The car and the team Inspiration

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Opal Parks
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1 The car and the team Inspiration Although this story begins with four-wheel-drive the first four-wheel-drive range of cars to be engineered by Toyota this layout was not inspired by the need to go rallying. Indeed, if Audi had not introduced the four-wheel-drive Quattro as a road car in 1980, I doubt if other four-wheel-drive cars would have appeared in such profusion at this time. Time, then, for a very brief history lesson. The very first Toyota Celica was a conventional front-engine/rear-drive sports coupé, announced at the end of 1970, and almost instantly a success. Within two years Toyota was producing more than 150,000 Celicas every year (with more than half of these cars being delivered in North America). Once the relentless march of Japanese technology got into gear, and the four-cylinder Celica was joined by the closely related six-cylinder Supra, Toyota wondered why and how it could ever have managed without this range of sporting cars. One thing led to another. A second-generation Celica, with totally new styling, came along in 1977, a third-generation (new styling again) followed in 1981, but all these cars adopted the same, conventional, format of a front-mounted, in-line engine driving the rear wheels. Then came the truly revolutionary change, inspired by Toyota s intention to promote a more high tech image not only was the fourth-generation Celica of 1985 a transverse-engined/front-wheel-drive car, but a four-wheel-drive derivative was also planned. Ove Andersson, founder, boss, and inspiration behind TTE, knew everything, and was everywhere it would have been unthinkable to see this team trying to run without him. (Courtesy Phil Short)

Time, then, for a very brief history lesson. The very first Toyota Celica was a conventional front-engine/rear-drive sports coupé, announced at the end of 1970, and almost instantly a success.

2 According to engineer Dieter Bulling, who concentrated all his efforts on the new car during 1994, the big step forward came with the launch of the ST205 rally car in 1994, which was homologated on 1 May the same year. This was not only a car which looked visually different from the ST185, but one which had many of its own mechanical novelties. Toyota was very cautious about the introduction of this Celica series, sending a Group N car to the 1000 Lakes, and a Group A car to Australia, but the main onslaught would not be until the 1995 season where (as we shall see) the Celica was always a very controversial machine. The ST205 had several important technical novelties the aerodynamics (which included the high rear aerofoil section) were claimed to be better, the front suspension was much improved, the wheels on road cars had been increased to 16in (which meant that, under the regulations, 18in Michelins could be used on certain rallies), the structure itself was made more rigid in certain areas, and water-injection was provided for the extremely powerful Group A engine. Not only that, but the homologation special produced by Toyota in 1994 had extra air intakes in the nose, to encourage more and more fresh air to ventilate and feed the well-filled engine bay. When TTE showed off the Castrol-liveried ST205, in testing, in March 1994, Dieter Bulling made it clear that the works team had been involved with the car right from the start, claiming better aerodynamics, a stiffer basic bodyshell, and water-injection to the turbocharger. When Toyota was ready to start using the ST205 in World rallies, the company issued this fabulously detailed cut-away drawing of the Group A rally car. Not much space for extra equipment in the engine bay! (Reproduced from the BP/ Castrol Archive)

Toyota was very cautious about the introduction of this Celica series, sending a Group N car to the 1000 Lakes, and a Group A car to Australia, but the main onslaught would not be until the 1995

3 Phil Collins preparation company got the job of building Celica GT-Fours for David Llewellin to use in the British Championship, which he duly won in 1989 and Sometimes it would have been better to stay in bed! Björn Waldegård s Celica suffered a puncture in mid-stage of the 1988 RAC Rally and a wheel had to be changed. Waldegård (already back in the car) and Fred Gallagher have just finished the job, which dropped them a place from second overall to third For 1989, the big change was that Carlos Sainz joined the team, having spent two frustrating years in rear-wheel-drive Ford Sierra RS Cosworths. The ever-gentlemanly Spaniard had not wanted to let Ford down (they had, after all, picked him out of obscurity in 1986), but once it became 57

Waldegård (already back in the car) and Fred Gallagher have just finished the job, which dropped them a place from second overall to third.

4 Ford s new man, Francois Delecour, was mesmerisingly fast (with his Sierra Cosworth 4x4) until half-distance, it was a two brand battle, which Sainz finally won on the last day. The winning margin over Auriol s Lancia was just 65 seconds, but Carlos set 12 fastest stage times to emphasise that his Celica was ideal for these conditions. Unhappily, Schwarz crashed again which for a time led to rumours that he was to be sacked from the team. Toyota, however, remained loyal to him, and his fortunes duly changed. Rallying at its most pleasant, and most exciting but the author cannot place the shot. The driver is Carlos Sainz and the year is 1990 or 1991, when the ST165 was at its best.

Unhappily, Schwarz crashed again which for a time led to rumours that he was to be sacked from the team.

5 San Remo, Italy. Didier Auriol (right) and Bernard Occelli became World Rally Champions in 1994, when driving the highly-developed ST185 models. In Europe, Juha Kankkunen drove the ST205 for the first time in the 1994 San Remo Rally. He struggled to keep up with Didier Auriol s ST185 and finished seventh.

Competition Car Insurance Ford Fiesta Championship Anglesey 25th/26th September

Competition Car Insurance Ford Fiesta Championship Anglesey 25th/26th September It was a busy week for the team after the problematic Scottish Championship rounds at Knockhill last weekend. After initially