Repeat Offender: 1973 Toyota Celica With Honda F20C Inline-4
This 1973 Toyota Celica with Honda S2000 engine/transmission is back for sale (now covered in purple wrap) here on eBay
bidding at $13,500 with a few hours to go.
Original feature from Nov 27, 2013:
If you want to spend your own hard earned cash to build the custom magazine car of your dreams – great, get to it…and when you are done, let us know, we’ll post it for 50 cents on the dollar. The truth is, there is no way to recuperate your costs when building a magazine car, unless you get a bunch of free stuff – so the best way to get your hands on a modified street/strip/show/centerfold machine is to buy a used one. There’s no better money spent on a car than the previous guy’s. Find this 1973 Toyota Celica With Honda F20C Inline-4 for sale in San Jose, CA for $16,999 (or $18,299 with fancy wheels) via craigslist.
The first generation (A20) Toyota Celica was built from 1970-1977 and in North America was powered by a version of the Toyota R engine that put out 96 horsepower. That is weak sauce and completely blown out of the water by today’s Honda F20C powered bronze custom.
Pop the hood and -whoa – I’m blind!! Hiding under all that chrome, bling and OCDetailed parts is a 2.0 liter inline-4 that puts out 240 horsepower at 8900 rpm when stock, but now equipped with aftermarket ITBs, headers, tuning, it probably makes 235 hp.
A quick peek inside reveals the snick-snick smooth shift lever of the 6-spd gearbox that came from the S2k. The interior has a motorsports theme to it and the Recaros do look comfy, but 5-pt harnesses are really annoying in a street car. Basic things like turning the ignition, reaching for the glove box for your license and registration (that’ll happen a lot in this car) become an exercise in futility. Also, roll cages in street cars – super unsafe unless you wear a helmet for daily driving…or your head is cool with hard impacts on DOM tubing.
See a cooler bronzed goddess? email us here: tips@dailyturismo.com
So if is now equipped with aftermarket ITBs, headers, tuning, you can expect to LOSE 5 hp?
SoCalDave
In a nutshell, yes. It's exceedingly difficult to do a better job with engine design & calibration than Honda's engineers did with their huge amount of talent and resources. They are pretty much the best at what they do.
That was intentional. The F20C is highly advanced. Honda didn't leave much locked up in terms of airflow. Stick an Ebay intake on it, and it will definitely lose power.
How far is too far? I really like these cars, having had one in high school. The Honda drivetrain looks real nifty too at least on paper. This would be a good match, and aside from the color it looks really cool together. On the other hand, how much of the character of the original has been lost? For the money would it be better, albeit more boring, to get an S2000?
couldn'ta said it better…
For a car that is done up like this thing is, the copy is surprisingly brief.
That's a 4 point harness, not a 5. 4 pointers make up for being less comfortable than a regular 3 point by being less safe as well. You've got 90% of the inconvenience of a 5 point, and none of the safety. I've crashed wearing a 5 point, it's pretty alright assuming you don't fly into the anti-sub belt. That's why most people opt for a 6 point. I've got a 4 point in my MG, it suuuuucks. I've got a 5 point in the trunk, waiting to go in once I redo the wiring harness, fuel tank, roll structure, seats… This list is getting too long.
Anyway, that Toyota, I'm not sure what to think. I really like that somebody had the skill and drive to put that together, but I don't see much utility beyond driving it real slow in carshow parking lots. I guess you could say the same about my MG, but it's nowhere near this pretty, so (when it actually runs) I flog it like a rented mule.
I wonder if this would make a decent drift car?
Purple people eater