Toyota Celica GTS information 

Car History : Toyota Celica GTS

The Toyota Celica name has been applied to a series of popular sports cars made by the Japanese company Toyota. The name is derived from the Latin word célico (IPA ['?eliko]) meaning "from the heavens" or "celestial".

Through all generations, Celicas have been built around Toyota's high-performance inline-4 engines, although some Celicas are powered by more economical, lower performance 4-cylinders. The most significant change occurred in 1986, when the car's drive layout was changed from rear wheel drive to front wheel drive. During the first three generations, American market Celicas were powered by various versions of Toyota's R series engines. A Four wheel drive turbocharged model (designated All-trac in the US or GT-Four in Japan and Europe) was produced from 1986 to 1999. Variable Valve Timing came in late 1997 Japanese models, and become standard in all models from 2000 on. Through seven generations, the model has gone through many revisions and design forks, including the Toyota Celica Supra (later known as the Toyota Supra). The Celica was available as notchback and liftback coupes, as well as a convertible.

Seventh generation (2000-2006) :

In 2000, Toyota began production and sales of the seventh generation Celica. It closely resembled the XYR concept with the exception of the front bumper and rear spoiler. The 2000 Celica was an element of Toyota Project Genesis, an effort to bring younger buyers to the marque in the United States.

Basically the Celica came in two different models. The ZZT230 powered by an economical 1.8 L 4-cylinder 140 hp 1ZZ-FE engine and the ZZT231 powered by a higher-performance 1.8 L 4-cylinder 180 hp 2ZZ-GE version, co-developed with Yamaha. Both of these engines featured Toyota's signature VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing with Intelligence) system, which continuously varies the camshaft timing.

For 2003 model year, the Celica received a face lift, with a revised front bumper, revised tail lights, and the addition of several new colors to the lineup. The GT-S was also now equipped with a drive-by-wire (DBW) throttle body in the manual transmission model. Throttle drive-by-wire, while shortening throttle response, compromises the ability to use an aftermarket ECU, thus limiting tuning potential.

North America :

In the USA and Canada the base model with 1ZZ-FE engine is called GT, and the high performance model with 2ZZ-GE engine is GT-S. The GT-S had a more aggressive system called the VVTL-i (Variable Valve Timing with Lift and Intelligence), which is similar to the VVT-i except until 6200 rpm, when valve lift is increased a fraction further to provide an abrupt increase in power, accounting for the 40 hp difference. The GT was available in both a 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic and the GT-S was available with a close-ratio 6-speed manual and a 4-speed manumatic.

Unfortunately, Toyota was too late to the sport compact party. However, the Celica enjoyed the spotlight for about a year or so, being that it was one of the few vehicles offering 100 hp/L for under $27,000 USD. In 2001, Honda released its Integra replacement, the Acura RSX, for the 2002 Type S model year with a 2.0 L 4-cylinder 200 hp engine, which competed directly with the Celica.

In July 2004, Toyota announced the Celica (as well as the MR2) would be discontinued in the United States at the end of the 2005 model year because of increasing competition and lack of sales. [1] Celica sales hit 52,406 units in 2000, but dropped sharply to 14,856 in 2003. As of November 2004, just 8,216 Celicas had been sold for calendar year 2004. Many attribute the 2004 loss in sales to the introduction of the cheaper Scion tC.

Japan :

Japanese models continued to carry SS-I and SS-II trim levels. The SS-I is powered by 1ZZ-FE engine, SS-II comes with 2ZZ-GE engine. The SS-II also can be ordered with Super Strut Package with super strut suspension, rear strut bar, 16-inch alloys, metal pedals, and coloured rocker panels. The SS-II has climate control AC with digital display. Optional is the choice of Elegant Sports Version with front lip spoiler and headlight cover, or Mechanical Sports Version with full body kits. The JDM Celica got minor change in August 2002.