Spotted: a Toyota Celica Convertible

In the beginning: two variants

The first generation Toyota Celica was introduced in 1970 and at the time was only available as a two-door coupe. Possibly you could also call it a sedan, since the rear window does not hinge up with it. That was the case with the Liftback, which was added to the lineup in 1973 and was remarkably inspired by the earlier Ford Mustang.

The first Toyota Celica convertible

The second-generation Celica (1977-1981) was also available as a “notchback” with flat tailgate and as a Liftback with higher roofline and upward-hinged rear window. With this model, it is precisely that Liftback that is most familiar to us. There was a convertible version for the first time in 1979, but not from Toyota itself. American Griffith rebuilt specimens. Toyota did give approval to this project and in some countries this convertible version was officially delivered through Toyota dealers.

Third, fourth and fifth generation Toyota Celica

Starting with the third generation (1981-1985), Toyota also supplied its own convertible version. With that, the Toyota Celica came in three flavors: the standard “notchback,” the Liftback and the Convertible. It was no different for the fourth and fifth generation Celica (1985-1989 and 1989-1993). Even in these model generations, it was the Liftback that found the most buyers and, as a result, is now the most well-known body variant.

Sixth-generation Toyota Celica

For the sixth-generation Toyota Celica (1993-1999), basically the same story applies again. The only difference is that the coupe was no longer delivered in Europe, so the Liftback no longer received an official addition to its name to denote that body style. Yet another reason that, with this model generation, we’ve mainly included that liftback version in our collective memory.

The spotted specimen

At a garage in Amsterdam, we saw this 1995 Toyota Celica 2.2i GT Convertible, which has been in the Netherlands since 2010. The Convertible of this generation was also officially delivered in our country, but we don’t recall ever seeing it much. That while the coupe was quite successful for the type of car. Indeed, you still see those driving every now and then.

The last Toyota Celica: only available as a liftback

Because the liftback was by far the most popular body style in all markets, Toyota chose to offer the Celica only as a liftback for the seventh generation (1999-2006). That decision did not stand in the way of success: the seventh Celica sold better as a liftback than all body styles of its predecessor combined. Sales did decline sharply in the last years of production. Very strong even. This was not so much specifically due to the Celica, but to the collapse of the market for small sports coupes in general. Consequently, the seventh-generation Toyota Celica would prove to be the last.