid-90s, I've had fond memories of watching Carlos Sainz romp to victory in the Celica GT-Four that inspired the age-old Amiga game "Toyota Celica GT Rally."
So, whilst other teenagers had Ferraris or Lamborghinis on their wall, I had the Toyota Celica GT-Four. I figured, even at the time, that it would be somewhat more attainable than a Ferrari/Lambo.
I've bounced around a number of cars since I started driving in 2004, and ended up going through a couple of the last shape of Celica (the 7th generation.) The first one I had for about 6 months before I got shot of it when it started using oil like no tomorrow (the well-known oval-bore issue) and the second one, a T-Sport (190bhp) lasted a further 5 months before I got bored of it and started shopping around for GT-Fours.
Then, in January 2009, I managed to get my hands on this in a (almost straight) swap for the T-Sport:
It was almost standard when I bought it, a 1995 facelifted ST205 - not quite the same model as the one that I'd lusted after (the ST185) but I preferred the look of the '205 anyway. The only modifications it had when I bought it were the Ultralite A-tech wheels, a Fujitsubo exhaust system, stupid HIDs and a Koyo aluminium radiator.
In the three-and-a-bit-years that I've owned it, I've done quite a bit to get the car up to scratch. One of the first things I did was fit an adjustable anti-roll bar to the rear, and source and fit projector headlights, which the car should really have come with from the factory in my opinion - it looks much more modern with projector headlights. An added benefit was that it stopped other drivers from getting pissed off at me thanks to the bloody HIDs blinding them and being misaligned in general.
I swapped the standard ECU for a "Blitz Access" ECU from an MR2 Turbo, which gave a higher boost level (1.1bar instead of 0.9bar) and (in theory) improved MPG.
Next on the list was replacing the rear spoiler (standard on the facelifted models) with the more usual WRC rear wing. Because of the different mounting points, I could either modify my existing tailgate or source and fit a new one. I decided on the latter, which made more sense and actually came with the wing already attached. 45 minutes to swap over, job done.
I then swapped the standard front seats for some Recaro seats from an Evo IV. Much nicer for track driving, as the standard seats weren't very supportive.
At this point, I had the car put on a rolling road and it made a stonking 302.9bhp which was more than I expected
Then I decided to fit an electronic boost controller, handily supplied cheap by my mechanic - a Blitz SBC-iD III. I can now wind the boost up as high as I like, basically, although going above 1.1-1.15bar is foolhardy and would likely lead to an engine full of bits, so I don't do that :P
I changed the wheels to a set of 16" O.Z. Chronos after having the wheels refurbished and repainted in white.
The car basically stayed like that for a year and a half, with occasional trips to the mechanic to have routine maintenance and suspension components replaced. In the end, I realised that the shocks themselves were buggered and figured it'd be cheaper and easier to stick a set of coilovers on, so a set of BC adjustable coilovers on the front and back came next.
Late last year, I had the doors replaced as mine had started to rust around the bottoms. I only had black doors though, so it looked a bit like an American police car for a while :P In the start of this year I arranged to have the doors resprayed, and ended up going for a full respray on the whole car to give the paint a much needed refresh.
And the last thing I had done, short of replacing the wheels for 17" O.Z. Superturismos in white, which I did earlier tonight, is the fitting of a Castrol rally livery kit, which means that it now looks like this:
TL;DR: So, after that wall of text, I've finally got something that looks (almost exactly) like the car that I had on my wall all those years ago
Ever since I was a young(ish) lad in the mid-90s, I've had fond memories of watching Carlos Sainz romp to victory in the Celica GT-Four that inspired the age-old Amiga game "Toyota Celica GT Rally."
So, whilst other teenagers had Ferraris or Lamborghinis on their wall, I had the Toyota Celica GT-Four. I figured, even at the time, that it would be somewhat more attainable than a Ferrari/Lambo.
I've bounced around a number of cars since I started driving in 2004, and ended up going through a couple of the last shape of Celica (the 7th generation.) The first one I had for about 6 months before I got shot of it when it started using oil like no tomorrow (the well-known oval-bore issue) and the second one, a T-Sport (190bhp) lasted a further 5 months before I got bored of it and started shopping around for GT-Fours.
Then, in January 2009, I managed to get my hands on this in a (almost straight) swap for the T-Sport:
It was almost standard when I bought it, a 1995 facelifted ST205 - not quite the same model as the one that I'd lusted after (the ST185) but I preferred the look of the '205 anyway. The only modifications it had when I bought it were the Ultralite A-tech wheels, a Fujitsubo exhaust system, stupid HIDs and a Koyo aluminium radiator.
In the three-and-a-bit-years that I've owned it, I've done quite a bit to get the car up to scratch. One of the first things I did was fit an adjustable anti-roll bar to the rear, and source and fit projector headlights, which the car should really have come with from the factory in my opinion - it looks much more modern with projector headlights. An added benefit was that it stopped other drivers from getting pissed off at me thanks to the bloody HIDs blinding them and being misaligned in general.
I swapped the standard ECU for a "Blitz Access" ECU from an MR2 Turbo, which gave a higher boost level (1.1bar instead of 0.9bar) and (in theory) improved MPG.
Next on the list was replacing the rear spoiler (standard on the facelifted models) with the more usual WRC rear wing. Because of the different mounting points, I could either modify my existing tailgate or source and fit a new one. I decided on the latter, which made more sense and actually came with the wing already attached. 45 minutes to swap over, job done.
