Once the Supra was discontinued along with the MR2, many enthusiasts wondered about the fate of Toyota’s sports cars. Revamping the Celica with a completely new design, Toyota released a budget sports car that was aimed at our market. It didn’t take long before the aftermarket jumped on and provided the goodies for the new Celica. Sporting a GT-S model with a decent powerband, the Celica looked extremely promising for years to come.
Mario Chan of Bellevue Washington enjoys building cars of all shapes and sizes. When the new Celica came out, Mario grabbed himself a 2000 Celica GT-S in a super white shade. With a goal in mind, Mario built the Celica for a complete show and street car. Starting off with the exterior, Mario scraped the stock front bumper for a custom front bumper with mild curves that accented the natural front end of the GT-S. TCS side skirts were molded onto the body for a clean, smooth look. Out the rear is a Rod Millen rear valence and spoiler with a carbon fiber blade. Offsetting the bright white shade of the Celica, Mario opted for a carbon fiber hood from VIS. In addition to the Invader style hood from VIS, a C-One Style carbon fiber raised hood scoop was added to really set the Celica apart. TRD goodies can also be seen on the exterior of the car, as this GT-S sports a TRD fuel door, fuel cap and badges throughout the chassis. Last but not least, the stock doors now open up vertically thanks to a Vertical Doors hinge kit.
Matching up with the newly designed exterior of the Celica, Mario didn’t skip a beat with the interior. Swapping out the stock seats for bright red Corsica bucket seats, the Celica also utilizes a Steel Kreations Harness Bar with 4 point harnesses attached. AC Autotechnic adorns the dash with their S7 overlay gauge kit. Two 52mm gauge pods can be seen with matching gauges from AC Autotechnic as well – Water Temperature and Volt Meter. A Sparco Globe-R shift knob can be seen in the center console, along with a custom carbon fiber ash try DIN. The door panels were swapped out with Superior Auto Trim custom red door panels to match the Corsica seats. Ignited Performance goodies can also be seen in the interior, with an engine start button and nitrous purge button.
Speaking of nitrous, the engine bay of the GT-S has more accents than one. An Injen Technology cold air intake kit frees up breathing room for the motor. Through the intake and out a Tanabe Ultra Medalion Titanium exhaust system, the GT-S gets its boost of power through a Zex 55 shot wet nitrous system. Along with the Zex nitrous kit is a custom Zex “Y” Output purge kit and Zex purge light. The bottle was also chromed for the final finish. Staring at the other amenities in the engine bay, it’s hard to notice all the polished components – all from Injen as well. A polished oil cap, spark plug cover, intake manifold cover and air filter heat shield can be seen gleaming from all corners of the bay. Finishing up the touches on the engine bay, Mario powder coated the stock valve cover a red hue. A B&M short shifter makes daily driving fun with this complete GT-S package.
For handling purposes and giving the Celica a brand new stance, TRD lowering springs were installed. Sitting tight underneath each fender are Enkei DM5 wheels in an 18×7.5 size and gunmetallic shade. All four wheels are encircled with Yokohama Parada Spec II tires in a 225/40/18 rubbery fix. For final suspension touches, a Tanabe Sustec front strut tower bar was added as well. EBC comes handy for braking purposes, with new front and rear rotors – 10.8 inches in the front, 10.6 inches in the rear. EBC Green stuff brake pads sit snug in the bright red calipers.
A complete car is also equipped with plenty of in car electronics. Mario’s Celica has an abundance of electronic goodies throughout the Celica. 2 Snakeeyes NW Wide 5″ visor screens were installed along with a Snakeeyes NW backup camera. A Clarion VRX935VD head unit protrudes from the center console providing music to the complicated Polk Audio / MOMO stereo. 3 amplifiers from Polk Audio help power the 4 12″ subwoofers and the 6.5 component systems from Polk. All four subwoofers are tightly enclosed in a custom fiberglass enclosure along with a custom amp rack and Playstation 2 enclosure. A few more TV monitors are also on the Celica, one in the engine bay and another 5″ and 5.8″ from Clarion throughout the interior.
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