Here is a triplet of good old classic Toyotas on this Good Friday; an Eighties Red Celica, a pistacchio green two-door Corolla and a newer Celica ST in striking blue. Only the red Celica is a true Fastback out of the three, but all three deserve to be featured, scrapes and knocks and all. Take a look.

The red Celica is a 1986 2.0 GT 16-valve, with the 3S-GE engine. It’s one of my favorite cars ever, and as a kid I really, really wanted a Celica after having seen them in Toyota dealerships. There’s something about the angular glass that makes a perfect match with the red paint; even if the paint on this car is far from gleaming. The Celica is faded, rusty, dented, rough; it’s practically missing a jaw. I’m sure it’s done more than 300 000 km.

But still, the pop-up headlights probably work. Those are the main thing, as well as the 150-horse engine. And if it passes MOT, it’s a fine beater; Celicas keep their value and even a rough one will command a four-figure price if inspected.

Next up is the green 1973 Corolla. This one clearly belongs to a more caring Toyota guy, as it’s most likely had a well-done respray and sits slightly lower than stock. The black, shiny-lipped wheels wear good rubber and fit the arches nicely. It looks handsome, to describe it in one word. There’s a coke-bottle shape, and the behind looks so shapely I’d Simoniz the heck out of it.

The Corolla was shot in the Southeast Finnish town of Kouvola, that is my old stomping ground before I packed my bags and moved to the other side of the country. It’s a dusty railroad town that’s constantly expanding, as smaller towns are swallowed inside the Kouvostoliitto township. It’s also testament you can build a complete town out of unadorned and untreated concrete, only decorated by the neon signs of various bars and clubs. The Corolla’s plates signify it’s originally from that region, too, and that it’s got the 1200cc 3K engine.

And the exact spot where the Corolla was shot was the train station; the station forecourt and parking lot usually play stage to various hoonmobiles as sun sets. Everybody shows off their car there, everybody burns rubber there, everybody gets a fatherly tap on the shoulder by the local police force. “Näyttäisit siä ton ajokortin ja rekisteriotteen.”

Last up is the sky blue 1993 Celica, shot in the same town. Unlike the red Celica, it doesn’t have a particularly punchy engine, but instead has to do with the 1.6-litre base 4A-FE with 105 horses.

It’s also a weird bird when it comes to Finnish Celicas; to my knowledge the two-door notchback wasn’t brought here officially, so it must be imported from somewhere else later on. It doesn’t have the usual tell-tale EU plates, and the XIU letters aren’t too fresh either, so it’s probably only spent a few years somewhere else and swam here in the late ’90s.

To wrap it up, even if I like Celicas the most I wouldn’t pick either out of these three, but go with the lighter and better-kept Corolla. It’s just that neat.

 

[Images: Copyright 2012 Hooniverse/Antti Kautonen]