I then swapped the standard front seats for some Recaro seats from an Evo IV. Much nicer for track driving, as the standard seats weren't very supportive.
At this point, I had the car put on a rolling road and it made a stonking 302.9bhp which was more than I expected
Then I decided to fit an electronic boost controller, handily supplied cheap by my mechanic - a Blitz SBC-iD III. I can now wind the boost up as high as I like, basically, although going above 1.1-1.15bar is foolhardy and would likely lead to an engine full of bits, so I don't do that :P
I changed the wheels to a set of 16" O.Z. Chronos after having the wheels refurbished and repainted in white.
The car basically stayed like that for a year and a half, with occasional trips to the mechanic to have routine maintenance and suspension components replaced. In the end, I realised that the shocks themselves were buggered and figured it'd be cheaper and easier to stick a set of coilovers on, so a set of BC adjustable coilovers on the front and back came next.
Late last year, I had the doors replaced as mine had started to rust around the bottoms. I only had black doors though, so it looked a bit like an American police car for a while :P In the start of this year I arranged to have the doors resprayed, and ended up going for a full respray on the whole car to give the paint a much needed refresh.
And the last thing I had done, short of replacing the wheels for 17" O.Z. Superturismos in white, which I did earlier tonight, is the fitting of a Castrol rally livery kit, which means that it now looks like this:
TL;DR: So, after that wall of text, I've finally got something that looks (almost exactly) like the car that I had on my wall all those years ago
Edited by gazchap on Monday 3rd December 23:19
As mentioned in the OP, just after taking that last photo I put some 17" wheels on. Well, here's a pic, just after getting it all nice and clean again after a trip to Scotland and back mid-April.
Next on the list is a full interior retrim. All of the seats are going to be retrimmed in black leather with dark red alcantara centres, with dark red alcantara panels on the door cards, and similar trim work being done to the gear gaiter, handbrake gaiter and armrest cover.
Was hoping it would all be done in time for Japfest, but it's not looking at all likely now
Then, once a bit more money comes in, it'll be off down to Fensport in Bristol to have a MoTec M4 fitted and mapped, and the Blitz Access ECU that's in it at the moment will be transplanted into my MR2 turbo (the ECU was originally from an MR2, but they're compatible with the GT-Four provided you bridge the relay that controls the chargecooler pump, as the MR2 didn't have one so doesn't have the necessary bits to turn the pump on and off)
Next on the list is a full interior retrim. All of the seats are going to be retrimmed in black leather with dark red alcantara centres, with dark red alcantara panels on the door cards, and similar trim work being done to the gear gaiter, handbrake gaiter and armrest cover.
Was hoping it would all be done in time for Japfest, but it's not looking at all likely now
Then, once a bit more money comes in, it'll be off down to Fensport in Bristol to have a MoTec M4 fitted and mapped, and the Blitz Access ECU that's in it at the moment will be transplanted into my MR2 turbo (the ECU was originally from an MR2, but they're compatible with the GT-Four provided you bridge the relay that controls the chargecooler pump, as the MR2 didn't have one so doesn't have the necessary bits to turn the pump on and off)
Edited by gazchap on Monday 3rd December 23:19
200Plus Club said:
my old ST205 the day i sold it to a guy from Poland! 345bhp and 335ft/lb.
Love these cars, always found it a let down that they were so heavy for the age they were around in (1440kgs!). Compare that to a Scooby or Evo 4-6 and they were largely 100-150kgs overweight.
To be honest, this the mk2 MR2 and the Supra....Toyota have never made any car to match these three looks wise.
Edited by RemyMartin on Monday 7th May 22:46
Riknos said:
Very nice, well done. Just out of curiosity, is the car fitted with a decat? They respond very well to them 
No decat, as I don't like hassle when it comes to MoT time - the car has flown through every MoT test I've had since owning the car, and to be honest it's plenty fast enough for me as it is.Johnny: I'm pretty sure it's the same guy that's doing mine - Simon Lee of Hide'n'Seat Auto Interiors? I think I've seen you post a few times on his Facebook page
RemyMartin said:
Borderline perfection!
Love these cars, always found it a let down that they were so heavy for the age they were around in (1440kgs!). Compare that to a Scooby or Evo 4-6 and they were largely 100-150kgs overweight.
To be honest, this the mk2 MR2 and the Supra....Toyota have never made any car to match these three looks wise.
i think the st205 was lighter than that, 1380kg sprngs to mind, not as bad as the 185s.Love these cars, always found it a let down that they were so heavy for the age they were around in (1440kgs!). Compare that to a Scooby or Evo 4-6 and they were largely 100-150kgs overweight.
To be honest, this the mk2 MR2 and the Supra....Toyota have never made any car to match these three looks wise.
Edited by RemyMartin on Monday 7th May 22:46
would agree the gt4 is one of the best cars toyota ever made. mine was on 18s and TRD 4 way suspension, TRD discs and pads, and was like s**t off a shovel. you could launch it at 6k revs and just sidestep the clutch, if you were in hooligan mode. was recorded on proper timing gear in the wet at 4.7s to 60 and 100mph in 10.8, it handled like a dream and the brakes were superb.
had a full 3" decat and blitz nur spec exhaust, so it was fairly loud and used to pop/flame like a good un on the overrun. would have another one tomorrow if i had garage room!
i fitted some genuine recaro seats and runners, and everything worked all the time, so reliable. not a cheap car to run, and eventually i had to have a rebuilt engine when the piston ringlands went, but that was after 35k miles of 1.4 bar boost on a stock engine!
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