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This information was collected from various websites, to learn more please
check out the LINKS page
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Jump to : Road & Track Test NumbersJump to : Road & Track Test Results ReviewJump to : Road & Track Owners Survey ReviewMost of the info right below came from Stepho's Site.
Year : 1977
Brand : Toyota
Model : Celica ST Liftback
Engine - 20R - Inline 4, Chain
Type - SOHC
Disp - 2189 cc
BHP
- 96 @ 4800rpm
Torque - 120 @ 2800rpm
Bore - 3.48
Stroke
- 3.50
CR - 8.4:1
Diff - 3.583
Weight (lbs) - ~2600 (+725 capacity)
RWD
A-Body
wheelbase - 2500 mm
length - 4445 mm
width - 1625 mm
VIN# RA29L-MA-AA
R = for R series engine
A = chassis type celica/carina
29 = the us/canada export model liftback
L = lefthand steering
-
M
= 5speed manual box
A = american market
-
AA = ST American spec
(Thanx goes out to Tom for VIN clarification)
Standard Features:
Collaspible steering column
MacPherson struts (front)
Power front discs, rear drums
Steel belted tires
Steel
styled wheels
Hi-back reclining front bucket seats
Simulated wood grain dash and console
Clock
Electric tacho
Wall to wall carpet
Passenger "walk-in" device (foward sliding seat)
Tinted glass
Electric rear window defogger
Resettable tripmeter
Unit body construction
Steering column mounted headlight, wiper/washer, trafficator controls
Inside hood release
Locking glove compartment
Day/night non-glare rear view mirror
Power boosted flo-thru
ventilation (Fan with inlet and outlet vents)
Transistorised ignition
Reversible ignition key
Separate oil and
amp warning lights.
Heater/defroster with 3 speed fan
2 stage door opening
Padded dash and assist grip
Recessed
interior door handles
Head restraints
Side intrusion bars in doors
Break away interior mirror
Dual circuit
brakes 2 speed washer/wiper
Full seat belts
Crush zones front and rear
Side marker lights and reflectors
Backup
lights
Mine is also equipped (or lacking equipment) with:
Arm-Strong steering (manual)
Country A/C (no A/C, but the windows go down)
A really bad, beaten up bumper sticker "I'm lost, but making record time!"
and Stage 1 Weight Reduction (a.k.a. Rust)
The information from this article is based on a 1976 Celica Liftback (dam near exact same as mine tho)
PRICE
List price, all POE.........................$4699
Price as tested.............................$5129
GENERAL
Curb weight, lb...............................2560
Weight distribution (with driver),
front/rear, %....................................55/45
Wheelbase, in.................................98.3
Track, front/rear.............................53.1/51.6
Length...............................................174.4
Width..................................................63.8
Height.................................................51.0
Fuel capacity, U.S. gal....................15.3
CHASSIS & BODY
Body/frame......................................unit steel
Brake system........10.0-in. discs front, 9.0 x 1.6-in. drums rear, vacuum assisted
Wheels....................styled steel, 14 x 5 1/2J
Tires.........................Bridgestone RD-106 185/70HR-14
Steering Type........recirc ball, variable ratio
Turns, lock to lock................4.2
Suspension, front/rear : MacPherson struts, lower lateral arms, coil springs, tube
shocks, anti-roll bar/live axel on four trailing links, Panhard
rod, coil springs,
tube shocks
ENGINE AND DRIVETRAIN
Type...............................................sohc, inline 4
Bore x stroke, mm.....................88.4 x 88.9
Displacement, cc/cu in.............2189/134
Compression ratio.....................8.4:1
Bhp @ rpm, net...........................96 @ 4800
Torque @ rpm, lb-ft...................120 @ 2800
Fuel requirement.......................regular, 91-oct
Transmission.............................5-sp manual
Gear ratios: 5th (0.85)............3.17 : 1
4th (1.00)............3.73 : 1
3rd (1.39)............5.18 : 1
2nd (2.04)...........7.61 : 1
1st (3.29)...........12.27 : 1
Final Drive Ratio............3.73 : 1
Quote Road & Track, pertaining to the 1976 Celica Liftback...sorry I don't have the issue
number or month or anything else...but here is the last paragraph (summary)of the test
"Without a doubt the Liftback is the best Celica ever. There's more standard equipment than before, and the hatchback
makes the car a more efficient carrier of people and things. The handling, ride and performance are improved, but you still
get oustanding fuel economy (24 mpg in our usual test) plus the quality craftsmanship for which all Toyotas are noted.
