It has a Toyota chassis, a Honda engine, and Nissan paint.
The first-generation Celica is one of the best looking cars Toyota ever made. Its proportions are near-perfect and it gives off enough first-gen Mustang vibes to have earned its “Japanese Mustang” nickname. This one that’s for sale on Bring a Trailer is more desirable than most but for a weird reason—it has a Honda S2000 engine.
OK, so Toyota fans won’t be happy about seeing a Honda engine in one of Toyota’s most beloved classics. However, for casual car fans, this build is killer. It isn’t just a Celica with an S2000 motor, it’s a JDM greatest hits album packed into one gorgeous car.
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It started out life as a 1977 Toyota Celica, which was the final year of the first-gen Celica. It was then stripped down to its bare shell and walnut blasted, rust repaired, and painted in Nissan’s famous Midnight Purple. Under its stunning skin is a laundry list of parts that will make every car nerd drool.
The S2000-sourced 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine has a J’s Racing tubular header, a Koyo aluminum radiator, and 48mm Jenvey individual throttle bodies. The six-speed manual is from an S2000 but its limited-slip rear diff is from an AE86-gen Toyota Corolla GT-S. It also has AccuAir air suspension, Addco sway bars, Wilwood brakes, Bride bucket seats, an NRG steering wheel with quick-release hub, and BBS RS wheels.
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With a Toyota chassis, a Honda engine, Nissan paint, this build is a JDM triple-threat and a great looking one at that. So much so that it was actually on display at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles in 2018 and 2019.
At the time of writing this, there are four days left on the auction and the bid is up to $15,500. With breathtaking looks, a high-revving S2000 engine, and the sort of suspension mods to make it handle as well as it looks, there are going to be many interested bidders. So if you want this rolling JDM greatest hits album, you’re going to need a quick mouse button finger and deep pockets.
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