ma71supraturbo
09-25-2005, 03:53 PM
Road and Track, August 1978.
Toyota displayed a Celica-derived pickup prototype called CAL-1 at the 1977 Tokyo Motor Show. It rode on a stretched wheelbase to accommodate the company's faithful SOHC inline six. Apart from the novel hinged rear windshield for passengers riding on a rumble seat in the truck bed, the CAL-1 looked ready for Koromo's production line. By the way, Toyota claimed CAL was short for California, but they told only half the story. We subsequently learned, unofficially as is often the case in Japan, that the latest Celica design had come from Toyota's California-based studio, CALTY.
Anyway, here it is. The long-nose Celica is blatantly called XX, or double X and I have never seen any other car that suggests sex more blatantly than the XX. It is very sensual and Toyota knows it. The sales brochure shows XX's inevitably accompanied by pairs of women's shoes, silver ankle strap variety, casually thrown about. Exterior styling is cluttered with bright metal. The tip of the stretched (by 8.3in) nose is adorned with four rectangular headlamps (now catching quickly in Japan) and a grille design reminiscent of the great 2000GT coupe. The front end slopes more gradually and naturally than the abrupt 4-cylinder Celica, thanks to the stretched front end. And this you'll have to see: The b-pillars look like those evil 1-way mirrors. Actually, they’re glass covered with black enamel backing on which gold letters with a tinge of red appear. To set this model apart from its lesser 4-cylinder sisters, Toyota designers added a matte black panel under the rear window, suitably bright metal framed of course, and went to the trouble of reshaping the tail-lamp clusters. The latter look like left-overs from yesteryear's Carina sedan, but I'm told they're new.
Step into the Double X cabin (in vague hope of finding the owner of the silver ankle straps) and Double Wows! For $818 at the current exchange rate, you get a set of genuine leather covered seats, courtesy of Connolly Bros of London. ("We may not be as selective in quality as Rolls-Royce, but then we don't keep you waiting as long as RR. Give us a week or two," says a Toyota man.) Or if you prefer, there is a crimson velour upholstery package to which everything imaginable is color-keyed, including the steering wheel and shift knob. The instrument panel is similar to the 4-cylinder Celica, but its surface is padded a' la NSU Ro80, and surrounded by softer crash padding. A clear and welcome accessory is a pull-out soft luggage cover.
By the usually generous Japanese standard, the XX Celica is amply equipped. The driver's seat is adjustable for height as well as backrest angle, and there is an optional lumbar support adjuster. The steering column tilts on all models, and electric fender mirrors are standard equipment. High pressure headlamp washers are also included in the base price. As for options, I could go on endlessly. A sliding sunroof, offered at a reasonable $160, cruise control, an automatic air conditioning system (a very good one indeed), a 4-speaker radio...
The XX is a Celica with a 5.1-in longer wheelbase and is powered by Toyota's type-M single-overhead-camshaft inline six in two sizes: 2.0 liter and 2.6 for Japan. The U.S. version will have only the 2.6. There is Denso-Bosch L-Jettronic electronic fuel injection and 3-way catalyst system. Two transmissions are offered: a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 4-speed Aishin automatic with an overdrive 4th. A knob on the instrument panel changes the automatic from a normal 3-speed to an overdrive 4th transmission which is similar to the U.S. Cressida arrangement. Base XX’s get variable ratio manual steering while high-end models have a power assisted constant-ratio recirculating-ball system. Four-wheel disc brakes are standard.
Driving the 2.6-liter automatic XX was luxury itself. The big six purrs almost imperceptibly (it is turning a mere 2400rpm at our legal maximum of 120kmph / 73 mph.) It has plenty of poke, but gets noisy above 4000 rpm, a common fault of many Japanese engines. The 4-speed automatic is smooth and responsive, but I'd like the overdrive knob relocated.
The power steering is pretty good, again by Japanese standards (which are heavily influenced by Detroit, thank you), affording quick response from straight ahead position. But then the whole car is quite softly sprung and it goes into a noticeable roll at a twitch of the wheel. Suspension could be a bit firmer for my liking with more jounce and rebound damping, but Chief Engineer Wada told me the setting was firmer than the U.S. 4-cylinder Celica, and his colleagues over at Toyota U.S.A. weren't overly enthusiastic about a "harder ride". So when you get the car, it may acquire a pillow ride. Brakes are a bit over-assisted, and accompanied by fairly heavy nose-dive. My personal conclusion on the XX is that I'd pass it up for now. It will be another 10 years before I appreciate all its opulence. I shall eagerly await Mr. Wada's next Celica, powered by a twin-cam conversion of the type-M six and punching out a lot of honest horses without incurring too heavy a weight penalty, which in Mr. Wada's words will, "scare the hell out of those Zs."
