Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Junkyard Find: 1980 Toyota Celica Coupe

The Malaise Era Celica sold very well in the United States as a fuel-efficient-yet-reasonably-sporty commuter vehicle. They were very reliable (by the not-very-high standards of the time), cheap, and easy to repair. Even so, nearly all of them are gone now, save for a few survivors that hung on long enough to stay out of the junkyards until the second decade of the 21st century. Here's an '80 that I found at a Northern California self-serve yard last week.
When did Toyota drop the "Celica Dragon" emblem?
I neglected to photograph the 20R engine under the hood, but let's contemplate the idea of a sporty car with such a truck-ish powerplant. Yes, the R engines were just about impossible to kill, verging on Chrysler Slant Six-grade levels of abuse tolerance, but they were better-suited to dragging a Hilux loaded with a dozen AK-wielding mujahideen through the Khyber Pass than for the smooth-running/high-revving exploits you want for a sports car. At least Celica owners got full gauges.
And this luxurious ashtray!
This car was a runner until very recently, if we are to judge by this not-yet-expired Berkeley parking permit. Perhaps the car was found parked in the wrong residential area and towed away with extreme prejudice; that's how Berkeley rolls when it comes to parking enforcement.

15 - 1980 Toyota Celica Down On The Junkyard - Pictures courtesy of Phillip 'Murilee Martin' Greden 02 - 1980 Toyota Celica Down On The Junkyard - Pictures courtesy of Phillip 'Murilee Martin' Greden 03 - 1980 Toyota Celica Down On The Junkyard - Pictures courtesy of Phillip 'Murilee Martin' Greden 04 - 1980 Toyota Celica Down On The Junkyard - Pictures courtesy of Phillip 'Murilee Martin' Greden 05 - 1980 Toyota Celica Down On The Junkyard - Pictures courtesy of Phillip 'Murilee Martin' Greden 06 - 1980 Toyota Celica Down On The Junkyard - Pictures courtesy of Phillip 'Murilee Martin' Greden 07 - 1980 Toyota Celica Down On The Junkyard - Pictures courtesy of Phillip 'Murilee Martin' Greden 08 - 1980 Toyota Celica Down On The Junkyard - Pictures courtesy of Phillip 'Murilee Martin' Greden 09 - 1980 Toyota Celica Down On The Junkyard - Pictures courtesy of Phillip 'Murilee Martin' Greden 10 - 1980 Toyota Celica Down On The Junkyard - Pictures courtesy of Phillip 'Murilee Martin' Greden 11 - 1980 Toyota Celica Down On The Junkyard - Pictures courtesy of Phillip 'Murilee Martin' Greden 12 - 1980 Toyota Celica Down On The Junkyard - Pictures courtesy of Phillip 'Murilee Martin' Greden 13 - 1980 Toyota Celica Down On The Junkyard - Pictures courtesy of Phillip 'Murilee Martin' Greden 14 - 1980 Toyota Celica Down On The Junkyard - Pictures courtesy of Phillip 'Murilee Martin' Greden

from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com




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