What a difference a decade makes! While yesterday’s Corona Mark 2 coupe was very much of the 1960s, with its handsome sloping roofline and polished metal trim, Toyota had moved up in the world towards solidifying its position as one of the world’s major automakers. By 1979, there was a successful line of pickups, along with the Corolla, Corona, and Cressida sedans. The Celica was added in 1971, and in 1978 the second generation A40/A50 Celica was introduced. You can find this 1979 RA42 Toyota Celica Liftback for $3000 in Overland Park, KS.
The car was styled by Toyota’s Calty studio in Southern California, which could explain why it has its own distinctive style, unlike the previous generation fastback, which was derivative of the Ford Mustang GT. Who doesn’t like a little 1980s multi-tone pinstriping on light brown metallic, with some third-generation A60 Celica Supra alloy wheels? For a non-western state car, it looks to be in really good shape, and the seller says there is only minimal rust.
Powered by the 2.2 liter 20R engine, the promised output was 90hp and 122 lb.-ft. of torque for 1979 models. While the car has 165K miles on it, they approach Volvo levels of durability, and the car is said to run quite well. The car has a new carburetor, but the seller says it cuts out sometimes and may need some fine tuning. Perhaps an Italian tune-up will help this Japanese car? In other work, the car has recent shocks, springs, struts, and battery, and will need some diagnosis to the air conditioning system.
The interior is represented to be in good shape, although there is a visible dash cap, steering wheel cover, and seat covers. Unless the seats or wheel were absolutely falling apart, the latter two items should land in the dumpster as you drive away from your purchase. Other than that, everything looks present and clean, indicating a well-cared-for car that has probably had its fair share of sun exposure on those weak 1970s plastics.
Tinted windows suggest this was originally a southwestern car, which could explain why the body is in such good condition. Those wheels look great on a number of different cars, and this one is no exception. The right front marker light is missing, and the stance looks a little high, but other than that, this is a mechanically tough-as-nails ride that would be a great back-up for when your fancy European sports car is in the shop.
Tags: a40, a50, celica, coupe, Feature, gt, hatch, hatchback, japanese, r22, ra42, toyota
Rusty But Trusty 
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