Malaysia’s First-Gen Toyota Celica Receives a Weird and Awesome Restomod

It has some quirks, but it is overall very cool.

The first-generation Toyota Celica was introduced in 1970. It was designed to be an affordable, more agile and more economical alternative to the Ford Mustang. The Japanese sports coupe was more modern in appearance, had more powerful engines, and had more advanced suspension. The original Celica, codenamed TA22 was available in three trim levels in the United States – LT ST and GT.

The Toyota Celica’s first deliveries to the US were made in 1971 with a 1.9-liter engine. Later, a 2.0-liter unit was added for the 1972-1974 model year. A new, more powerful 2.2-liter engine was made available with a five-speed manual transmission in 1975. A four-speed automatic transmission was introduced in the country starting in 1973.

Malaysia's First-Gen Toyota Celica Receives a Weird and Awesome Restomod

We’re going to give you a brief introduction to the Celica TA22. It’s from Malaysia, and it comes from Carzone Internal. The video at the top begins with a quick walkaround of the car that was used as the base for this project. The car is an orange Celica with minor damage to its exterior and missing parts. It also needs a complete overhaul.

The tuning experts did something that was difficult to describe in just two or three words. You’ll have to watch the video to see the results. We will give our opinion on the exterior, but there are many nice details. The custom hood, the stylish rear spoiler and the wider wheel arches are just a few examples. We are not fans of the illuminated radiator grille.

Although the exterior might not be for everyone, we must admit that the cabin is stunning. The interior of the Celica has been completely transformed by fine orange leather and bucket seats. However, the engine start-stop button as well as the aluminum pedal covers seem a little out of place.