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Celica GT-Four is the rally car Toyota would be pleased see completely forgotten. Not because it's uncompetitiveness but because of the TTE turbo scandal. I will not repeat that story here but rather concentrate on the car itself.
By far the prettiest of the 4WD Celicas, it also was up against the toughest opposition. Whereas earlier Celicas needed mostly to concern themselves with just Lancia, by mid-1990's there was new breed of competitive cars fielded by Ford, Subaru and Mitsubishi. Unlike Celica, all these cars were built on smaller and nimbler saloon with plenty of development potential. And Celica was bigger and heavier than ever with poor visibility and large overhangs of a sports car.
Striking back at Ford's excessive rear wing on RS Escort Cosworth, also Celica had massive adjustable aerofoil at the back. Suspension geometry was improved but also quite complex, resulting extra headache during servicing. Engine remained the same but with the introduction of smaller turbo restrictor (down from 38mm to 34mm) for 1995 season, Toyota's power advantage was wiped out.
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| Debut WRC event: | San Remo 1994 |
| Best WRC result: | 1st by Didier Auriol in Corsica 1995 |
| Rallies contested: | 10 | (works entries) |
| WRC starts: | 30 | (works entries) |
| Outright wins: | 1 | (wins to rallies ratio 10.0%) |
| Podiums: | 13 | (podiums to starts ratio 43.3%) |
| DNF's: | 11 | (DNF's to starts ratio 36.7 %) |
| Points scored: | | (manufacturer championship points) |
| Avg points per rally: | 0.0 | |
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| Group and class | A8 |
| Engine |
| Location: | Front transverse |
| Turbo: | Yes |
| Cylinders: | 4 in line |
| Valves: | 16 |
| Bore x stroke: | 86.0 x 86.0 mm |
| Cubic capacity: | 1998 cc |
| Power: | 300 hp |
| Torque: | 500 Nm |
| Compression ratio: | 8.5:1 |
| Dimensions |
| Length: | 4424 mm |
| Width: | 1770 mm |
| Height: | 1305 mm |
| Wheelbase: | 2545 mm |
| Front track: | 1510 mm |
| Rear track: | 1490 mm |
| Weight: | 1200 kg |
| Transmission |
| Drive: | 4WD |
| Gears: | 6 |
| Sequential: | No |
| Clutch plates: | 2 |
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Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 (photo by McKlein, courtesy of TTE)
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