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
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
After some nightmares getting his supplier to send him the right stuff, the guy doing my interior retrim is finally in a position to get it all sorted, so on Saturday I'm travelling up to his to let him loose on the car.
Pics to follow!
The ST205 has stayed in the garage for most of the time since the last update, apart from the occasional B-road blast. The car flew through it's last MOT in November with only one advisory, although a trip up to Blackburn to see my specialist reveals that the company that fitted my coilovers did a shoddy job and as a result the ball joints on the shocks are worn and need replacing, along with driveshaft boots and lower arms (£200 each, oof.)
I sold my MoTeC and O.Z. Chronos in the end, out of necessity really. A bill for fixing my M5 came in rather higher than expected...
Pics to follow!
The ST205 has stayed in the garage for most of the time since the last update, apart from the occasional B-road blast. The car flew through it's last MOT in November with only one advisory, although a trip up to Blackburn to see my specialist reveals that the company that fitted my coilovers did a shoddy job and as a result the ball joints on the shocks are worn and need replacing, along with driveshaft boots and lower arms (£200 each, oof.)
I sold my MoTeC and O.Z. Chronos in the end, out of necessity really. A bill for fixing my M5 came in rather higher than expected...
For the last year or two I've had a Recaro interior from a Mitsubishi Evo IV in my GT-Four. Well, the front seats anyway - the rear seats were facelifted Celica seats, and my door cards had been falling apart.
So, I took the car to a chap up north called Simon, who does a bit of automotive interior trimming in his spare time, under the banner of Hide 'n' Seat Interiors. I explained what I wanted, and he obliged for a bargain of a price, at least two thirds cheaper than other companies had quoted me.
And this is the end result:
More photos to follow when I've got better light, but the list of work was:
- New covers for the front seats, black leather with red alcantara centres, and GT-Four logo embroidery in white and red stitching throughout.
- New covers for the rear seats, the same as the fronts but without the logos.
- New door card inserts in red alcantara, with black piping and red stitching.
- Black leather centre armrest cover, with red stitching.
- Black leather handbrake cover, with red stitching.
- Black leather gearlever gaiter, with red stitching.
- Black alcantara covering on the centre console stereo surround and gearstick surround.
- Black leather sunvisors, with red stitching.
- Black alcantara covering the window switch panels in the door cards.
- Black alcantara headlining.
Unfortunately, Simon ran clean out of time (after working all through the night) so was unable to do the sunvisors, window switch panels or headlining, but those will be sorted in the near future!
So, I took the car to a chap up north called Simon, who does a bit of automotive interior trimming in his spare time, under the banner of Hide 'n' Seat Interiors. I explained what I wanted, and he obliged for a bargain of a price, at least two thirds cheaper than other companies had quoted me.
And this is the end result:
More photos to follow when I've got better light, but the list of work was:
- New covers for the front seats, black leather with red alcantara centres, and GT-Four logo embroidery in white and red stitching throughout.
- New covers for the rear seats, the same as the fronts but without the logos.
- New door card inserts in red alcantara, with black piping and red stitching.
- Black leather centre armrest cover, with red stitching.
- Black leather handbrake cover, with red stitching.
- Black leather gearlever gaiter, with red stitching.
- Black alcantara covering on the centre console stereo surround and gearstick surround.
- Black leather sunvisors, with red stitching.
- Black alcantara covering the window switch panels in the door cards.
- Black alcantara headlining.
Unfortunately, Simon ran clean out of time (after working all through the night) so was unable to do the sunvisors, window switch panels or headlining, but those will be sorted in the near future!
williamw1987 said:
Interior looks great dude! The newly trimmed door cards look great... definitely will be looking at getting this done on my car too. Did you get the headlining done also?
It was planned, but he ran out of time so was unable to get the headlining done. I'll do that locally, idea being that it'll be done in black alcantara.Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff