History
This 1971 GT Celica was imported by Australian Motor Industries (AMI) Managing Director Ken Hougham who founded Toyota Passenger Vehicles in Australia.
As an AMI evaluation vehicle, the GT was never meant to survive and was destined for the crushers. The inability to obtain an Australian compliance plate due to unique GT characteristics, such as blue tinted window glass, stacked the odds against the GT's survival. The brilliant twin-cam motor of the GT added a further challenge as it was seen as a risk by the insurance industry, due to the car's power to weight ratio.
After all these challenges, the car still survives and has been restored with support of the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology in Japan. The body and paintwork was entrusted to Re-creation Automotive of Melbourne who completed a full rotisserie restoration. The four year restoration was referenced against original manuals and promotional material published by Toyota Japan. These publications sourced from Japan, enabled every bolt, nut and washer to be cross-referenced to ensure the right one went back in the right location.
The Celica was displayed at Motorclassica 2019, where it was awarded the People's Choice Award. The GT also took out Hayai Kurama - A Tribute to Japanese Sports Cars (Best in Class) and was a finalist for Restoration for the Year.
With a documented history in magazines such as: Wheels, Sports Car World, Classic Cars UK and Retromotive, this is a classic example of the car that established Toyota's sports car line in Australia 50 years ago.
