Thank you Jonny and your team for bringing my Uncle Ken’s Toyota Celica back to life. It was a pleasure to spend a day filming with you and a fitting tribute to my uncle ❤
Absolute pleasure Graeme. Thanks for trusting us to visit, tell the story and to give the Celica a deserved wash. Would love to see it at a show before the end of summer!
Not much to get it there really. Make a strap or two for the tank, Sort out the tank contents and replumb the fuel pump, probably and electric fuel pump as the diaphragm will be very tired in the one that's on the block. Bed the brakes or have some fresh pads made and the rotors or drums machined (if needed, do not do this if not absolutely needed), flush the brake fluid out carefully and fully cycle the master and reflush, change the oil and filter before the filter collapses and causes drama, change the coolant. You'd get through most of that in a day. Good luck. If I was in the same country I'd give you a hand :-D
@@fredio54 thanks, the clutch master needs replacing or refurbishing too, plus carbs cleaning, rubber lines replacing… and the electric aerial has stopped working, and that’s critical 😱
@@GraemeWhiting Fair enough - hopefully you can find someone to resleeve it in 316 locally - if you do that it will literally never fail again :-D I have some old VW wheel cylinders done in brass many years ago, even those are basically forever - though they do go green if abused without fluid changes for a long long time. I had assumed cable clutch - nice car in its day having hydraulics there :-) Also cool to see W50 as the gearbox on the build plate, I wonder if the earliest ones are any weaker than the revered late ones that people did all sorts of silly things to. Then again, I can't imagine you abusing this car ever so that's a moot point :-D Unlike my 83 KP60 which I flog within an inch of its life on AR1 with M1166 up front :-D
In 1980 I worked for an aftermarket company so I was driving all sorts of customer cars from the dealers to our garage workshop. I had the chance to drive one of these (along with all sorts of 80s cars, Nissan Sunny, Nissan Space Wagon, Toyota Corolla, XR2, XR3, Sierra, Vauxhall Astra etc) and even though it was a few years old at that time, I'll never forget the Corolla GT's engine being a huge surprise. What a machine. Torquey and yet free revving. Beat the crap out of UK mass market engines. And how incredibly beige it was! Anyway we did used to fit Remov-A-Top sunroofs, so it was definitely a dealer fitment. Dealers would get them fitted as an added enticement, along with a rustproofing system using Waxoil, if you remember that. Jeezuz, I'm so old.... takes me back!
Hope you get this running and are able to put some miles on in the summer !if we ever get one Graeme ! Buy the way it's on high idle and doesn't want to rev up without going flat ,you may weary well have an air leak pipe off or rotted through old age .
@@mrcogginsgarage7062 Summer?.. what’s that? 😂 The vacuum pipes are perished and need replacing and I’ll put the carbs through my ultrasonic cleaner with a service kit too. Graeme.
You can see why Japan made such an impression in the market. That paintwork and finish is way beyond anything we were churning out in British $hitboxes
In 1983/1984 a bloke I worked with used to give me a lift to work in one of these. It was his pride and joy and I loved it. He would never let me have a drive. Great car, great video thanks Jonny.
So I had never heard of this channel until today. I had 5 different people send me this video because I'm a 2nd generation Celica nerd 😂 I haven't managed to watch the video on it's entirety yet (because I'm at work currently) by just wanted to say that the pop top sun roof would have been dealer fitted. The factory Toyota ones are a wind back sunroof. Probably a good thing it didn't have the factory type because the drains on the mechanism tend to clog and the roof rusts out around the sunroof panel. Also the stainless trim going over the roof is called a tiara. This is an awesome car. It's so damn clean. If you need any parts for it please feel free to get in contact. I'm in Australia but happy to ship worldwide and help out fellow 2nd gen owners.
@@NooB-Celica thank you, that’s such a very kind offer, and we now have the name of a tiara for the brushed aluminium strip! Glad you liked the video! Graeme.
Awesome. Check out the Smith and Sniff podcasts, too. I have a 1992 Celica Convertible here in Northern Wisconsin. I was born and raised in Eire, this show gets my nostalgia for cars I saw as a child alive.
I think this is the first time I've really had empathy for another person's story on this channel, cause I also drive a 2L Celica that used to be owned by an Uncle before they passed away. Don't get me wrong all these Barn find stories are brilliant but this one felt close to home.
@@astontapper8543 thank you. As I’m sure you’ve experienced, it’s more than tinged with sadness at loosing Uncle Ken, my dad’s best friend for 87 years. I think we’ve done it justice in his memory and my dad did so well appearing on camera. Graeme.
@@GraemeWhiting Great to see your Dad on camera. I'm not a Toyota fan particularly but I was mesmerised throughout. Initially I wasn't expecting to see it start but so glad it did and how smoothly it ran. I thought there was a perfect opportunity here for a short drive around the yard. I hope you get it back on the road again soon.
That car is in incredible condition. Brings back great memories. I owned a 1978 1600 coupe in metallic blue with the same interior but in blue, bought at 5 years old with big scabs on both rear wheel arches but boy did I love that car. It was cracking to drive. My Dad always said it was the most comfortable car he’d even ridden in. Fantastic
Still have my first gen 1973 RA21 purchased in 1977. It had 22,000 miles (yes speedo is in MPH). Now has 380,000 miles. In the process of a ground up resto with lead, no bondo and real walnut instead of plastic photograph.
Tear in my eye watching this. My second ever car was an ST version of this in the same colour. Brought back so many memories of a being the proud owner. Loved it… and was especially fond of the electric aerial 😊
@@TheLateBrakeShow yes in a heartbeat. Had a few Toyotas of that era and they never let me down. Wasn't at all surprised the Celica sounded so smooth when the guys got it started 👍 Thanks again for a great vid.
