1998 Toyota Celica SR

Highlights

• Increasingly rare 90s coupe
• One owner from new
• Just 64,494 miles, verified by records
• Very good service history
• Unmodified factory specification

Overview

With a history stretching back to 1970, the Celica is one of the very first true sports coupes to come from Japan. Billed a “Japan’s pony car”, it was the land of the rising sun’s answer to the Mustang, Camaro and Challenger.

While the Americans went for the brute force of giant V8s and relatively simple engineering, Toyota decided that light weight, revvy engines and previously unheard of reliability and consistency of construction were the way forward. We adore both approaches, but the fact that the Celica stayed in production across seven generations from 1970 to 2006 and sold more than 4.1 million units gives you some idea of how well Toyota nailed the brief.

This is a delightfully unmodified, one-owner example of the penultimate model – the sixth generation Celica. In SR trim it benefits from a revvy 1.8-litre powerplant, matched to a snickety (that may not be a word, but we’re going with it) manual 5-speed transmission. It’s a great combination for an everyday coupe, offering real driver involvement with great reliability and low running costs. In addition, the owner recalls that when she bought it new, she was told that it was a limited edition of which only 500 black and 500 silver were produced and that the spoiler, front grille and alloy wheels were the key differences to a regular SR.

Of course, special edition or otherwise, these are quite rare machines these days – ‘How Many Left’ tells us that there are fewer than 90 6th generation SRs left on the road in the UK. And to find one with a single owner from new and less than 65,000 miles on the clock is something special indeed.

Clearly, this lovely car has been cherished and cared for over the years, the fact that it’s survived in such good order is testament to that. Now it’s time for a new owner to take it on into its next chapter. Whether you want a smartly styled, modern classic for daily driving duties or something pleasingly retro to bring back to box fresh, we think this is the perfect starting point.

History and documentation

• First registered 14 November 1998
• Purchased new from Whitehouse Toyota in Dartford
• Just one owner from new
• 64,494 miles on the clock, verified by the MOT and service records
• Stamped service book with seven service stamps, the last on 30 October 2020 at 61,855 miles
• Owner’s manuals present and correct
• A comprehensive collection of invoices and MOT certificates from across the car’s life
• Original order form and sales receipt included
• Two keys
• Current MOT with no advisories expires 15 November 2024
• V5C present in owner’s name
• HPI clear (checked July 2024)
• Believed to be fewer than 90 examples on the road in the UK (according to ‘How Many Left’)

Interior

• Smart dark grey cloth upholstery, with extremely funky and decidedly 90s blue and pink centre panels on all the seats
• The rear seats are in excellent condition and look as if they have hardly been used
• The front seats show a little wear, but nowhere near what you’d expect, the only wear to note is a couple of small tears to the outer bolster of the driver’s seat
• Electric windows and side mirrors
• Air conditioning
• Period double-din Sony CD changer / cassette / radio system
• Twin cup holders slide out from the centre armrest
• The vendor assures us that everything works just as it should, with no faults or issues reported in the cabin
• All of the internal trim and switchgear appears to be in good order, with nothing broken or missing as far as we could tell
• There are a few scuffs and marks to the cabin plastics, particularly on the sill covers and in the boot, but nothing that would concern us
• Dark grey carpet runs through the cabin, and appears to be in good shape, showing minimal wear for the car’s age
• The headlining is light grey, adding to the cabin’s airy feeling, and shows no signs of sagging, tears or staining
• There is a spacious boot area, finished with dark grey carpeting
• Just prior to photography, one of the boot struts failed but new items have been installed
• Under the boot carpet there is a full size spare alloy wheel

Exterior

• Smart silver paintwork perfectly suits the Celica’s sleek lines and sweeping curves
• Overall, the paint looks to be in pretty good order, with a few stone chips, marks and blemishes, but no significant issues
• We’re told that both sides have been part resprayed, and both side mirror casings would benefit from a repaint
• All of the bodywork looks to be straight and solid, with no notable dents, damage or alignment issues we could discern
• Although larger and stronger than the Mk5 bodyshell, it’s worth noting that the Mk6 bodyshell is actually lighter
• We did see a few spots of minor corrosion, namely to the bottom edge of the driver’s door, inner lip of the tailgate and edges of the passenger door
• All of the external trim and badging appears to be in fine fettle, with nothing missing or damaged as far as we could tell
• The factory body kit, with its period side skirts and wide rear spoiler, is all in good order, while the vendor tells us that the rear bumper has been replaced
• The front benefits from a set of integrated fog lights as well as that most 90s of extras – headlight washers
• Unfortunately, the electric aerial no longer operates
• Underneath, it all looks to be straight and solid, with a few areas of what appears to be surface corrosion that may benefit from some attention
• The history file notes that the inner sills have been treated for corrosion and protected / repainted
• It sits on a fine set of split-spoke, 16-inch Momo alloy wheels, which may benefit from some minor refurbishment but generally look to be in good condition

Mechanical

• 1,762cc naturally-aspirated 4-cylinder 7A-FE engine
• 5-speed manual transmission
• 114bhp, all delivered to the front wheels
• Factory performance figures of 0-62mph in 10 seconds and 124mph won’t set the world alight, but should provide plenty of fun on your favourite B-road and is more than enough to keep up with modern traffic
• It’s worth noting that the 7A-FE engine is famed for its reliability and a wealth of upgraded and performance parts are available for it, should the new owner wish to give it a bit more shove
• Disc brakes all round, with ABS
• Power assisted steering
• Recent new exhaust and battery
• The clutch was replaced at 55,662 miles in November 2015
• The cambelt was last changed at 57,555 miles in October 2016
• Both the PAS and A/C belts were replaced in June 2023
• The engine bay looks tidy and unmodified, with no signs of leaks or overheating that we could see
• There’s some surface corrosion in the engine bay, more notably to the strut tops and some of the bracketry, but it looks as if it should be easy enough to sort out
• The vendor tells us that the car starts, drives and stops just as it should, with no mechanical issues or faults declared

Summary

This is another one of those modern classics that have suddenly become very rare. When was the last time you saw a Mk6 Celica on the road? And one that’s an unmodified, one-owner example at that?

With 90s coupes very much coming into fashion and becoming ever more collectible, we can only see machinery like this becoming more valuable and more desirable over the coming years. So why not get ahead of the curve and give this delightful vehicle a new home?

Low mileage and a good service record show it’s been loved by its owner for the last 26 years, it thoroughly deserves to be adored by someone new now. We can’t wait to see it shimmering again like the streamlined butterfly we know it truly is…

To arrange a viewing, please request this in the Q&A section. You can click through to the seller's profile and use the 'Email Me' function to arrange a viewing privately. This seller is located in Longfield, Kent.