Yoshi's Friends

This page is a gallery of Celicas and other cool cars.
Many cars have their own small page here at Yoshi's Home,
just click on the pictures to see *lots* more pics and info. Enjoy!

	This is Richard Kurzawa's 1973 Celica GTV. This awesome RA20 is powered by a twin-cam 18RG, which breathes through a 4/2/1 header and a 2 1/2" exhaust. The power reaches the rear wheels through a P51 5-speed tranny and 4.33 gears. Richard slows his Celica down with discs at all corners. Nice job, Richard!
This '82 Carina GT-T coupe is the pride and joy of Matti Kalalahti. With a highly modified, intercooled turbo twin-cam 3T-GTEU producing 240hp, this car can really scoot! Matti has also added a 3.727 limited-slip differential and independent rear suspension for added handling. This GT-T burns the quarter mile in 13.6 s @ 104 mph! If you're ever in Finland and this Carina pulls up along side you...say hello! You'll definitely want to check out Matti's webpage, easily the best Toyota site out there.
	Continuing on our trek around the globe, we find Jose Pineda's beautiful 1985 Celica GT-S Liftback in Guatemala. This car left the factory with every option, and has been further enhanced by Jose. Modifications include custom headers, 2 1/4" pipes (no cats req'd in Guatemala!), a hi-flow muffler, a K&N OEM-type filter, Momo steering wheel, and a custom cold air induction system! Music is provided by a Sony 10 disc changer pumping through 4 3-way speakers, 4 tweeters, and a 100W subwoofer. Jose is planning on further sweetening his ride through ported and polished heads, a 242 degree cam, intake manifold porting and port matching, and a Borla muffler. The car is connected to the road via Toyo 225/60R14s on his factory alloys and the factory independent rear suspension. Bueno!
This red 1983 Celica GT-S hails from the state of Oregon. Proud owner "OldMage" has been responsible for turning an otherwise mild-mannered sports coupe into what he describes as his "Wild GT-S." Under the hood, mods abound to the 2.4L 22R-E, including an aftermarket ignition, a cold-air intake assembly (which OldMage designed and constructed himself), and a Doug Thorley Tri-Y header. When not terrorizing the pavement, this Celica makes its presence known through a custom stereo system, which has had the interior speakers relocated for a better, more even sound. On the outside of the car, OldMage has retained the natural beauty of the '83, adding only custom wheels and low-profile tires, and taking nothing away.
	Ken Rosengren's 1984 Celica GT coupe has undergone many changes since coming into his posession. Ken is currently working hard at modifying his car after being bitten by the performance bug. So far, Ken's projects have included converting the cooling system over to an electric fan setup, and trading his 4-speed auto in for a 5-speed W58 manual. His coupe also sports an upgraded exhaust system, custom tail-light and window tinting and hand-polished GT-S alloy rims. Ken has a page detailing his Celica here.
Hailing from Bordeaux, France is Erik Gricourt's wonderful '83 Celica GT. Just one of four Celicas that Erik owns, this twin-cam 2.0L Celica was given to him by his father. He writes "My car is wonderful, it reaches 200 km/h [120mph] without a problem, but it likes fuel very much hahaha !!" In the works are plans for a modified air intake to feed dual Solex carbs, as well as fixing up or finding a good home for his father's 2TB 1976 Celica ST. Great car, Erik!
	This metallic blue 1994 Celica ST has been showered with the affection of Dirk Apel since he bought it new. Dirk started with 16" alloy wheels and never looked back. The car was lowered by 30mm with the help of some Eibach springs, and a Reams exhaust help the car sound good. Inside, a carbon interior, Alu pedals, a leather gear knob and a Raid steering wheel enhance the sportiness. Outside, Poster spoilers and Toyota side skirts add to its aggressive appearance. The only mods available for the 1.8L 7AFE engine were a K&N Airfilter and a set of Magnecore ignition wires, but that didn't stop Dirk from coming in 5th out of 25 FWD Celicas last spring.
An enthusastic Abbas Rajani hails from Long Island with his 1983 Celica GT-S coupe. Modifications are rampant on this car, including a 1985 22RE motor, MSD ignition, a self made air intake extention, and an unbelievable sound system (14 speakers and counting!). Along with a new coat of black paint, he also added a sunroof, bra, fog lights, and rear spoiler. The GT-S rides on 225/60R/14s and Abbas reports that "the grip with this car on turns is simply amazing." Finding this car is no trouble at all: "You can hear this car coming literally 2 blocks away," he explains.