Cars of this era were SO brown! It's easy to forget but just seeing this was such a shot of pure nostalgia. The multitude of shades of brown inside a car is like a snapshot of the 70s and early 80s that'd be impossible to explain to young people without showing them.
Interesting on the preferred colours of yesteryear when compared to today's car colours which are mainly from the 'German rainbow' colour palette of: white, silver, black or 150 shades of grey - i.e. what I call the monochromatic world of cars that 'we' sadly currently inhabit. I wonder what persons in 30 years time would be thinking of today's 'monochromatic', oversize and frumpy SUVs.
In the 70's I was a Foreman mechanic for a Toyota dealer and remember those cars so well. If you look at the pliers in the toolkit they are year stamped and I have a set from 77 on my computer desk and a set from 76 in my tool kit. They are indestructible. Great find and a great show.
Remember one of the older boys had one of these coupe. He was a mechanic really good with cars and it was really quick remember going for a spin in it I was about 10 and we were doing about 120 down the motorway... Galactic speed in those days
Ah Jonny, you're hitting close to home with this one. My high school buddy had this very same Celica, a 1978 model , different color (it didn't have the two tone vinyl roof), same interior, same wheels, different lower body trim, sunroof everything - but in US spec (I think it had the 2.2 liter 4 cylinder with fuel injection if I remember correctly). It was a very nice car and he lusted for the follow up 6 cylinder Supra that came later. He had an after market Pioneer cassette deck with 4 6x9 speakers, one in each door and two in the back in custom built cabinets and a 200 watt amplifier. He also loved the Sunchaser which was a very rare dealer special order custom model with a removeable targa top roof and folding rear roof. Another great post - I love this!
My tech drawing teacher had an identical Celica when I was af Comprehensive school 1982-86. It was the best car in the teachers car park. Same colour and vinyl roof but it had gold Alleycat cross laced alloys with diamond cuts rims. It was beautiful.
Lifting the bonnet brought back so many memories for me. My first car was a series 1 TA22 Celica. We only got the ST and LT in Australia and mine was an LT but at some point in its life someone had installed an imported GT twin cam 1.6 litre engine, which was a popular modification at the time. I loved that car and how it drove and was very sad when it had to be moved on for a more practical vehicle.
She's a real unicorn now, isn't she. Nearly perfect condition. Outstanding. That ITB setup sounds delightful even on a primitive old engine like that 18R
In addition to the unfolding story of each barn find car, the attraction of the series it the nostalgia it evokes in those of us alive when these cars were new.
It's the history of the car and the stories of custodial care and provenance that bring meaning into these barn finds stories. Thanks, Jonny for yet another adventure into the lesser-known models and re-animating them for us all to see, hear and vicariously experience.
@@TheLateBrakeShow After some research, I recently spoke with the son of the original owner of my unrestored 1972 BMW 2002tii. He lives in the family home here in Northern California - about a mile from me. Seems unbelievable, but it’s true.
The sister of a (kind of) girlfriend of mine, who worked for Toyota, had a new coupe of one of these when they first come out. It was so impressive! I had a drive of it, I felt it was very fronty, it took a long time for the front to come around!😀It's wonderful to see this iteration revived!
Many people here in the US shared the aversion to Japanese cars as well. My own father didn't care for any imports at all, "Buy American, or get out of my house!" was a problem for me as a young man who cared for twisty roads, instead of straight ones. There was certainly no way I could afford a Corvette as a 16yr old (I had a used 1969 Triumph GT6 Mk.2, but had to hide it at friends' houses). I think I'm actually in the 2nd generation of US citizens who initially embraced J-cars. People here reconsidered their bias after the OPEC "oil crisis" of 1974. First new car I bought as an adult was a 1983 Honda Prelude. Things have changed here. After years of hearing "Japanese cars will never become collectable.." from older car guys, it has been proven untrue. The fastest growing car show circuit here is called "RADWOOD" (yes, it's a pun on Goodwood) for cars from the '80s & '90s. Many of them are Japanese. Seems like every kid who grew up in the back seat of their mom's Corolla/Civic/Sentra 'gets it'. They're amazing cars. Jonny, have to say though..what amazes me about this one (I love them, my Dad's assistant manager had one) is how clean the bodywork and trim is!! I tell the younger folks getting into the collector car hobby here that even with their brilliant engineering, and their robust initial build quality - they all rust like a 1960s Fiat. Seen prices on original Nissan 240z cars lately? Yeah, half the price of a good one is how much money the seller had to spend on welding it back together. 🤣 Apologies for the length of the post, Jonny..I just like talking about cars.
Wow that exact steering wheel, gear knob, and seats (including the material and rear buckets) were all in my 1980 Toyota Corona. Such a tasteful display of plastic and beige! I sold mine for $500 in 1998. I saw one advertised a few weeks ago for $25,000. To be fair, mine would have rusted away by now even if I had kept it. It sure was slow by today's standards but it was great fun to drive...
I had a twenty fifth anniversary model. Bought it when it was four years old, back in 2001 and finally had to scrap it in 2022. Absolutely fantastic car to drive and I certainly did drive it. It had done 37K when I bought it and by the time I parted with it, it had aver 220K on the clock. I didn't really want to get rid of it, but the chassis was in a bad way and would ultimately, have been condemned, so it had to go. Still miss it.
Very much enjoying the barn find episodes - if you could do re-visits to those barn finds that has come fully back to life and do test drives of them, that would be awesome!
My brother in law had one of these in the early 80s, replacing a Corolla. It was beige. I much preferred his rectangular headlights to the double round ones. The car looks a lot nicer from the front with those lights. I have very fond memories of going to play snooker with him. A lovely, sumptuous, ride and all the dashboard lit up in green when the lights were on. It seemed very classy at the time. He subsequently had the last generation Celica, which I didn't like nearly as much, as it veered more towards being a purist's sports car. He had a young family of 3 by then. It was completely impractical when they all needed to visit!
