1994 Toyota Celica ST185

Duncan McMath, formerly of Toyota GB & Toyota Motor Europe, has confirmed that the Celica was a recce car for the WRC team and last used during Rally Finland by Kankunnen & Grist. The car will be serviced post sale at the vendor's expense.

The car in question here is a well known Celica ST185 which was built by TTE Germany in 1994 originally as 'Group N' car to be sent to the UK. It was professionally run by UK teams and driven by a few well known drivers including the late Will Hoy at the 1994 Network Q RAC Rally, Mark Lovell and former British rally champion, Jonny Milner. Indeed, in the late 1990s Jonny Milner won his class championship as part of the Group N British Rally Championship in this very car.

Towards the end of the 1990s, the Celica went to South Africa to compete in the Uganda Championship with Charlie Lubega, before returning to the UK and ending up in Ireland in the hands of Pat O’Conner. Upgraded to 'Group A' specification it was campaigned over the years and slipped into obscurity before being found by its current owner in the Isle of Man in non-working order. He was able to purchase the car and entrusted it to Lewis Rally Sport in Worcestershire for a sympathetic, bare shell restoration with extensive detail. The brief was to build the car in virtually Group A specification with the famous Castrol livery. Our vendor informs us that only genuine TTE-supplied spare parts have been used to replace parts that could not be serviced or restored. It's powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine with a TTE block and turbo and is mapped on a modern link ECU. The car has recently been fitted with new, in-date, seats, belts and fire protection equipment and has a new MSA passport. G111 ORH has also been taxed and MOT’d ready for use on UK highways.

This is a rare vehicle being one of the few original Belgian-built TTE cars left in existence. This provenance, along with the recent increase in interest in Celica rally cars, makes this a really interesting proposition, especially at this competitive guide price considering what it would take to replicate.

Please note that our vendor informs us that the car's original registration number was K-AM 1168, the import and current registration is G111 ORH and prior to that the last known registration was: MAN 185A. A more detailed list of the car's events and results is available on request.