Toyota Celica GT-Four

Lore & Background

The Celica GT-Four debuted in the World Rally Championship with the ST165 in the 1988 Tour de Corse, securing its first WRC victory in the 1989 Rally Australia. The ST185 entered WRC in the 1992 Rally Monte Carlo and won the 1992 Safari Rally, one of four victories that year. The ST185 became Toyota's most successful rally car for over two decades, winning the WRC Drivers' Championship in 1992 and both Manufacturers' and Drivers' titles in 1993 and 1994. The ST205 became the official rally car in 1995, achieving one WRC victory before disqualification, and also won the 1996 European Rally Championship.

The GT-Four introduced Toyota's first performance drivetrain powering all four wheels. Despite a transverse engine layout, the system used hollow splined shafts to power the center differential first, enabling a true 50:50 torque split with a range from 100:0 to 0:100 rear bias. A viscous limited-slip coupling kept the split steady at 50:50 under normal conditions. Early ST165 models used a vacuum-operated actuator to lock the center differential, recommended only for off-road use. All three generations used the same basic system, with the ST185 RC and ST205 adding a rear Torsen limited-slip differential as standard.

Reader's Guide

The Toyota Celica GT-Four holds a significant place in World Rally Championship history as the first Japanese car manufacturer to enter the WRC with an all-wheel-drive turbocharged car, taking trophies and winning titles. This achievement broke the previous dominance of European manufacturers and paved the way for other Japanese manufacturers, such as Mitsubishi and Subaru, to find success in the WRC. Toyota Team Europe also introduced the anti-lag system in their Group A ST205 Celica GT-Four rally cars, a technological breakthrough later adopted by other teams. The Celica GT-Four's production cars were built at Toyota's Tahara plant in Japan, while rally cars were prepared by Toyota Team Europe in Cologne, Germany. Toyota later exited the WRC to focus on Formula One, but returned in 2017 with the Toyota Yaris, 11 years after the Celica was discontinued.

Did You Know?

• The Celica GT-Four ST165 made its WRC debut in the 1988 Tour de Corse.
• The ST185 won the WRC Manufacturers' and Drivers' championships in 1993 and 1994.
• Toyota Team Europe introduced the anti-lag system in the ST205 Celica GT-Four rally cars.
• The GT-Four system can achieve a torque split from 100:0 to 0:100 rear bias.