These are such wonderful vehicles. I worked at a Toyota dealer in Tooting in the early eighties. It was my first full time job. I took my apprenticeship working on Toyotas, and I so remember working on these. I went to the Toyota training centre both in Croydon, and the main HQ in Cirencester to learn the ins, and outs of these, and several other models. Toyotas of that era do hold such a great place in my heart. I really enjoy seeing them on the road. There was never a 1.4 litre though with these. It was purely a 1.6 litre, and of course the 2000 cc. We always had a team come in to fit the sunroofs, and a company to do vinyl roofs too. We would fit tow bars at times, but also had a company do them too. We also put the fog lights in too. A full size spare wheel & tyre too back in those days, so it will be the alloy wheel that you see fitted to the car. Wonderful video. 👍
Amazing watch again, what a car! Another great bunch of people and you allow them to really tell us the stories of why the car means so much to them! You have a brilliant way with people!
@@jackthompson8006 Jonny is very relaxed in front of, and behind the camera and really brought out the story well. My uncle would have been proud to see his car featured. Graeme.
Aloha Jonny , another great story with the reward of seeing a loved car brought back to life. I hope you filmed the Daimler Dart for a future episode/follow up . I am a Big Daimler fan & have a 4.5 Daimler Hemi in my 1932 Ford Roadster here in Hawaii ( I am an Ex Pat ). Cheers from Kona Hawaii.
Awesome Episode!! Love that Celica, so 70's. The interior ,Dash and Paint were amazing . Great works from the Uncle, may he rest in Peace. One of my favourite episodes yet.
Jesus, you get a real time machine effect with this car! I was not even born when this machine rolled out the factory but it must be an amazing experience to drive it now! Amazing find and props to Graeme who looks like he knows at least as much about old cars as Jonny does. Just blown away by the whole thing, really. I hope this car gets a few more drives under its belt!
Uncle Ken taught Graeme well . All that time pottering with him mending strimmer's etc. It was very good of him to let us share in its resurrection and not to just do it on his own which I'm sure he would have had no problem doing . Very much enjoyed the whole video , thank you .
I’m 55. I learnt to drive in that car here in Australia back in the day. It was my mums shopping trolley. Five speed stick. Loved the Celica Liftback. Hers was a 77. I think it still had the round headlights. The 79 was facelifted to rectangular.
Great vid as usual Johnny, my stepfather had several slightly later gen. celicas all from new then onto new Supras most years there after… 2.8’s, 3.0 etc…. at the same time my mum had Corolla GT front wheel drive then onto a raft of MR2’s… all from new…… you. could say they liked their Toyotas..! lol….. keep feeding us this great channel…. 👍🍺
When you opened the bonnet , I had flashbacks to my 1980 Alfa Romeo Gillette with the famed twin overhead cam engine.. great video and good to see an owner that kept you on your toes. Lol
I started my first job in a Toyota dealers the month this car was registered! One of the best engines made back then, actually Yamaha cast the blocks, they did lots of development work together. My favourite car is the one before this, the RA28 with the 18-RG twincam like this....superb cars, I just knew it would easily come back to life! 😍
Another brilliant episode. What's a brown beauty that is glad the dad got to see it as well. Hopefully we get follow-ups on these when it's all completely restored And Jonny can stare at the aerial😂
Awesome video!!! I couldn’t believe when I was watching this how much the surroundings was looking so familiar!! I then realised after seeing the photos that I bought all my fishing bits and my dad bought nails and bits and bobs when that was a Hardware shop!! Im a dedicated car enthusiast from Methwold 😃😃😃😃👍👍👍
What a brilliant Barn find this was! Posh Barn! no cobwebs! Time capsule of a beautiful car! The enthusiasm of the owners was magnetic and the banter was lovely!
@@tlinford Thank you. This was filmed at my dad’s place. He’s 87, can no longer drive due to his poor eyesight, but keeps everything immaculate! Graeme.
Loved this. I had 2 of them 30 years ago. Long legged extremely smooth cruising cars. Prone to blowing head gaskets if you dropped the clutch. Rather than repair it, I discovered it was the same price to engine swap it with a later model, low km 2.8 supra engine. Shocked when it was engine swapped and delivered back to me in one day.
My mum had the very same car back in the day. On that side of things, it was in that classic early 80's green. The biggest trigger i had over this episode was the dash and the manual. I think a no named mountain bike rider crashed into it once. Thanks Johnny!
Yes this model wasn't the most popular Celica however in Australia Japanese cars were all the rage in the late 70s and the 80s. The hatch was more popular than the fixed head coupe because it offered greater versatility. I love this one has the hello.spot lights too, as they were the best lighting one could get 44 Years ago! Well done. Get it back on the road.
Ah, memories! Back in the early 90's in NZ, I had a JDM 1981 gen-2 notchback GT RA45 (18R-GEU + W50), red (391) paint and black-grey interior -- the car I regret selling the most. Also had a JDM 1980 MA45 Celica XX (1st gen Supra), and a JDM gen-3 1981 TA63 (3T-EU) notchback, and built a Vauxhall Chevette with 18R-GR + W50 power and HS bodykit. And many other 80's JDM Toyotas (Crowns, Chasers, Starlets etc). The Late Brake Show is always brilliant.
I was looking forward to this from the time I saw the thumbnail - these TA40 Celicas seem to be rare all over the world, but I have liked them from the time they first came out when I was a child, and of course this car was the basis for the original Supra. It has been very well kept and looks practically factory fresh after all these years.
I owned a Celica of that vintage - HNB 86V. Loved it. Bought second hand with about 20,000 miles on it, ran it to over 100,000 miles and i never got tired of driving it.
As an ex-owner of a Porsche 924, there's so much of this car that compares with it; engine size, big glass back on a coupe shape, plush interior, even the design of the wheels is very similar, and the design is from almost the same date too.
