- This article is about the real rally car that first appeared in Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec. For the fictional car featured in Gran Turismo 2, see Toyota Celica Rally Car (ST205).
The Toyota CELICA GT-FOUR Rally Car (ST205) '95 is a 1995 WRC rally car produced by Toyota. It first appeared in Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec and has been featured in all subsequent mainline games except Gran Turismo Sport. In Gran Turismo 7 the car was included as part of Update 1.27.
The car from Gran Turismo 4 to 6 appears to be the #1 driven by Didier Auriol, who was disqualified from the 1995 WRC season. The car in Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec and Gran Turismo 7 appears to be Juha Kankkunen's car from the same season, although without driver names in the former and without a race number in the latter.
In-game description[]
"The rally machine that left an impression on many fans, though it only competed for a short time."
The Celica ST205 had big shoes to fill. After its predecessor, the ST185, handed Toyota a "double title" (winning both Driver's and Manufacturer's Championship the same year) in 1993, Toyota introduced this new Celica. On paper, the ST205 was markedly better than the old. It had better weight distribution, thanks to a longer wheelbase and wider track, and improved aerodynamics.
The Celica was scheduled to run in 1994, but it ended up making its WRC debut in 1995. In its first few races, the Celica battled with the newly improved Subaru Impreza for the points lead, and Didier Auriol brought home the first win in the 4th round at the Tour de Corse. But for most of the season, the Celica experienced recurring suspension problems, making it difficult for TTE to consistently finish in the points. In the 7th round at Catalonia, the Celica was found to be in violation of the intake restrictor diameter regulation and was stripped of all points for the season. Toyota, angered at this decision, pulled out of the WRC, thus ending the ST205's racing career after just one season.[1]
Although it was only active for a short time, the ST205 proved itself to be a mighty force in the WRC, winning over many fans. When discussing Toyota's rally heritage, the ST205 is one car that must be mentioned.
Legend Cars (GT7)[]
The Celica is one of Toyota's most popular two-door coupés but it is also known for its long career in rallying, particularly when Group A cars became the main the competitors in the 1987 World Rally Championship. Toyota introduced the GT-Four which was basically a rally-prepared model of the base production Celica. The GT-Four model was available across three generation, with works cars and those with most race history the most valuable. This particular Group A rally machine is a 3rd generation GT-Four developed from the ST205 Celica. As was essential in the golden years of Group A,[2] it's four-wheel-drive and is fitted with a turbo anti-lag system. The Toyota works team began competing with this car for the 1995 season of the WRC; however, in the penultimate round, the car was found to have illegal turbo restrictors. The resulting penalties stripped the drivers of points and the works team was banned from the WRC for one year. You could say it's a car with history. For rally fans, the combination of the classic Castrol livery and the aggressive design makes this an all-time Group A classic.
Acquisition[]
| Game | Purchase location | Credits | Other methods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec | --- | --- | Win the Tahiti Challenge of Rally |
| Gran Turismo 4 | --- | --- | Win the Swiss Alps Rally on Medium difficulty |
| Gran Turismo HD Concept | --- | --- | Beat 1:33.000 in Time Trial with a Nissan SKYLINE GT-R V • spec II (R32) '94 |
| Gran Turismo PSP | Toyota Dealership | 750,000 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 5 | Toyota Dealership (Lv. 11+) | 350,000 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 6 | Toyota Dealership | 350,000 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 7 (  v1.27+) |
Legend Cars | 250,000[3] | --- |
Trivia[]
- This car is the only rally car from GT4 to be featured in GT5 with a detailed interior.
- As with the car's description, the loophole on the turbocharger gave it an illegal advantage when the Rally Catalunya event came about, therefore stripping the drivers off of all points in the overall championship standings, and banning Toyota as a factory team the year after (the car was entered by privateer and regional Toyota teams, though), until their return in 1997 with the Toyota COROLLA Rally Car '97.
- While the description text contains a historical revisionism that implied Toyota pulled out instead of being punished by FIA, the revisionism is absent on the description in GT7's Legend Car Dealership, and discusses more on the truth behind it.
- In GT7's GT Auto, fog lights used for night stages can be installed.
- It is unusually placed in the Gr.B category (which aligns with actual Group B rally cars and rallycross supercars), despite the car's design and structure being under Group A regulations.
- A possible Gr.A category was teased back in GT Sport during a Daily Race event back in 2018, but never materialized into anything, and was replaced with Gr.4 cars.[4]
- It is possible to bring the Celica up to the performance level of the other Gr.B cars by installing a Low-RPM Turbocharger, a performance part not available on the other vehicles categorized as Gr.B, except for the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Evolution 2 '86.
Pictures[]
_%2795_(GT3,_rear).png "Toyota Celica GT-Four Rally Car (ST205) '95 (GT3, rear).png (245 KB)")
_%2795_(Back).jpg "Toyota CELICA GT-FOUR (ST205) '95 (Back).jpg (234 KB)")
_%2795_(Premium,_Back).jpg "Toyota CELICA GT-FOUR (ST205) '95 (Premium, Back).jpg (139 KB)")
_%2795_(GT7,_rear).jpg "Toyota Celica GT-FOUR Rally Car (ST205) '95 (GT7, rear).jpg (718 KB)")
Notes[]
- ↑ This paragraph is incorrect; Toyota Team Europe was actually banned from 1996 WRC Manufacturer's Championship by the FIA as part of the 12-month suspension
- ↑ Miswritten as "Groupe A"
- ↑ Price as of March 2024.
- ↑ Did Polyphony Digital Just Accidentally Reveal a New Car Class for GT Sport? - GTPlanet