Solid Specimen: 1977 Toyota Celica GT Liftback – SOLD!

October 23, 2022, Update – We confirmed the seller of this “Classifind” deleted their listing, so we’re now able to call this one “SOLD!” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call us directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

If this 1977 Toyota Celica GT hatchback, originally listed in October 2022 on Craigslist in Las Vegas, Nevada, reminds you of another classic car, but you just can’t place it, you’re not alone.   Often nicknamed the “Japanese Mustang” or the “Mustang Celica,” the first generation liftback version of the rear-wheel-drive Toyota Celica took a bit too many styling cues from Ford’s iconic 1969-1970 Mustang Fastback. That sincere form of flattery aside, the Celica was a well-proportioned and attractive car that returned decent fuel economy.

Toyota’s Celica also mimicked Ford’s Mustang in an unintended way: rust. Japanese steel produced in the 1970s was not of good quality, and as a result, many Japanese cars from the period have long since rusted away. The seller reports their 95K original mile Celica has been a desert-based car featuring a like-new undercarriage that has never been undercoated and shows no signs of any rust.

Once offered for $15,000, Classic.com, the analytics and search engine for the collector car market, reveals the ask is slightly below this guide’s one-year average of $24,623 based on 13 sales ranging from $14,000 to $61,000.  By clicking on the green dots in the graph below, you can navigate to each comparable car sold as a way to help you evaluate the price of the Celica featured here:

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As a second data point, the  Collector Car Market Review Online Tool reveals the seller’s ask falls above this guide’s #2 Very Good” estimate of $15,600 and its #1 “Excellent” appraisal of $23,150 before deducting fifteen percent for the less desirable automatic transmission.

The first-generation Toyota Celica debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 1970.  Toyota developed the Celica as either a two-door hardtop coupé or hatchback that emphasized styling and driving enjoyment based on a platform shared with the rear-wheel drive Corona sedan.   Toyota designed this car specifically for the North American market as a competitive response to the 1964½ Ford Mustang (Pony car) which also was a standard sedan (Ford Falcon) with stylized 2+2 bodywork.  For export markets the Celica was available in three different levels of trim; LT, ST, and GT.

1976 brought the largest update to the model. Toyota engineers increased the wheelbase of the car and the car featured various differences both externally and internally. Externally the most noticeable difference is the flat front end (similar to earlier JDM models), the elimination of the removable hood vents (replaced by vents formed in the hood pressing), and the single cowl vent which replaced the twin vents on earlier models. Internally the cars also feature a different dashboards, seats, and carpets. The liftback version also included these changes.

Toyota introduced the fastback-styled hatchback, called the Liftback by Toyota, for the Japanese market in April 1973 but not until July 1974 for export models.  The North American liftback (RA29) was only offered with a 2.2-liter 20R engine for the 1976 and 1977 model year. All the liftback models have flat noses. Although there is no “B” pillar in the Liftback, the rear quarter windows are fixed in place and do not roll down (as they do in the hardtop coupe).

The Osborne Tramain YouTube Channel features this vintage Toyota Celica commercial:

The great pictures clearly document what a true rust-free survivor this 1977 Toyota Celica GT liftback for sale truly is.  This less-desirable automatic transmission may be a letdown for some, but the survivor quality of this car more than makes up for it.

Here’s the seller’s description:

Paint or Leave Patina’d: What would you do with this 1977 Toyota Celica GT Liftback survivor?  Please comment below and let us know!