I´ve had one of these which I fully restored. It´s a great car, loved the motor. Still have a full set of seats and a lock set laying around somewhere. It was super rare here in Denmark as well. They came as 1.6 in various trims (2T single cam/carb with 75 hp, 2T-B single cam / dual carb with 86 hp and 2T-G with dual overhead cams and dual Mikini-Solex with 108 hp) and as 2.0 (18R single cam / single carb and 89 hp and 18R-G with dual overhead cams and dual Mikuni-Solex and 118 hp). Trim levels were LT, ST, XT and GT. The high idle you´re seeing would be the big valve on the valve cover either not getting power or being stuck.
Ah, I realy do miss those. I think the fate of so many had to do with them remaining so practical when cars were starting to get rather faster and all, so they would filter through the used market till they were finally done by rust or use. (And those of us who loved em tended to prefer the older body style.)
Stunning! My friend had one of these as his first car in 1984. It was a 1978 liftback in lime green! Seeing the dash and interior brought back memories.
It’s funny but when it was new I wouldn’t have had one but now I think it has a great deal of appeal and charm and the condition is truly incredible and a testament to the late owners care 🏴👍🏻
I've watched many of your episodes, loved this one. Had one of these as my second or third car back in the late 80s. Same car year, same colour, just without that special roof! Drove it a few years before it rotted away - which is testament as to how well this one has been looked after.
Yes @thelatebrakeshow Johnny back to barn finds. Bloody love these. It's a fantasy for most petrol heads to find old motors. Amount of time I have passed old garages and farms and notice something and start to dream about some person who does not know about the gem they have and buying off them and then that first clean.
I had a KP60 starlet of the same year. My first car! I can smell it again, the interior plastics were the same colours. And that Bright green owners manual? Pure nostalgia.
My second new car of my life was a 1979 black on black Celica GT. The only car I literally bought off the showroom floor. Sporty, pretty quick, and that Toyota build quality. Great car. Thanks, Jonny, for the trip down memory lane!
@@TheLateBrakeShow Possibly. I sold it in 1983 to finance a trip to Belize. It was mint at time of sale, and I was able to recoup a substantial portion of my original investment. So all round great memories!
I remember buying one of these at British Car Auctions Enfield in the late 80s..£250 and after tidying it up sold it for £400. I was about 23 and spent the profit on booze and partying.. HowI'd love one now!
Thank you Jonny and your team for bringing my Uncle Ken’s Toyota Celica back to life. It was a pleasure to spend a day filming with you and a fitting tribute to my uncle ❤
Absolute pleasure Graeme. Thanks for trusting us to visit, tell the story and to give the Celica a deserved wash. Would love to see it at a show before the end of summer!
@@TheLateBrakeShow you’re way more optimistic than me… other projects to get finished, especially the E28 ❤️
Not much to get it there really. Make a strap or two for the tank, Sort out the tank contents and replumb the fuel pump, probably and electric fuel pump as the diaphragm will be very tired in the one that's on the block. Bed the brakes or have some fresh pads made and the rotors or drums machined (if needed, do not do this if not absolutely needed), flush the brake fluid out carefully and fully cycle the master and reflush, change the oil and filter before the filter collapses and causes drama, change the coolant. You'd get through most of that in a day. Good luck. If I was in the same country I'd give you a hand :-D
@@fredio54 thanks, the clutch master needs replacing or refurbishing too, plus carbs cleaning, rubber lines replacing… and the electric aerial has stopped working, and that’s critical 😱
@@GraemeWhiting Fair enough - hopefully you can find someone to resleeve it in 316 locally - if you do that it will literally never fail again :-D I have some old VW wheel cylinders done in brass many years ago, even those are basically forever - though they do go green if abused without fluid changes for a long long time. I had assumed cable clutch - nice car in its day having hydraulics there :-) Also cool to see W50 as the gearbox on the build plate, I wonder if the earliest ones are any weaker than the revered late ones that people did all sorts of silly things to. Then again, I can't imagine you abusing this car ever so that's a moot point :-D Unlike my 83 KP60 which I flog within an inch of its life on AR1 with M1166 up front :-D
I love how he got annoyed with you for being mesmerised by the aerial when you left him earthing a plug 😂
That was funny. Jonny must not have seen how 'quirky' features on J-cars were back then.
Stroppy little madam I thought 🫢
Haha, I was there holding the spark plug! We had some great banter on the day 😂
Awww thats ace ... You did seem a little annoyed hy his lack of focus ha @@GraemeWhiting
The politest way to tell Jonny to stop being a total flute, and focus on to task at hand. A really cool car from back in the day (long exhale)!!
The older gentleman in the background had a blast watching this thing come back to life. Those things are the best part of these barn finds.
Will it run? It's a Toyota, of course it will run
Probably been idling quite happily for the last 40 years!
Wanted to write exact same thing!
In 1980 I worked for an aftermarket company so I was driving all sorts of customer cars from the dealers to our garage workshop. I had the chance to drive one of these (along with all sorts of 80s cars, Nissan Sunny, Nissan Space Wagon, Toyota Corolla, XR2, XR3, Sierra, Vauxhall Astra etc) and even though it was a few years old at that time, I'll never forget the Corolla GT's engine being a huge surprise. What a machine. Torquey and yet free revving. Beat the crap out of UK mass market engines. And how incredibly beige it was! Anyway we did used to fit Remov-A-Top sunroofs, so it was definitely a dealer fitment. Dealers would get them fitted as an added enticement, along with a rustproofing system using Waxoil, if you remember that. Jeezuz, I'm so old.... takes me back!
Just finished the British F1, now on to another winning formula 😉
You were a good combo, the owner wasn’t letting you mess around Jonny 😂
Graeme was far more accomplished under the bonnet than me. I'm easily distracted.
