MK1 Celica Restomod with 1UZ-FE Swap

Appealing to Americans

Back in the 1970s, the strategy that Japanese manufacturers chose in order to appeal to the American public was to follow the styling cues of popular Detroit products. And the '70s Celica is a prime example of that. With a design that takes a lot of inspiration from the legendary Mustang, the Toyota coupe served as somewhat of a miniature muscle car.

Tiny Muscle Car

And the strategy was largely successful, giving Toyota a nice share of the market at the time. But the main deterring factor for US buyers, other than the differences in overall dimensions, was the size of the motors. While we take pride in our love for the V8, the little Celicas were only offered with 4-cylinder mills.

>>Join the conversation about this 1UZ swapped OG Celica right here in the ClubLexus forum.

V8 in a Celica

But this build tackles that exact issue. Having found the Celica shell, Mike Gesselle of Illinois purchased it for a mere $1,000. And he proceeded to embark on a multi-year journey to fit this little coupe with a V8 motor, fulfilling its American dream! And the need for reliable power leads him to the brand-appropriate choice of a 1UZ-FE from a 1997 Lexus SC400. 

>>Join the conversation about this 1UZ swapped OG Celica right here in the ClubLexus forum.

Lightweight Drag Monster

It took him a couple of years to squeeze the motor into the chassis and get it running. And another year or so was spent on getting the car to look good enough for shows. And with the help of a supercharger, the little beast was capable of enough power to give most modern muscle cars trouble at the drag strip. After about 9,000 miles of fun, Gesselle decided to part ways with the Celica. And the car found its way to the UK.

>>Join the conversation about this 1UZ swapped OG Celica right here in the ClubLexus forum.

UK Adventures

Unfortunately, fixing the car back up proved to be too much of a project for the British buyer. He ended up listing it for sale, where it lived on the internet for a period of time before Trevor Cowell of TJ Motors laid eyes on it. The owner at the time had brought the car to the shop for some work. And the more Cowell looked at Gesselle's handy work, the more he was impressed. So he ended up buying the Celica as a project for himself.

>>Join the conversation about this 1UZ swapped OG Celica right here in the ClubLexus forum.

Super Sleeper

The expert modder went to work, giving the Celica a second incarnation. Much of the original build was kept, but a ton of improvements were made to the car. The engine was replaced by a unit from a 1994 SC400. A new turbo system went in as well, and the unit is now capable of 500 horsepower, and good for 750 if needed, according to Cowell. 

The reins for the car's Facebook page were handed over to Cowell by the original builder, Mike Gesselle. And the two are frequently in touch to this day.

>>Join the conversation about this 1UZ swapped OG Celica right here in the ClubLexus forum.

For help with your maintenance and repair projects, please visit our how-to section in the forum.