Parked 40 Years: 1981 Toyota Celica
Alaska isn’t a place known to be nice to cars…particularly Japanese classics that were sold from the factory with paper thin sheet metal and minimalist undercoating..but this next car somehow survived the years due to an early head gasket failure and a good storage space for the past 40 years. It’ll need some TLC before it gets back on the road, but I’m thinking that the mechanical work will be way cheaper than the example that needs a complete de-rustification but runs. Find this 1981 Toyota Celica offered for $1500 in Wasilla, AK via craigslist. Tip from Zach Z.
From the seller:
1981 toyota celica
fuel: gas
title status: clean
transmission: manual
1981 toyota celica. 22r w55 5sp 1st yr for both and last yr of 40 series. 92k mi. Stored in 92 after head gasket failure, unfortunately the 25+yr sit stuck a piston in the hole. Engine removed and will be good after light rebuild. 83 gts celica 22re w/124k installed while I have orig# matching block prepped- for a #matching 22re swapped 2nd gen celica. A very specific parts list makes this a plug in zero footprint converion. Can stay stock if you’d like. Amazing shape. Clean. 52one-forty 28.
See a better way to start driving a cheap Japanese classic? tips@dailyturismo.com
I was born in 1981. I am not 40 years old.
So the car isn't even old enough to have been parked for 40 years.
Anyway, from the advert: Car was parked in 1992.
Yikes. I totally borked the title of this post, not sure where I came up with the idea of 40 years parked…but that is indeed what I wrote late at night the other day.
Parked 4.543 billion years as iron ore, driven a small fraction of that and parked some more.
Must've been the 40 year old Glenlivet you were drinking that was doing the typing.
Mmmm…whiskey (or whisky as the case may be). I toured the Jack Daniels distillery in Lynchburg a few weeks ago…Disneyland for adults!
His 40 yeas was obviously an AACE Class 5 estimate – so range of accuracy +50 / -20% range.
True story….70% of the population can perform basic math tasks well, and the other half can't.
And you're proud to be a part of the other 40%, huh? 😉
Looks so cool
imgrum