@@TheLateBrakeShow to be fair the electric aerial was very cool.
The one on my mk3 supra is very similar 🤣
We had great fun filming it and unfortunately after a few takes the aerial stopped behaving itself 😂 Graeme.
Hope you get this running and are able to put some miles on in the summer !if we ever get one Graeme !
Buy the way it's on high idle and doesn't want to rev up without going flat ,you may weary well have an air leak pipe off or rotted through old age .
@@mrcogginsgarage7062 Summer?.. what’s that? 😂
The vacuum pipes are perished and need replacing and I’ll put the carbs through my ultrasonic cleaner with a service kit too. Graeme.
Perfect late 70s / early 80s brown and beige. What a beauty!
You can see why Japan made such an impression in the market. That paintwork and finish is way beyond anything we were churning out in British $hitboxes
This car was stored for literally my entire life, I'm as old as it's life in storage. And now I own a Toyota of a very similar age to this one...
Lucky man...count your blessings and enjoy the ride ;-)
Having owned three gen 7 Celicas , fantastic to see such a clean example of an earlier version
In 1983/1984 a bloke I worked with used to give me a lift to work in one of these. It was his pride and joy and I loved it. He would never let me have a drive. Great car, great video thanks Jonny.
Wow, funny how these things stick. Doubt his is still around. Most didn't make it... 😞
This is what it's all about. Strange how we remember things
A lot of them were banger raced
So I had never heard of this channel until today. I had 5 different people send me this video because I'm a 2nd generation Celica nerd 😂 I haven't managed to watch the video on it's entirety yet (because I'm at work currently) by just wanted to say that the pop top sun roof would have been dealer fitted. The factory Toyota ones are a wind back sunroof. Probably a good thing it didn't have the factory type because the drains on the mechanism tend to clog and the roof rusts out around the sunroof panel. Also the stainless trim going over the roof is called a tiara.
This is an awesome car. It's so damn clean. If you need any parts for it please feel free to get in contact. I'm in Australia but happy to ship worldwide and help out fellow 2nd gen owners.
@@NooB-Celica thank you, that’s such a very kind offer, and we now have the name of a tiara for the brushed aluminium strip! Glad you liked the video! Graeme.
@@GraemeWhiting If you need the strap that holds the fuel tank let me know ;)
Awesome. Check out the Smith and Sniff podcasts, too.
I have a 1992 Celica Convertible here in Northern Wisconsin.
I was born and raised in Eire, this show gets my nostalgia for cars I saw as a child alive.
I think this is the first time I've really had empathy for another person's story on this channel, cause I also drive a 2L Celica that used to be owned by an Uncle before they passed away. Don't get me wrong all these Barn find stories are brilliant but this one felt close to home.
@@astontapper8543 thank you. As I’m sure you’ve experienced, it’s more than tinged with sadness at loosing Uncle Ken, my dad’s best friend for 87 years. I think we’ve done it justice in his memory and my dad did so well appearing on camera. Graeme.
@@GraemeWhiting Great to see your Dad on camera. I'm not a Toyota fan particularly but I was mesmerised throughout. Initially I wasn't expecting to see it start but so glad it did and how smoothly it ran. I thought there was a perfect opportunity here for a short drive around the yard. I hope you get it back on the road again soon.
That car is in incredible condition. Brings back great memories. I owned a 1978 1600 coupe in metallic blue with the same interior but in blue, bought at 5 years old with big scabs on both rear wheel arches but boy did I love that car. It was cracking to drive. My Dad always said it was the most comfortable car he’d even ridden in. Fantastic
Wish I could have joined you on this one. Toyota Mechanic from 1986 . I worked on loads of these. Fantastic car.
Still have my first gen 1973 RA21 purchased in 1977. It had 22,000 miles (yes speedo is in MPH). Now has 380,000 miles. In the process of a ground up resto with lead, no bondo and real walnut instead of plastic photograph.
Tear in my eye watching this. My second ever car was an ST version of this in the same colour. Brought back so many memories of a being the proud owner. Loved it… and was especially fond of the electric aerial 😊
Would you own another?
@@TheLateBrakeShow yes in a heartbeat. Had a few Toyotas of that era and they never let me down. Wasn't at all surprised the Celica sounded so smooth when the guys got it started 👍 Thanks again for a great vid.
Cars of this era were SO brown! It's easy to forget but just seeing this was such a shot of pure nostalgia. The multitude of shades of brown inside a car is like a snapshot of the 70s and early 80s that'd be impossible to explain to young people without showing them.
Interesting on the preferred colours of yesteryear when compared to today's car colours which are mainly from the 'German rainbow' colour palette of: white, silver, black or 150 shades of grey - i.e. what I call the monochromatic world of cars that 'we' sadly currently inhabit. I wonder what persons in 30 years time would be thinking of today's 'monochromatic', oversize and frumpy SUVs.
@@georgebettiol8338 People don't generally think about old appliances. I do, but normal people don't.
In the 70's I was a Foreman mechanic for a Toyota dealer and remember those cars so well. If you look at the pliers in the toolkit they are year stamped and I have a set from 77 on my computer desk and a set from 76 in my tool kit. They are indestructible. Great find and a great show.
I was thinking about asking Jonny to come to my place, my car is not old, it does run very well, it just needs washing!
Yeah, Johny a.k.a. Bjorn Borg, is more in his element washing and detailing!
Remember one of the older boys had one of these coupe. He was a mechanic really good with cars and it was really quick remember going for a spin in it I was about 10 and we were doing about 120 down the motorway... Galactic speed in those days
Ah Jonny, you're hitting close to home with this one. My high school buddy had this very same Celica, a 1978 model , different color (it didn't have the two tone vinyl roof), same interior, same wheels, different lower body trim, sunroof everything - but in US spec (I think it had the 2.2 liter 4 cylinder with fuel injection if I remember correctly). It was a very nice car and he lusted for the follow up 6 cylinder Supra that came later. He had an after market Pioneer cassette deck with 4 6x9 speakers, one in each door and two in the back in custom built cabinets and a 200 watt amplifier. He also loved the Sunchaser which was a very rare dealer special order custom model with a removeable targa top roof and folding rear roof. Another great post - I love this!
