The last time Toyota had a convertible in its lineup was over 15 years ago in 2008. That car, the Solara, lived for two generations and had essentially replaced the Camry coupe. Ultimately, its demise was due to sales numbers (or the lack thereof). Toyota was known for having a few memorable convertibles prior to the Solara, though. One of them was jointly manufactured via an arrangement with American Sunroof Company (ASC) right here in the United States. And today, we get to look at one of those cars.
The Pick of the Day is a low-mileage 1985 Toyota Celica convertible listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Greeneville, Tennessee. (Click the link to view the listing)
“Looking for that Sunday drive-around convertible?” the listing begins. “Look no further. This 1985 Toyota Celica GT-S will do the trick.”
The third-generation Celica compact sports car came out in 1981 and was available in liftback and notchback coupe body styles. For the 1984 model year, American Sunroof Company (ASC) customized 200 GT-S Celicas by making them into convertibles. In 1985, another 4,248 units were produced. One of the things that made this a unique car was that it was the last of the rear-wheel drive Celicas. For model year 1986, the car transitioned to a completely new platform that was available only in all-wheel drive or front-wheel drive.
Speaking of powertrains, momentum comes from a 2.4-liter “22RE” motor paired with a five-speed manual transmission. “Car has been gone through and runs like a top,” the seller says. “It has a new roof, had a new muffler installed, really good tires, A/C works great. Car is ready to drive.” The odometer shows just 95,822 miles, which by Toyota standards, isn’t a very long distance to have traveled.
The seller’s listing talks about how reliable the 22RE motor was, and the statements are true. According to a history of this engine, it first went into production in 1981 and remained until 1995. Besides the Celica, this robust (yet also fuel-efficient) powerplant went into vehicles including the pickup and the 4Runner.
Today’s featured car looks to be largely original with exception of the BFGoodrich white-letter tires and a Sony AM/FM/CD head unit. My favorite exterior attributes are the aggressive color-keyed fender flares. Included in the listing is a photo of the VIN placard which shows a manufacture date of December 1984. This car will be turning 40 years old later this year!
The asking price is $14,900, which seems like a fair deal for a limited-production, low-mileage reminder of Toyota’s convertible days.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see the library of stories at Pick of the Day.
That car looks FANTASTIC. Toyota in 1985 was kicking everyone’s ass. I had a 1985 Toyota SR5 4×4 pick up
that also looked amazing. I would still have it if it had not been stolen. The superb styling was matched
by brilliant engineering. How many 40 year old cars still hold up styling wise today ? Not many.
In agreement with Erik S. absolutely. 100%, and this exact car (in red) is the one i wanted at 16 more than anything but couldn’t.. I’ll find a red one eventually. those WIDE rear wheels and stance, the curved fender covers, the square Top and Rear and pop up headlights, and of course the 22RE engine.. too cool.