Est. 450 bhp, 2,090 cc turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine, five-speed manual transmission, four-wheel independent suspension, and four-wheel disc brakes. Wheelbase: 99.4 in.
Automobile racing, like all other endeavors in the
pursuit of speed, is a display of tension between the immovable forces of
nature, human determination, and the framework by which opponents compete. It
is the ever-changing tensions between those forces that produce in many the
insatiable desire to race. Two men in particular are noteworthy, as they’ve
always danced on the edge of what it means to compete with the very best.
In 1964, Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby, both legends larger than this space
provides, founded All American Racers (AAR) with the backing of Goodyear
tires. From the outset, these seasoned competitors pursued victory with vigor,
and by 1970, when Gurney bought out Shelby’s stake, AAR had won as a
constructor in both Formula One and Indy Car.
By the early ’80s, the team had won in competitions around the world. Their
history of success no doubt attracted Toyota, who was eager to build a racing
program around the Celica, to promote the car’s sporting credentials in the
United States. While Toyota enjoyed prior success on the world stage in
endurance racing and rallying, the most visible road racing series at the time
was the IMSA GT Championship.
In 1983, AAR and Toyota entered a partnership to compete in the series’
entry-level GTU class, and by 1985, they had won 10 races. Coinciding with the
launch of the next-generation T160 Celica, the decision was made to move up
and compete in the GTO, or Grand Touring Over 2.5
liters, class. Here we must mention the framework of competition: the road
going Celica was a front-drive compact car, but its competitors in GTO would
be the Ford Mustang, the Porsche 911, the Chevrolet Corvette, and other such
machines.
This car, chassis 86T-002, was completed in July 1986 and built to, and
beyond, the framework of the rulebook. At its heart was the legendary
four-cylinder Toyota T engine, which, in various forms, saw duty in everything
from Formula Two, Formula Three, Group B rally, and World Rally Championship
competition.
The GTO implementation made near 600 horsepower before
IMSA-mandated restrictions were added. In a 1999 interview with Sports
Compact Car, Gurney describes the IMSA GTO as being “...pretty good, a hairy
motor. It was enough to get the job done!”
It is a Celica in name only. In truth, AAR built a tubular space frame machine
that had a rear-drive chassis, a rear-mounted Hewland
transaxle, and enough bodywork modifications to make a plastic surgeon blush.
After the program concluded in 1989, this car was sold directly by Toyota
Motor Sales U.S.A. to their championship-winning driver Chris Cord, and it now
incorporates all of the latest performance developments, including a revised
suspension setup, a carbon fiber body and driveshaft, a more robust gearbox,
and aerodynamic improvements. With only three owners from new, including
Toyota, this mighty Celica IMSA GTO is being offered from a prominent Southern
California collection.
It represents an opportunity to own a championship-winning design that
remained competitive until taking its very last checkered flag—not to mention
one that’s a rare example of a successful partnership between American
engineering talent and Japanese muscle.