My tech drawing teacher had an identical Celica when I was af Comprehensive school 1982-86. It was the best car in the teachers car park. Same colour and vinyl roof but it had gold Alleycat cross laced alloys with diamond cuts rims. It was beautiful.
What a gem, and with an 18R-G too! Such rarity.
Lifting the bonnet brought back so many memories for me. My first car was a series 1 TA22 Celica. We only got the ST and LT in Australia and mine was an LT but at some point in its life someone had installed an imported GT twin cam 1.6 litre engine, which was a popular modification at the time. I loved that car and how it drove and was very sad when it had to be moved on for a more practical vehicle.
She's a real unicorn now, isn't she. Nearly perfect condition. Outstanding. That ITB setup sounds delightful even on a primitive old engine like that 18R
Had a '79 Celica coupe as my first wheels and loved that car so much. So much fun to see my nostalgia loved and cared for.
In addition to the unfolding story of each barn find car, the attraction of the series it the nostalgia it evokes in those of us alive when these cars were new.
Fantastic! What a survivor. In 1979 my Dad bought a new Hiace pick up it had similar hub caps and the same tool roll and book pack - great memories!
Damn I loved the 80s. That celica takes me right back. Another cracking BF Jonny. I really love the Barn Finds. More please 😊
What a magnificent looking car, I love how every contour has its own chrome strip. Want one.
It's the history of the car and the stories of custodial care and provenance that bring meaning into these barn finds stories. Thanks, Jonny for yet another adventure into the lesser-known models and re-animating them for us all to see, hear and vicariously experience.
Really appreciate the back stories of these survivor cars. They make all the difference.
@@TheLateBrakeShow After some research, I recently spoke with the son of the original owner of my unrestored 1972 BMW 2002tii. He lives in the family home here in Northern California - about a mile from me. Seems unbelievable, but it’s true.
The sister of a (kind of) girlfriend of mine, who worked for Toyota, had a new coupe of one of these when they first come out. It was so impressive! I had a drive of it, I felt it was very fronty, it took a long time for the front to come around!😀It's wonderful to see this iteration revived!
Remember when I was a self employed sales person in the early 1980s , my manager had one these , ran really well . A genuine 1970s brown this example!
Graeme is a natural. You should take him with you, on the next barn find.
Many people here in the US shared the aversion to Japanese cars as well. My own father didn't care for any imports at all, "Buy American, or get out of my house!" was a problem for me as a young man who cared for twisty roads, instead of straight ones. There was certainly no way I could afford a Corvette as a 16yr old (I had a used 1969 Triumph GT6 Mk.2, but had to hide it at friends' houses). I think I'm actually in the 2nd generation of US citizens who initially embraced J-cars. People here reconsidered their bias after the OPEC "oil crisis" of 1974. First new car I bought as an adult was a 1983 Honda Prelude.
Things have changed here. After years of hearing "Japanese cars will never become collectable.." from older car guys, it has been proven untrue. The fastest growing car show circuit here is called "RADWOOD" (yes, it's a pun on Goodwood) for cars from the '80s & '90s. Many of them are Japanese. Seems like every kid who grew up in the back seat of their mom's Corolla/Civic/Sentra 'gets it'. They're amazing cars. Jonny, have to say though..what amazes me about this one (I love them, my Dad's assistant manager had one) is how clean the bodywork and trim is!! I tell the younger folks getting into the collector car hobby here that even with their brilliant engineering, and their robust initial build quality - they all rust like a 1960s Fiat. Seen prices on original Nissan 240z cars lately? Yeah, half the price of a good one is how much money the seller had to spend on welding it back together. 🤣 Apologies for the length of the post, Jonny..I just like talking about cars.
Wow that exact steering wheel, gear knob, and seats (including the material and rear buckets) were all in my 1980 Toyota Corona. Such a tasteful display of plastic and beige! I sold mine for $500 in 1998. I saw one advertised a few weeks ago for $25,000. To be fair, mine would have rusted away by now even if I had kept it. It sure was slow by today's standards but it was great fun to drive...
Without the airbox it will fast idle due too the manifold vacuum being open:) awesome video thanks
In 1988 I purchased a 1979 Celica Supra. 2.6 li fuel injected straight six with a 5 speed manual gearbox. Loved that car.
I had a twenty fifth anniversary model. Bought it when it was four years old, back in 2001 and finally had to scrap it in 2022. Absolutely fantastic car to drive and I certainly did drive it. It had done 37K when I bought it and by the time I parted with it, it had aver 220K on the clock. I didn't really want to get rid of it, but the chassis was in a bad way and would ultimately, have been condemned, so it had to go. Still miss it.
Another banger! I love cars from this era up to the early 90s. Thanks Jonny and team!
My Dad’s boss had one of these back in the day. The liftback in a light Metallic blue I was mesmerised by it. My first car ended up being a Toyota.
Very much enjoying the barn find episodes - if you could do re-visits to those barn finds that has come fully back to life and do test drives of them, that would be awesome!
My brother in law had one of these in the early 80s, replacing a Corolla. It was beige. I much preferred his rectangular headlights to the double round ones. The car looks a lot nicer from the front with those lights. I have very fond memories of going to play snooker with him. A lovely, sumptuous, ride and all the dashboard lit up in green when the lights were on. It seemed very classy at the time. He subsequently had the last generation Celica, which I didn't like nearly as much, as it veered more towards being a purist's sports car. He had a young family of 3 by then. It was completely impractical when they all needed to visit!
