One to Buy: ex-works 1979 Toyota Celica 2000 GT Group 2
Toyota first started to compete in top flight rallying during the early 1970s when the firm began a long-term association with Swedish driver, Ove Andersson.
In 1975, Andersson’s rallying operation was rebranded Toyota Team Europe (TTE) and moved to Brussels. Three years later, TTE moved for the second time, on this occasion to Cologne.
For much of the late 1970s and early 1980s, TTE chose to compete with the second generation Celica which quickly acquired a reputation for toughness and reliability.
Very rarely do authentic examples of these cars come up for sale which makes this 1979 Group 2 RA40 Celica GT2000 on offer at Thiesen’s showroom in Hamburg, Germany, a particularly interesting proposition.
Having initially been reserved for use as a training car, it was pressed into action for the opening World Championship round of 1980: the Monte Carlo Rally. Held in snowy conditions between January 19th and 25th, German champion Achim Warmbold and Piero Sodano failed to finish owing to mechanical trouble.
The Celica next appeared towards the end of the year; Marianne Fourton and Oda Dencker Andersen were entered for the Himalayan Rally which took place from October 18th to 23rd on a mix of gravel and tarmac roads between Mumbai and Narkanda.
Sensationally, the all-female crew finished second overall and first in the Group 2 class.
Today this exciting but practical ex-works car is offered in highly authentic condition and would make a cost-effective mount for all manner of historic events.
Reprinted below is Thiesen’s description for this wonderful piece of Toyota motor sport history:
Excellent original
Ex Toyota Team Europe
Rally Monte Carlo, Himalaya Rally and others
Unique opportunity
The works rally car offered here was manufactured in 1979 in cooperation between the Toyota Europe team and “Andersson Motorsport” (now Toyota GAZOO Racing Europe), which was previously based in Sweden. The vehicle was probably the first rally car built by Toyota in Germany. The Celica 2000 GT achieved many national and international successes for Toyota.
The works rally car was owned by “Toyota Europe Team”, which used it at the beginning as a training car under the direction of rally legend and multiple German champion “Achim Warmbold”. The Celica then made its first factory entries in 1980 at the “Rally Monte Carlo” (Warmbold) and in October 1980 at the “1st Himalaya Rally”, where Marianne Höpfner and Oda Dencker-Andersen took second place. The Himalaya Rally is still a milestone in racing today due to its extreme dimensions of political issues. Over 27 years later, the car has been restored while retaining its originality and attention to detail. Offered here, therefore, is a fully-fledged rally car with a unique history.
Equipment:
Sports steering wheel, 100l safety tank, matt roll cage, wing extensions, sports exhaust system, Bilstein sports suspension, spacers (front 20mm and rear 25mm), 13 inch alloy wheels, and much more.
Engine:
2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder engine with 16-valve cylinder head and twin overhead camshafts. Approx. 230 hp, 5-speed manual gearbox, limited slip differential, 160-210 km/h, depending on gear ratio (according to factory data).
Price: €93,500
