1997 Toyota Celica 25th Anniversary Limited Edition *Sold*

Description

• Known history from new 
• 2 previous owners 
• Lovely original example 
• Number 171 of only 250 made 
• Immaculate interior 
• New tyres all round 

To celebrate 25 years of Toyota Celica, the 25th Anniversary Limited Edition was released. These Special Edition models have special emblems on the rear tailgate as well as on the inside on the centre consul. The name Celica was also printed on the front seats. 

Released in 1997 Toyota GB offered the limited edition. Based on the 1.8 ST, just 250 were made, 125 in black and 125 in silver. The spec was as per the GT but with special alloy wheels, sport bucket seats, air conditioning as standard, a carbon fibre effect front console and a 25th anniversary plaque with a unique serial number 

This particular example has an interesting history as our vendor, now the third owner, purchased it 12 years ago from his uncle Bob. He had owned it for 7 years and had purchased it from his friend Brian who had owned it from new. Both our vendor and Bob had always admired the car when Brian took delivery and both managed to fulfil their dreams of owning it. 

Unfortunately, due to our vendor’s parents’ health deteriorating he has had to put paid to the garage and is now extending his property to facilitate them moving in. This means that sadly, the beloved Celica must go so they can make room. 

The Celica will be supplied with all three keys, two with remote fobs, loads of MOTs with the current one expiring in December, the owner’s manual, and a few invoices. 

Exterior 

The Toyota Celica Limited Edition came with colour coded side skirts and rear spoiler, which are in wonderful condition. It also sported the aforementioned emblem to the rear and special alloy wheels that made it stand out from the crowd. 

As can be seen in the images the black paintwork is in great condition and presents very well all round, although our vendor did share that at a push the offside door is just starting to show some fading. In general, however, the paintwork appears to be in fantastic condition. Both rear arches had some stone chips that were in danger of leading to some bubbling, but our vendor caught that immediately and commissioned the two rear arches to be resprayed and to have stone chip applied on the inside. 

Having never intended to sell the car, he did not scrimp on that repair job. As such, it is now three years since the money was spent and there is no sign of any deterioration whatsoever. The old adage of do it cheap, do it twice doesn’t exist here. 

The glass is all in great condition and still sports the original dealer sticker in the rear screen and the 25th Anniversary emblem sits proudly on the tailgate. The lamps are all still nice and white with no evidence of yellowing and all the rubber trims look great. 

The wheels are completely original and have only the minor marks that would be expected on a 26-year-old car. The tyres were all replaced at the last MOT so are literally brand new and the underside is nice, solid, and tidy with no obvious rust or concerns of note. 

Interior 

The Toyota Celica interior also received some special 25th Anniversary items as we previously mentioned. The sleek carbon fibre centre consul sports the 25th Anniversary emblem, there is now air conditioning, and the stereo was upgraded to a joint Toyota/Sony CD player with remote joystick fitted to the steering column. All still in place and operating as they should with the only exception being the electric aerial. 

The 25th Anniversary Celica stamped bucket seats are in perfect condition with no unsightly wear and tear on the bolsters; now that is impressive. The rear seats are literally unused as the two previous owners both did not have children during their years of ownership and our vendor has a family car for when he has the kids with him. 

The door cards and quarter panel inner trims are perfect, the roof lining is pristine, and the dashboard is void of cracks or scuffs. The carpets are as good as the rest of the interior and have benefited from having protective mats in place throughout the car’s life. 

The boot is in great condition and lifting the carpet will reveal a spare wheel and toolkit that has never been out of there housing. Although 26 years old the tyre still looks brand spanking new. 

It really is a time warp interior in a very exclusive, numbered, special edition example. 

Engine and Mechanicals 

The sixth generation Toyota Celica was fitted with the 1.8 litre engine that powered the “supra-esque” looking Celica, mated to the 5-speed manual box it drives extremely well. Toyotas from this, or in fact any, era were and are built extremely well. Always over engineered they just keep going and going. 

This example with just 90k mileage is another example of just how well built these cars are. Our vendor shared that the Celica was recently lent to a friend who remarked how well it drove saying it “still felt like a new car”. That could well be explained by our vendor sharing that it has been well looked after by his friend and the Head Mechanic at Listers Toyota for most of its life. 

Good news and bad depending on how you look at it; what we can say it has been very well maintained by a very experienced Toyota mechanic, the bad news being that there is not a lot of paperwork confirming all that maintenance. The other thing of note is that the mechanic has now moved away, another reason that this car comes to market. 

A couple of things to note are that the cambelt was replaced 3000 miles ago but that was now five years ago so you may or may not want to get that done, your choice. It has also now had an ABS light pop up that has been diagnosed as the offside front sensor, a cheap fix but one could not be sourced at the time and our vendor has just not got round to doing it. 

Our view  

With only 250 Toyota Celica 25th Anniversary Limited Editions built, this is a fantastic opportunity to join an exclusive club and with less than forty listed at the DVLA, this 25th anniversary model is a very rare thing. Good enough to drive every day or to add to your collection and watch its value climb.   

Either way a great buy and a great car to boot.