These are such wonderful vehicles. I worked at a Toyota dealer in Tooting in the early eighties. It was my first full time job. I took my apprenticeship working on Toyotas, and I so remember working on these. I went to the Toyota training centre both in Croydon, and the main HQ in Cirencester to learn the ins, and outs of these, and several other models. Toyotas of that era do hold such a great place in my heart. I really enjoy seeing them on the road. There was never a 1.4 litre though with these. It was purely a 1.6 litre, and of course the 2000 cc. We always had a team come in to fit the sunroofs, and a company to do vinyl roofs too. We would fit tow bars at times, but also had a company do them too. We also put the fog lights in too. A full size spare wheel & tyre too back in those days, so it will be the alloy wheel that you see fitted to the car. Wonderful video. 👍
Amazing watch again, what a car! Another great bunch of people and you allow them to really tell us the stories of why the car means so much to them! You have a brilliant way with people!
@@jackthompson8006 Jonny is very relaxed in front of, and behind the camera and really brought out the story well. My uncle would have been proud to see his car featured. Graeme.
I love this series, takes me back to my childhood and first cars, such a carefree happy time.
Just like always the random punter is working with Jonny like an old friend within minutes
Aloha Jonny , another great story with the reward of seeing a loved car brought back to life. I hope you filmed the Daimler Dart for a future episode/follow up . I am a Big Daimler fan & have a 4.5 Daimler Hemi in my 1932 Ford Roadster here in Hawaii ( I am an Ex Pat ). Cheers from Kona Hawaii.
You have a Daimler Hemi in a hot rod and live in Hawaii? We aren't jealous at all Steve...
Awesome Episode!! Love that Celica, so 70's. The interior ,Dash and Paint were amazing . Great works from the Uncle, may he rest in Peace. One of my favourite episodes yet.
Cracker of a film this week, Jonny. Don’t think you could get more late ‘70’s if you tried!
That half vinyl roof with aluminium cummerbund.
@@TheLateBrakeShow it’s the 50 shades of beige that got me!
@@TheLateBrakeShow at last we have a name for that strip across the roof, a cumberband 😂
Jesus, you get a real time machine effect with this car! I was not even born when this machine rolled out the factory but it must be an amazing experience to drive it now! Amazing find and props to Graeme who looks like he knows at least as much about old cars as Jonny does. Just blown away by the whole thing, really. I hope this car gets a few more drives under its belt!
Uncle Ken taught Graeme well . All that time pottering with him mending strimmer's etc. It was very good of him to let us share in its resurrection and not to just do it on his own which I'm sure he would have had no problem doing . Very much enjoyed the whole video , thank you .
I’m 55. I learnt to drive in that car here in Australia back in the day. It was my mums shopping trolley. Five speed stick. Loved the Celica Liftback. Hers was a 77. I think it still had the round headlights. The 79 was facelifted to rectangular.
Great vid as usual Johnny, my stepfather had several slightly later gen. celicas all from new then onto new Supras most years there after… 2.8’s, 3.0 etc…. at the same time my mum had Corolla GT front wheel drive then onto a raft of MR2’s… all from new…… you. could say they liked their Toyotas..! lol….. keep feeding us this great channel…. 👍🍺
When you opened the bonnet , I had flashbacks to my 1980 Alfa Romeo Gillette with the famed twin overhead cam engine.. great video and good to see an owner that kept you on your toes. Lol
😂 Graeme (owner) 😂
I started my first job in a Toyota dealers the month this car was registered!
One of the best engines made back then, actually Yamaha cast the blocks, they did lots of development work together. My favourite car is the one before this, the RA28 with the 18-RG twincam like this....superb cars, I just knew it would easily come back to life! 😍
That's awesome I remember one like it as a 13year old up road from us old guy had it was mint I remember it going up for sale 😢that was around 1997
Another brilliant episode. What's a brown beauty that is glad the dad got to see it as well. Hopefully we get follow-ups on these when it's all completely restored And Jonny can stare at the aerial😂
I think that’s a great plan 😂 Graeme.
Brilliant Jonny wow just amazing how well preserved that is after all those years in Garage 👍🏽👍🏽😀
Awesome video!!! I couldn’t believe when I was watching this how much the surroundings was looking so familiar!! I then realised after seeing the photos that I bought all my fishing bits and my dad bought nails and bits and bobs when that was a Hardware shop!! Im a dedicated car enthusiast from Methwold 😃😃😃😃👍👍👍
Hi Darren, small world hey! I used to do all the buying of fishing tackle for mum and dad. Glad you liked the vid. Graeme.
@@GraemeWhiting awesome mate!! Maybe we can see one another at some car shows at some point! Great Celica mate 👍👍😃😃😃😃
I had one in the early 90s I always remember the 5 gear was more for extra speed than motorway cruising loved that car wish I had it today
What a brilliant Barn find this was!
Posh Barn! no cobwebs!
Time capsule of a beautiful car!
The enthusiasm of the owners was magnetic and the banter was lovely!
@@tlinford Thank you. This was filmed at my dad’s place. He’s 87, can no longer drive due to his poor eyesight, but keeps everything immaculate! Graeme.
This is a car really close to my heart, I own a 1st gen Celica liftback from '77. Currently brakes aren't working but got the parts to get it going.
Loved this. I had 2 of them 30 years ago. Long legged extremely smooth cruising cars. Prone to blowing head gaskets if you dropped the clutch. Rather than repair it, I discovered it was the same price to engine swap it with a later model, low km 2.8 supra engine. Shocked when it was engine swapped and delivered back to me in one day.
What a well kept motor. Takes me right back
My mum had the very same car back in the day. On that side of things, it was in that classic early 80's green. The biggest trigger i had over this episode was the dash and the manual. I think a no named mountain bike rider crashed into it once. Thanks Johnny!
