1977 Toyota Celica GT

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We've seen a few of Alameda's surviving street-driven imports in this series, but only one Toyota so far (and that was a Land Cruiser, not a car). That means it's a Toyota Down on the Street day!

Some folks say the first-gen Celica shamelessly ripped off the styling of the late-60s fastback Fords, but this car definitely has distinctive Toyota style.



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"Distinctive Toyota Style" is a phrase you don't hear much these days, sadly. You might hear stuff like "astonishing Toyota reliability" or "relentless Toyota corporate juggernaut," though.


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These pillar vents look great in a very science-fictiony way; they took the Ford fastback pillar trim look and did something interesting with it. (Insert standard damn-shame-Toyotas-are-so-boring-now tirade here)


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The '77 Celica wasn't very fast, but it looked good, got decent mileage, and ran forever.


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Look at it this way: you're car shopping in '77- do you get the Celica or the Chevy Monza?


Much like all the other 70s Japanese iron, the early Celicas have mostly disappeared into the jaws of The Crusher by now. I see a few of them around Alameda, though, so look for more on these pages.