Toyota
Toyota's
entry into the market for AWD performance cars was the mainstay Celica in 1987.
The Celica had been doing extremely well as a RWD car for several years before
the GT4 was announced. Many say the reason for the GT4 was to upstage the
4T-GTE in the World Rally Championship as that RWD
version was only competitive on longer courses (it was, after all, a Group B
car). Due in no small part to the popularity of the WRC many manufacturers were
turning to AWD performance cars to get more involved in the WRC.
The first
GT4 was the ST165 variant released in 1987. It had 185bhp inline four (3S-GTE)
and went from 0-60 in approximately 7.5 seconds. Its AWD system operated on two
different types of differentials: a viscous center differential and a TorSen
differential in the rear (most AWD cars still only use open differentials in the
front). Power distribution was 50/50 with this set-up. Toyota changed the design
to the ST185 in 1990 to be more aerodynamic to stay competitive. Another variant
was launched in 1993, the ST205. This design would be Toyota's last revision of
the Celica before the Corolla would step in.
The ST205 used the same 3S-GTE engine that all
its predecessors had used, though this time it boasted an estimated output of
242bhp. This, combined with the versatile AWD systems all Celica GT4 variants
used, was enough to lead Toyota to 2 WRC titles in 1993 and 1994, and one driver
championship in 1993 (piloted by Juha Kankunnen, the all-time leading points
driver in the WRC currently). Unfortunately in 1995 the Celicas reign would come
to an end when an FIA commissioner found something wrong with the way the
regulated restrictor plate was installed. Somehow it was able to move when the
car was running allowing more air to bypass the restrictor. All 3 works drivers
were excluded from the rest of the season for an issue with their cars they
probably knew nothing about, though leaving some to speculate if the previous
two years' titles had been fairly earned. Regardless, the street version of this
car would be one of the most sought-after Celica trims of all, especially in
North America where it had a very limited release in numbers as the Celica
AllTrac (1988-1993).
Toyota's only
other stab at an AWD performance car came with the Corolla WRC car. The street
version of the Corolla was never AWD or turbo as its WRC cousin was. Regardless
its participation on the WRC is worth mentioning here. The engine was a
variation of the same 3S-GTE that was in the Celica with some changes to make it
legal for current WRC standards. This new engine created 299bhp and almost 500
lb/ft of torque! Since this was never going to be a commercially available car
the AWD system was changed to new hydro-electrical differentials in the front
and center, and a hang-on type in the rear. The Corolla WRC was introduced in
1998 with team pilots Carlos Sainz and Didier Auriol. It was everything many
people wanted from a rally car yet Toyota still didn't see fit to carry on the
team after winning its final manufacturer's title in 1999 with it.
At the end of 1999 Toyota retired from the WRC
and with it all hopes for consumers to see any AWD performance cars from the
manufacturer for the near future. Instead Toyota has turned its focus toward its
fantastic F1 team.
Some useful Toyota links:
Researched by
Garrett
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