We recently spoke about the great Toyota collection of Ex Lemans cars
As well as LeMans, Toyota was also a dominant force in the World Rally Championship through the 1980s and ‘90s, with a succession of competition cars that brought home a grand haul of victories and driver and manufacturer championships. The finest examples from its 25 years at the pinnacle of the sport are kept in pristine condition in Toyota Motorsport’s historic collection.
The amazing UK Photographer GF Williams , who shot the Lemans cars, also got a look recently at these cars, see more of his images after the jump.
I wish that there were more photos to show you but from what Toyota have released it is an amazing looking collection.
The first image at the top of the page shows two of Toyota’s last WRC cars, the 1998 Corolla, as well as the 1994 Celica ST185.
The Toyota Corolla WRC debuted at the 1997 1000 Lakes Rally, it was Toyota’s first and only World Rally Spec car.
Unfortunately it was not as successful as it really could have been, it won four rally’s during its time, but it did finish second 11 times during it three years of racing life.
It also handed Toyota the 1999 World Rally Championship for Manufactures, which was to be Toyota’s last as Toyota announced that year that it was leaving the WRC.
Next to the Coralla’s is the 1994 Toyota Celica ST185 the second last Celica made before they switched to the smaller Corolla, you can see a closer shot of the ST185 below.
The ST185, which was first introduced at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1992, was the most successful Toyota rally car in the WRC, it gave Toyota the 1992, 1993 and 1994 World Drivers Championship which were won by Carlos Sainz, Juha Kankkunen and Didier Auriol respectively.
In 1993 & 1994 Toyota also won the World Rally Manufactures championship with the ST185, the 1993 Championship was Toyota’s first ever World Rally Manufactures championship.
During its time the ST185 won 17 rallys, including the Safari Rally 3 times and the RAC and Rally of Argentina twice.
Going backwards in the history of Toyota Rally cars you have the Celica ST165
Which was first introduced at the 1988 Tour De Corse, it was Toyota’s first four wheel drive Rally car . It helped Carlos Sainz win his World Rally Drivers Championship in 1990. It won 12 WRC rally’s during its time, including Rally of New Zealand twice in 1990 & 1991.
In the image below we see two of the early Celica Rally cars as well as the Toyota Rally car that never raced.
The 1979 Toyota Celica RA40 debut at the 1978 1000 Lakes Rally, it did not have as much success as the later model Celica’s. During its time it only managed to claim two third places, they were at the 1979 Portugal & Ivory Coast rally’s and two second places in the Ivory Coast Rally in 1981 and the Portugal Rally in 1982.
The 1983 Toyota Celica Twin Cam Turbo TA64 debuted at 1983 1000 Lakes Rally during the famous Group B Rally Era.
It was at home on the long Africa rally’s taking wins at the Ivory Coast Rally, in 1983, 1985 and 1986, and won the Safari Rally in 1984, 1985 and 1986.
Whilst the TA64 Celica was dominant in Africa, it struggled on the other rally events in Europe.
So in 1985 Toyota went back to the drawing board to build a car based on the upcoming Group S regulations, code named 222D, it was based on the road going Toyota MR-2.
It featured a 2.2 litre turbo charged engine mounted transversely and put out 600bhp through just the rear wheels.
But before it could ever run in an event, the Group B/S formula’s were cancelled by the WRC.
While it never run in an event the car has run at events, here is some footage of the Group S Concept running at the Goodwood Fesitval of Speed a few years ago
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNSVmIU6h9o]