To say JDM culture is a huge part of the automotive world would be an understatement. Gearheads across the globe love the mythos and history attached to JDM cars and the icons among them, and rightly so. These cars from The Land of the Rising Sun have always proved to be faster, more affordable, and a hell of a lot more tuner-friendly than European and American rivals.
Today, many JDM cars have achieved legendary status among gearheads, which is why they come with sky-high price tags. However, there’s also the Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205, which was the final generation of the Celica GT-Four.
This car remains a fantastic piece of JDM history, and even more impressive is the affordable price tag it comes with today. When it comes to rally homologation cars, the Celica GT4 stands right beside legends like the Subaru WRX and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. It was the Celica which brought four drivers’ championships and two manufacturers’ championships to Toyota, leading to the birth of the Celica GT-Four. In that vein, if you’re a JDM enthusiast without a massive budget, here are 8 reasons why you should consider buying the Toyota Celica GT4 ST205.
8 The Turbocharged Engine Of The Toyota Celica GT4 ST205 Remains An Impressive Beast
The Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 rode on a powerful and turbocharged engine that was extremely remarkable for its time, and even manages to be an impressive power unit today. The 2.0-liter inline-four cylinder churned out 239 horsepower and 223 lb-ft of torque, which remain great figures to this day.
Sure, by today's standards, the power might sound modest today, but it still managed to propel the Celica GT4 ST205 from 0 to 62 mph easily under six seconds, which is quite the achievement. The top speed for the car, right off the assembly line, was a massive 153 mph, making it a fantastically fast car to buy, even in stock form.
7 Gearheads Can Easily Use The Third-Gen Celica GT4 As A Daily Driver
As legendary and powerful as the 1994-1999 Toyota Celica GT4 was, you could still easily turn it into a daily driver for yourself. The Japanese rally car manages to return 25 to 30 MPG, owing to which one could certainly drive it daily, from grocery runs to the occasional highway drive.
Furthermore, the interior of the Celica GT4 ST205 is fairly decent and holds up well even today. Moreover, while being fairly capable of being a daily driver, the ST205 remains a powerful track weapon you could unleash upon your track mates.
6 The Toyota Celica GT4 ST205 Cuts A Striking Figure On The Road
Wherever the Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 goes, any gearhead worth their salt would instantly recognize it. The sleek body, spoiler, and the dual headlights make for an iconic front fascia which is one of the most recognizable front-ends in history.
It was this aerodynamic design of the GT4 ST205 that helped it go from 0 to 62 mph in just under six seconds, and not only does the heavy spoiler provide much needed downforce, it also looks breathtakingly stylish.
5 Bringing Home A Celica GT4 ST205 Won't Break The Bank
Despite its phenomenal credentials and the great bragging rights the Toyota Celica GT4 ST205 would bring you in the JDM scene, the car itself comes pretty cheap. Today, many iconic JDM cars cost an arm and a leg to bring home, seeing how they have become greatly sought-after collector items.
However, a quick perusal online would show you that you could bring home the very best-maintained models for well under the $20,000 mark. In fact, there are plenty of models that are even available under $10,000, which means you could easily buy the Celica GT4 ST205 without blowing a hole in your pocket.
4 The All-Wheel-Drive And Active Suspension On The Celica GT4 ST205 Provide Excellent Handling
When it comes to the driving dynamics of the Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205, there is simply no denying that the car is an absolute pleasure to control.
Toyota equipped the 1994-99 Celica ST205 with advanced technology for the time, such as an all-wheel drive powertrain and active suspension. These features combine to make the ST205 handle superbly well, while remaining quite stable and composed as it goes all the way to its 153 mph top-end.
3 The Heritage Of The Third-Gen Toyota GT4 Speaks For Itself
Toyota absolutely dominated the rally scene between 1990 and 1994, all thanks to the Celica. Four driver's championships and two manufacturer's championships later, the Celica's third generation, the ST205 was born to commemorate those victories.
Wherever the ST205 rolls by today, it bears with it the domination its Japanese maker had back in the years. Plus, another great talking point about the same heritage is how Toyota's trickery later came to light, letting the world know how they cheated to win those championships.
2 The Celica GT4 ST205 Is A Fantastic Tuning Or Project Car
The one thing the Celica GT-Four ST205 is known for, is its highly-tunable engine. The stock engine was pretty impressive off the line, but it was its tunability that made it such a hit among tuners.
Even today, the Celica GT4 boasts a strong aftermarket presence, especially the first and second generations of the car, which actually did reach American shores during their years of production. Even though Americans can have the ST205 since the 25-year import ban has lifted on the car, it is the preceding models that have more parts available on the market.
1 The Toyota Celica GT4 ST205 Is As Reliable As They Come
Toyota is renowned all over the globe for the reliability and rock-solid build quality of their cars. As such, the Celica GT-Four ST205 is no different. In fact, most models you would find online today would have a lot of miles on the odometer and would still be running smoothly and impressively.
In contrast, Subaru's WRX series from the same time was notorious for major issues. Of course, as with any classic car, the Celica GT4 ST205, too, would need to be looked after well and with care.