Officially it was the Toyota Celica ST185R GT4 Carlos Sainz Group A Rallye, but to those who love them, they’re simply the GT-Four. On the outside, you might think it’s just a Celica with some flares and arches, but the goodness is bone deep. These are true GTs, the limited production homologation specials that allowed Toyota to compete in the new Group A rally class.
Carlos Sainz and Luis Moya winning in the previous-generation ST165 Celica
GT-Four Rallye and ST185 rally car
America did get a version in the later All-Trac, but after Carlos Sainz won the Driver’s Championship in 1990, Toyota launched a commemorative edition, known variously as the GT-Four Rally Championship (RC); Carlos Sainz (SC) Special Edition; or as in Australia, Carlos Sainz Group A Rallye. Most went to Japan and Europe, with a handful to Australia and New Zealand. The special hood was a functional air extractor to cool the air-to-water intercooler; the bodywork was lightened; and it had a strengthened transmission and revised shifter. The 3S-GTE 2.0-liter turbo makes around 255hp, although exact figures are hard to find. It’s certainly far more than the 200hp our All-Trac got. Weight was probably in the 3,200-pound range, hundreds of pounds of which were electronic seat motors, etc., that the rallyist could strip away. Many did, as the car continues to be a popular choice for privateers.
The EPA, sadly, says you can’t import one for another five years without terribly expensive smog modifications, but Bonhams Australia has one anyway in their June 25 Sydney sale, with an estimate of only AU$14,000 – 20,000. That’s a long way from their AU$45,000 sticker, and definitely puts the GT-Four on the list of Things to Import when the clocks winds down. Right after that Sport quattro…