TOYOTA CELICA 1971-85

IN AUSTRALIA circa 1971, owning a sports coupe meant you had a Holden Monaro or Fiat 124S, perhaps a Valiant Charger that had recently appeared, or an old school E-Type Jaguar.

Nobody at the time gave much thought to Japanese coupes, which could be quirky like Honda’s S800, or loud like the Mazda R100 Rotary.

Then along came Toyota with its civilised and sensible Celica, and suddenly there was a Japanese coupe demanding attention.

Early LT1600 versions weren’t performance cars and many in the target market treated them with disdain. In 1975 came the LT2000, with improved performance and a Liftback option, modelling its appearance on Ford’s Mustang fastback.