It's no wonder the Celica not only accounts for 20 percent of all Toyota sales in this country but is the best selling imported
compact sporty car in the U.S."
Sure, saying that the Liftback is the best Celica ever should be obvious (considering it was only the 6th year making
Celicas). The Liftback was heavier than the coupes and it still came out on top. Mainly the longer wheelbase,
wider track, and softer ride, made the liftback more desireable than previous years coupes. Pretty good report, if I
do say so myself.
On to what actual customers had to say though...
"Of the four problem areas cited by more than 5% of the owners, only one, cylinder head/values, falls into our (road
and track) category of relability trouble that would make a car unsafe or impossible to drive" (quote Road and Track Owner
Survey : Toyota Celica)
Toyota, Built strong from day one. By the way, that problem was cited by 16%, and mostly in earlier ('72-'73) models.
Biggest complaints : "lack of usable room noted by 24%...lack of performance...21%...handling and noise...17%...ride
characteristics...9%"
"'Best Features'" : "'Fun to Drive'...69%...workmanship...57%...reliability...52%" (it's also noted that "these
numbers are astounding because most cars get 15-30% of their owners to mention reliability...VW Beetle (January 1969), which
built a reputation on reliability, only convinced 39% of its owners that this was a best feature. Toyota should be justifiably
proud") other things mentioned "42%...fuel economy...interior layout (38%), ventilation (28%), performance (26%), handling
(24%) and low noise level (19%)...15%...car's ride..."
"Finally, there is a hardy and enthusiastic band of Celica owners (6%) who say the car has no worst features whatsoever."
All in all, I'd say that's a pretty good report. 26% say performance is a best feature, against 21% that say lack
of performance is a worst feature...it ends the article with a quote from one of the men questioned "'Overall, the car is
nearly perfect for the price.'" Truth be told, I think he's right, but that's just my biased opinion.
77% of owners said they would buy another one...the article mentions that this is lower than the Honda Civic survey published
in July '75 (which was 94% that would buy again). The biggest issue wasn't the lack of performance and handling considering
it is a "sporty" car...but where most people would want to step up to something with more performance and better handling.
to quote again
"...after driving the car for a year or two, many of the owners who are not prepared to commit to buying another (and
remember this is only 23% of the total group) mention their desire to move up to a car with more performance and better handling,
i.e., a true sports or G.T. car. Ant that is in no way a negative reflection on the Celica. In fact, it's very
much a positive statement that this car has shown many people how much fun driving can be."
Awesome review by actual people...another reason why Toyota is still climbing over top of everyone in the world of cars.
They may have started small coming over...but they are still climbing in the USA and Canada...Too bad the celica is discontinued.
Ah well, there will always be memories...and for enthusiasts, such as myself, it just makes them that much more special!
(All Information and quotes are from a photocopied "Road and Track" Magazine article I received. I don't know what
issue they came from, nor have I got any type of special permission to use this information. If anyone really cares
(i.e. someone from road & track with copyright legal stuff), please let me know and I will delete it.)
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A classic to those who love them, and not to those who don't understand.
1977 Toyota Celica ST Liftback. I've said to people, I own a classic car, and have been mocked. "That's not
a real classic!" they say. Well to each their own. It may not be a "classic" in terms of muscle cars, and domestics,
but among it's peers (Japanese sports cars), it most certainly is. Some call it a "mini-mustang", with good reason.