Perfect shades of Brown and Tan. Beautiful car. Hope he enjoys it in good health. Take Dad for a ride.
Yes this model wasn't the most popular Celica however in Australia Japanese cars were all the rage in the late 70s and the 80s. The hatch was more popular than the fixed head coupe because it offered greater versatility. I love this one has the hello.spot lights too, as they were the best lighting one could get 44 Years ago! Well done. Get it back on the road.
Glad to see someone that knows their way around an engine, and l’m not talking about Johnny!
Ah, memories! Back in the early 90's in NZ, I had a JDM 1981 gen-2 notchback GT RA45 (18R-GEU + W50), red (391) paint and black-grey interior -- the car I regret selling the most.
Also had a JDM 1980 MA45 Celica XX (1st gen Supra), and a JDM gen-3 1981 TA63 (3T-EU) notchback, and built a Vauxhall Chevette with 18R-GR + W50 power and HS bodykit. And many other 80's JDM Toyotas (Crowns, Chasers, Starlets etc).
The Late Brake Show is always brilliant.
Great video Jonny,!! fun fact is that Björn Borg grew up very close to the Scania factory in Södertälje🎾🚛
Something being a fact doesn't make it fun.
I was looking forward to this from the time I saw the thumbnail - these TA40 Celicas seem to be rare all over the world, but I have liked them from the time they first came out when I was a child, and of course this car was the basis for the original Supra. It has been very well kept and looks practically factory fresh after all these years.
Love the shape design. So clean inside and love the dashboard. Beats modern AI designs imo. Amazing condition considering. Thanks for sharing 🐈👍
I owned a Celica of that vintage - HNB 86V. Loved it. Bought second hand with about 20,000 miles on it, ran it to over 100,000 miles and i never got tired of driving it.
Beautiful car. I love brown cars, and I love 70's and 80's Japanese cars! Thanks for sharing!
As an ex-owner of a Porsche 924, there's so much of this car that compares with it; engine size, big glass back on a coupe shape, plush interior, even the design of the wheels is very similar, and the design is from almost the same date too.
My neighbor had one only sold it 3 yrs ago. You would love his garage he has about 20 cars. delorean, camaro, audi 100, mk 2 escort van
I´ve had one of these which I fully restored. It´s a great car, loved the motor. Still have a full set of seats and a lock set laying around somewhere. It was super rare here in Denmark as well. They came as 1.6 in various trims (2T single cam/carb with 75 hp, 2T-B single cam / dual carb with 86 hp and 2T-G with dual overhead cams and dual Mikini-Solex with 108 hp) and as 2.0 (18R single cam / single carb and 89 hp and 18R-G with dual overhead cams and dual Mikuni-Solex and 118 hp). Trim levels were LT, ST, XT and GT. The high idle you´re seeing would be the big valve on the valve cover either not getting power or being stuck.
Fantastic. Hope the owner restores it
Ah, I realy do miss those. I think the fate of so many had to do with them remaining so practical when cars were starting to get rather faster and all, so they would filter through the used market till they were finally done by rust or use. (And those of us who loved em tended to prefer the older body style.)
What an excellent looking car that is - thanks as always for bringing the video to us and the owner for sharing, RIP uncle Ken!
Stunning! My friend had one of these as his first car in 1984. It was a 1978 liftback in lime green! Seeing the dash and interior brought back memories.
I had the pleasure of meeting this chap though a love of motorbikes. Can't think of a better bloke to own such a car
@@chrisfletcher4243 haha, cheers Chris, too many cars and motorbikes to keep up with at the moment! Graeme.
@@GraemeWhiting Hope to see you at the Malle Mile pal :)
@@chrisfletcher4243 100%… I’ve entered the classic/custom build challenge too
It’s funny but when it was new I wouldn’t have had one but now I think it has a great deal of appeal and charm and the condition is truly incredible and a testament to the late owners care 🏴👍🏻
A dragon boat? It's a swan. That's why the advert for the car showed a flying swan.
Lovely looking car. Very similar to an Interceptor at the rear. Another great barn find keep them coming.
As a toyota hybrid driver and a big toyota fan, Love it. Hello From Australia!
Thank you Johnny
I’ve not seen one of these for decades. Glad to see that it’s still in great condition. Another great video.
I've watched many of your episodes, loved this one. Had one of these as my second or third car back in the late 80s. Same car year, same colour, just without that special roof! Drove it a few years before it rotted away - which is testament as to how well this one has been looked after.
This car is an amazing time capsule. It's even in one of the correct 70s colour!
Yes @thelatebrakeshow Johnny back to barn finds. Bloody love these. It's a fantasy for most petrol heads to find old motors.
Amount of time I have passed old garages and farms and notice something and start to dream about some person who does not know about the gem they have and buying off them and then that first clean.
I had a KP60 starlet of the same year. My first car! I can smell it again, the interior plastics were the same colours. And that Bright green owners manual? Pure nostalgia.
Good to see the fleece is back.
still need it in WET JULY FFS! lol
My second new car of my life was a 1979 black on black Celica GT. The only car I literally bought off the showroom floor. Sporty, pretty quick, and that Toyota build quality. Great car. Thanks, Jonny, for the trip down memory lane!
Thanks for the memory. I wonder if your Celica is still around?
@@TheLateBrakeShow Possibly. I sold it in 1983 to finance a trip to Belize. It was mint at time of sale, and I was able to recoup a substantial portion of my original investment. So all round great memories!
That’s a lovely car in remarkable condition 👍
Big Celica fan here. I've had 2 gen 1's and a 1980 gen 2 liftback in black same as this one in 1986.
I’ve never seen brown smoke before. Incredible that it started first time.
Rust from condensation
I remember buying one of these at British Car Auctions Enfield in the late 80s..£250 and after tidying it up sold it for £400. I was about 23 and spent the profit on booze and partying.. HowI'd love one now!