Toyota displayed a Celica-derived pickup prototype called CAL-1 at the 1977 Tokyo Motor Show. It rode on a stretched wheelbase to accommodate the company's faithful SOHC inline six. Apart from the novel hinged rear windshield for passengers riding on a rumble seat in the truck bed, the CAL-1 looked ready for Koromo's production line. By the way, Toyota claimed CAL was short for California, but they told only half the story. We subsequently learned, unofficially as is often the case in Japan, that the latest Celica design had come from Toyota's California-based studio, CALTY.
Anyway, here it is. The long-nose Celica is blatantly called XX, or double X and I have never seen any other car that suggests sex more blatantly than the XX. It is very sensual and Toyota knows it. The sales brochure shows XX's inevitably accompanied by pairs of women's shoes, silver ankle strap variety, casually thrown about. Exterior styling is cluttered with bright metal. The tip of the stretched (by 8.3in) nose is adorned with four rectangular headlamps (now catching quickly in Japan) and a grille design reminiscent of the great 2000GT coupe. The front end slopes more gradually and naturally than the abrupt 4-cylinder Celica, thanks to the stretched front end. And this you'll have to see: The b-pillars look like those evil 1-way mirrors. Actually, they’re glass covered with black enamel backing on which gold letters with a tinge of red appear. To set this model apart from its lesser 4-cylinder sisters, Toyota designers added a matte black panel under the rear window, suitably bright metal framed of course, and went to the trouble of reshaping the tail-lamp clusters. The latter look like left-overs from yesteryear's Carina sedan, but I'm told they're new.
Step into the Double X cabin (in vague hope of finding the owner of the silver ankle straps) and Double Wows! For $818 at the current exchange rate, you get a set of genuine leather covered seats, courtesy of Connolly Bros of London. ("We may not be as selective in quality as Rolls-Royce, but then we don't keep you waiting as long as RR. Give us a week or two," says a Toyota man.) Or if you prefer, there is a crimson velour upholstery package to which everything imaginable is color-keyed, including the steering wheel and shift knob. The instrument panel is similar to the 4-cylinder Celica, but its surface is padded a' la NSU Ro80, and surrounded by softer crash padding. A clear and welcome accessory is a pull-out soft luggage cover.
By the usually generous Japanese standard, the XX Celica is amply equipped. The driver's seat is adjustable for height as well as backrest angle, and there is an optional lumbar support adjuster. The steering column tilts on all models, and electric fender mirrors are standard equipment. High pressure headlamp washers are also included in the base price. As for options, I could go on endlessly. A sliding sunroof, offered at a reasonable $160, cruise control, an automatic air conditioning system (a very good one indeed), a 4-speaker radio...
The XX is a Celica with a 5.1-in longer wheelbase and is powered by Toyota's type-M single-overhead-camshaft inline six in two sizes: 2.0 liter and 2.6 for Japan. The U.S. version will have only the 2.6. There is Denso-Bosch L-Jettronic electronic fuel injection and 3-way catalyst system. Two transmissions are offered: a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 4-speed Aishin automatic with an overdrive 4th. A knob on the instrument panel changes the automatic from a normal 3-speed to an overdrive 4th transmission which is similar to the U.S. Cressida arrangement. Base XX’s get variable ratio manual steering while high-end models have a power assisted constant-ratio recirculating-ball system. Four-wheel disc brakes are standard.
Driving the 2.6-liter automatic XX was luxury itself. The big six purrs almost imperceptibly (it is turning a mere 2400rpm at our legal maximum of 120kmph / 73 mph.) It has plenty of poke, but gets noisy above 4000 rpm, a common fault of many Japanese engines. The 4-speed automatic is smooth and responsive, but I'd like the overdrive knob relocated.
The power steering is pretty good, again by Japanese standards (which are heavily influenced by Detroit, thank you), affording quick response from straight ahead position. But then the whole car is quite softly sprung and it goes into a noticeable roll at a twitch of the wheel. Suspension could be a bit firmer for my liking with more jounce and rebound damping, but Chief Engineer Wada told me the setting was firmer than the U.S. 4-cylinder Celica, and his colleagues over at Toyota U.S.A. weren't overly enthusiastic about a "harder ride". So when you get the car, it may acquire a pillow ride. Brakes are a bit over-assisted, and accompanied by fairly heavy nose-dive. My personal conclusion on the XX is that I'd pass it up for now. It will be another 10 years before I appreciate all its opulence. I shall eagerly await Mr. Wada's next Celica, powered by a twin-cam conversion of the type-M six and punching out a lot of honest horses without incurring too heavy a weight penalty, which in Mr. Wada's words will, "scare the hell out of those Zs."