The liftback versions of 76-77 looked similar to the fastback mustangs of the late 60's, except smaller of course. (For
those who don't understand, I will post pics eventually, or click a classic celica link)
My Celica...I don't have a lot of history. I bought it over 3 yrs ago now, but because of a growing family, and
general lack of funds, I have not been able to do anything with it. I'm supposedly the 3rd owner of this car.
It came from the southern states (Florida I believe), but has been in Canada for too long now. Between the previous
owner's neglect, and unfortunately mine too, I now need to do some frame work, along with some other less major body work.
I'm unsure of the exact mileage, the odometer only goes up to 100,000 miles, and currently reads just over 13,000
miles. Not that it really matters. When I first got it, it ran beautifully (other than it was missing the exhaust
from halfway back). The 20R engines were/are apparently pretty much bulletproof.
Story from when I first got the car :
My friend and I decided we'd take the car for a spin...not knowing it had a gas leak, and the possibility of a big KA-BOOM
(with no exhaust and such). Well it just happens that Two houses down from my parents was 0.4 km (~1/4mile). With
no tach (not hooked up, or broken not sure which), we thought we'd test it out. Of course 3 years ago, I was just learning
to drive a 5 spd, and my friend didn't want to push it because it wasn't his car. Plus we had to stop in time to get
into my parents laneway again. We took it for a couple runs. We had it going about 60mph (american car, has no
kph reading) in 5th with time to slow down and safely turn into my parents lane. We later tested the speedometer for
accuracy and found it was pretty close to correct. At that time, I thought. "Well that's pretty good for having
no cat back exhaust!"
Of course, now that I'm older and wiser (and have actually learned something about cars). I know that's really
good...considering it's a stock 25 (at the time) year old car. Now that I know how exhaust works, I realize having no
cat back, was probably an advantage, more than a disadvantage. But still, considering that we didn't even come close
to where we could make decent hp, and I couldn't shift worth a dam. This experiance now gives me a real appreciation
of how fast these cars actually were (for a little 4 cylinder). Along with styling, I can understand why they are still
popular among celica owner's (old and new gen's alike).
ROAD TEST RESULTS
FUEL ECONOMY
Normal driving, mpg..................................24.0
ACCELERATION
Time to distance, sec:
0 - 100 ft...........................................4.0
0 - 500 ft.........................................10.3
0 - 1320 ft (1/4 mile).........................18.6
Speed at end of 1/4 mile, mph....................74.0
Time to speed, sec:
0 - 30 mph.......................................4.0
0 - 50 mph.......................................8.7
0 - 60 mph.....................................12.2
0 - 80 mph.....................................22.3
0 - 90 mph.....................................30.5
SPEEDS IN GEARS
5th gear (4900 rpm)..................................108
4th gear (5500).........................................106
3rd gear (5500)...........................................76
2nd gear (5500)..........................................52
1st gear (5500)...........................................32
HANDLING
Speed on 100-ft radius, mph........................32.6
Lateral acceleration, g...............................0.709
Speed thru 700-ft slalom, mph.....................54.7
CALCULATED DATA
Lb/bhp (test weight)................................30.0
Mph/1000 rpm (5th gear).........................22.2
Engine revs/mi (60 mph).........................2700
R&T steering index.................................1.51
Brake swept area, sq in./ton.....................171
BRAKES
Minimum stopping distances, ft:
From 60 mph.................................150
From 80 mph.................................252
Control in panic stop.........................very good
Pedal effort for 0.5g stop, lb.........................27
Fade : percent increase in pedal effort to maintain 0.5g deceleration in
6 stops from 60 mph.........................30
Overall brake rating...........................excellent
INTERIOR NOISE
All noise readings in dBA:
Constant 30 mph.........................................65
50
mph.....................................70
70
mph.....................................75
SPEEDOMETER ERROR
30 mph indicated is actually...............29.0
60 mph.............................................57.5
70 mph.............................................66.0
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"My 5 cents, take it as it is"
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