Description
1981 Toyota Celica GT2000 DOHC (RA45) – Rare Twin-Cam RWD Celica | Northern Ireland Registered
A rare opportunity to acquire a genuine 1981 Toyota Celica GT2000 DOHC, one of the more elusive and enthusiast-focused variants of Toyota’s second-generation Celica range.
For those familiar with these cars, this is not the ordinary Celica. The GT2000 DOHC sits apart from the more commonly seen LT and single-cam models, fitted with Toyota’s sought-after 18R-G 2. 0-litre twin-cam engine — the high-spec, performance-oriented drivetrain developed during Toyota’s golden era of rear-wheel-drive engineering.
Increasingly difficult to find in surviving condition, the GT2000 DOHC occupies a niche within a niche: a late second-generation Celica, rear-wheel drive, twin-cam, liftback, and from the final years of production before the model evolved into a very different proposition.
The car presents as a solid, honest example and is now registered in Northern Ireland. The underside presents well, and overall the car offers an increasingly rare opportunity to acquire a usable and highly distinctive early Japanese performance classic.
The second-generation Celica carries genuine motorsport pedigree. This era helped establish Toyota’s international rally reputation through the works Celicas associated with Björn Waldegård, while period Celica liftbacks were also campaigned in British motorsport by the Brundle family team, with a young Martin Brundle at the wheel before Formula 1.
While this is very much a road car, the connection to Toyota’s competition history gives the model genuine period significance.
Values and collector interest in analogue Japanese cars of the 1970s and early 1980s continue to strengthen, particularly for higher-specification, low-production variants.
The GT2000 DOHC is very much a car for the informed enthusiast — the sort of model that those familiar with classic Toyotas will immediately recognise and appreciate.
A rare chance to acquire an increasingly scarce rear-wheel-drive twin-cam Celica from Toyota’s most characterful era.
