At $19,950, Could This 1977 Toyota Celica Liftback Give You a Lift?

While the 1970s might not have been a great era for cars, it was a great era for car window louvers. Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Celica is for all you louver lovers out there. Let’s find out if the price on this dealer-offered coupe means it’s got it made in the shade.

Racing Tech | How Formula E’s New Front Powertrain Extends Battery Life on its Race Cars

When it comes to internal combustion automotive engines, it seems that even counts of cylinders generally rule the day. There have been the odd number of odd-numbered cylinder count engines over the years. The 1903 Curved Dash Oldsmobile was powered by a single while a number of carmakers have found triples to be the ticket. It seems that for odd cylinder counts, five is as high as most manufacturers are willing to go. To get any more you need to delve into the world of marine or aviation engines where things like seven and nine-cylinder engines roam free.

The 1995 Audi S6 Avant we looked at yesterday had a five-cylinder under its hood. That was a common thing for Audis of the time, even leading to an advertising campaign that sagely averred that “four is too few and six is too many.” Yeah, whatever. That laissez-faire attitude was also obvious in the reaction you all had to the Audi’s $14,995 asking price. With numerous imperfections in the body, mechanicals, and interior, that was just too big a pill to swallow for most, with the result being an overwhelming 93 percent No Dice loss.

Today’s 1977 Toyota Celica GT Liftback is even more expensive than yesterday’s Audi, but to counter that, it’s in far better shape. And, it has louvers. If you’re like me — and I know that you are — then you totally dig back window louvers on ’70s cars.

Toyota introduced the Celica to the American market in 1971 as the company’s answer to Ford’s wildly popular Mustang pony car. Like Ford’s own European-developed Capri, the Celica took that pony car form factor and shrinky-dinked it down a class size.

Following up that initial notchback coupe, Toyota went fully Single White Female on the Mustang, introducing the Celica Liftback that is a near clone of the ’68 Mustang, right down to the sail panel louvers and Kammback kick.

What is it they say about imitation being the sincerest form of flattery? These days, Ford would likely sue Toyota over Intellectual Property rights infringement for such a design.

This Liftback wears handsome burgundy paint which, based on the underhood shots, appears to be a respray. While we’re beneath that bonnet, let’s ogle all the aftermarket chrome that has been applied to the 2.2-liter 20R SOHC four and its ancillaries. That’s pretty fancy looking, but more importantly, it’s all seemingly clean and tidy.

The Celica’s four managed 96 horsepower from the factory, a decent amount for the time, especially with the standard five-speed manual transmission. This car sports the optional three-speed automatic with floor shift so it might be more of a cruiser than a bruiser.

The cabin surrounding that shifter looks to be in pretty decent shape too. The front seats have been reupholstered in non-stock material, but the back seat looks to be all original. According to the ad, the gauges at the bottom of the center stack are not functioning, nor is the — get this — CB radio. Other interior issues include some obvious wear on the steering wheel rim and the shift knob. The carpets, dash, and door cards all look to be in fine condition, though.

On the exterior, only some faded window trim paint and a wonky rear bumper end cap detract from the overall appeal. Those are overshadowed, though, by the aforementioned rear hatch louvers and a deep and period-correct front air dam. As the seller notes, this would make for a primo Cars and Coffee participant.

For the technical side of things, there are a mere 57,210 miles on the clock, and the ad boasts that the car runs great and is a solid citizen. A clean title comes along for the ride as does a $19,950 asking price. Let’s all now get down to the business of judging this car and that price.