	This very blue second-generation Celica is property of Bryan Zublin. Though his NSX and '85 MR2 take up most of his time, Bryan still has managed quite a few modifications to his Celica. A 22R-TE (sans turbo and EFI) currently resides in the engine bay, but the pictures on the page of a twin-Weber 20R are enough to make this Toyotahead drool!
This beautiful white RA65 liftback is owned by Harvey Cheong. His battles against Canadian weather have proven successful, as there is no rust to be found on the body. Currently, Harvey has mostly focused his performance efforts on improving the breathing of the 22R-E, and has been rewarded with not only some extra power, but also some well-deserved, throaty exhaust tunes. Which, of course, goes along perfectly with his 100W, multi-speaker sound experience.
	This wonderful 1977 Celica LT was once owned by Paul Spinoglio. The twin-cam 18R-G is quite capable of providing plenty of force through the 5-speed to the rears, as the picture at left beautifully demonstrates. Another car that was once in Paul's possession is a heavily-modded 1984 Corolla Levin (known in the US as the GT-S) know being circuit raced by the current owner. Awhile back, I wondered out loud about what he was driving now. Well, he answered!
A legend among Celica modders around the world is Gary Meissner's Yoda. The car is powered by an extremely modified 22R-E, which sports a custom TO4E/T-3 hybrid turbo from Turbonetics, with two Renault Fuego intercooler cores in series to keep the intake side cool, providing for over 300hp. Forged internals, including Crower billet 4340 steel connecting rods and J&E forged zero-silicon pistons, a CompCams 268S camshaft, and oversize Ferrea stainless steel valves round out the engine. A fully programmable Electromotive TEC-II engine control system enables Gary to harness the awesome power of this motor. There is of course more to this great car than I have room to write...full details coming soon!
	This nice-looking Celica GT-S is owned by Gary H. The car is Gary's dependable daily driver, despite having worn rings due to tremendous mileage. Gary's current project involves his '87 Supra Turbo, and he also has a modified '89 BMW M3 - cool stuff. Visit Gary's Supra site here.
This fine 1987 Supra 3.0 GT is Jason Bieber's cruisin' machine. As Jason writes, "I am a US Sailor stationed in Japan and this is my baby," and I can certainly see why! As a Japanese model, the car has a special wide body. Jason swapped the automatic in favor of a 5 speed, lowered it with a GAB suspension, added a TRUST intercooler, installed a Super Flow Air Induction, and added some nice wheels. To protect his ride, Jason uses a metal headgasket and a GReddy boost controller with REBIC III. Once Jason was done, he couldn't resist the temptation to put in an awesome Kenwood sound system. Lookin' good, Jason!
	Undergoing a full restoration is Kevin Oscroft's 1978 RA42. It all began in 1993, when the car was hit in an intersection, bending the axle as well as the rear bodywork. Kevin began trying to minimize the damage, but his efforts have since turned into a loving restoration of his Celica GT. Partly as a result of the accident, Kevin swapped in the rear axle from an MA47 Supra, gaining rear discs and a wider track in the process. Details of Kevin's Good Deed may be found here. Let's hope that Kevin has started something big! We'll all be looking forward for the end result, Kevin!
Doug Morency was kind enough to send some pics of a very interesting kit car that uses the drivetrain of a 1983 Celica! He owns two of these Canadian-made kit cars, the other is currently powered by a small-block Chevy, but Doug reports that he is in the middle of converting it to a 22RE. More pics available here. Gotta admit, Doug, I'm a little envious of your power-to-weight ratio!
	From Down Under hails Jason Kimpton's very cool 1984 Celica GT-S. This RA65 has been lavished with a header, a 2" exhaust system with 2 1/2" twin pipe chrome tip, a 7-speaker 180W Sanyo sound system, a Supra rear visor, 55W driving lamps, and various other appearance mods. Jason's car rides on Auscar Vision 3 mags with Bridgestone 195/60/R14s up front and 225/60/R14s out back. All in all, this car screams CELICA. Cool.

Well, what are you waiting for? Email Oldmage to see about getting your Toyota or other cool car on here!

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Copyright 1997 and 1998 Tom Kyle, photos courtesy owners