Toyota Celica TA22

The first generation Toyota Celica also known as the TA22 Celica was introduced in late 1970 as an alternative to the Toyota 2000GT. In export markets the celica was available in 3 different trim levels. The LT, ST and GT versions. The LT came with a single overhead cam engine and single carb engine known as the 2T engine. The ST version was available in twin carb format with a 2T-B engine. The GT however was available with a Twin Cam DOHC 2T-G engine a 1.6ltr fed by Twin Mikuni Side Draft Carbs and managed to produce a healthy 115HP.

When first introced the celica was only available in a hard top pillarless coupe form, although there were plans for a fastback version which would later become known as the RA25 in Japan and RA28 which was also known by the moniker of Mustang Back Celica in Australia and other export markets.

There was also a RA23, RA24 and RA29 all of which featured different engine configurations, minor face lift changes such as grille, bonnet and tail light areas.

In the Australian market only the LT Celica was available which was a shame because the more well equipped models would have been far more interesting. This however did not stop local enthuasists modifying their own TA22 and RA23 and RA28 to accept more powerful later engines from Toyota.

Finding a good condition unmodified example these days is getting harder but good cars can still be had for relatively little money which is quite a surprise given their popularity. This may be a reflection of the fact that in Australia only LT versions were received. Some have privately imported home market versions which would be worth considerably more money.