Toyota Celica F1 Supercar

As far as show-stoppers go, nothing has done the job quite like the Ultimate Celica. A surprise yellow-streak creation, which first appeared nearly a year ago at the Detroit Motor Show and dropped jaws like little else we've encountered, it soon disappeared from view but not from memory...

Enthusiasts couldn't stop talking about the 500bhp Toyota that would be faster than a McLaren-Mercedes SLR. Nor could they get over the outrageous styling that borrowed heavily from the F1 arena. But the car had vanished from view - until now.

Auto Express couldn't get the yellow peril off its mind, and we spent months on the car's scent, tracking it down for an exclusive first drive with a difference. And what better time to get hold of it in full 2001 guise than now, when the company's F1 racer is being prepared for its GP attack.

Not only were we allowed to get behind the wheel and put the turbocharged flier through its paces, but we also headed for the test track to see exactly how fast and crazy this mutant Celica has become. With the test gear strapped on, how would it perform? The collective brainchild of the same three people responsible for the Toyota Retro Cruiser - driven in Issue 606 - the Ultimate Celica was born to project a more passionate image of Toyota as a manufacturer. And the project was handed to Toyota Racing Development (TRD) for the powertrain development and Rod Millen to build and run the car.

Millen is understandably proud of the project, which is why we enlisted his help to do the performance figures for this most super of Celicas. With experience of the likes of the legendary Pikes Peak Hill Climb, a gruelling against-the-clock thrash up a mountainside in Colorado, he was certainly up to the job.

The basis for the Ultimate Celica was a new GT-S body. This was given to the firm's California-based design studio, Calty, which was told to come up with something capable of delivering 'the extreme in driving excitement'. It succeeded. Nothing on the road today is quite as outland-ish as this beast, which is especial-ly startling from the front. But the bodykit is there for a purpose; to keep the speed machine firmly planted on the tarmac with the active aerodynamics which are invaluable in a car of this potential.

Keeping it all rolling is a set of made-to-order 19in BBS alloys complete with centre locking single hubs, just like on a race car. And sitting behind them are mighty four-piston calipers and big discs to take care of the business of slowing this machine down. And they should do a good job of it, too - they've been pinched from the company's World Rally parts bin. Open the driver's door and things initially seem encouraging. But look further around and the car's humble coupe origins become apparent. The first things you notice are chunky bucket race seats complete with four-point belt harnesses, while a protective roll cage has been integrated, too. A wise idea, we suspect...

One or two items such as a sports gearknob, drilled aluminium pedals and flash stereo further jazz things up. However, the dashboard is pretty much standard Celica fare, as are the instruments. But then, who needs to liven this car up inside when you've got the mad 500bhp engine up front? With that kind of power output, you'd expect a big-capacity motor, but all you will find is a 2.0-litre four-pot lump that's able to churn out as much as it can courtesy of a huge Garrett turbocharger. It was taken from Toyota's World Rally car and shipped to TRD's HQ, where its power was hiked to 497bhp at 8,000rpm. Torque reaches 468Nm at 5,500rpm - which gives you an idea of the peaky performance...

When it comes on boost, the turbocharger gives a jet-propelled sensation. So quick and intense is the in- crease through the top of the engine's rev range that it's a good job the race car-style LED lights warn you of the need to change gear. The diodes light up in sequence as the revs rise, but as the first of them only illuminates at 7,000rpm, you have a situation where the LEDs are all out one moment and flashing urgently the next, screaming soundlessly at you to find the next gear.

The engine note is raw and unrelenting, piercing the cabin without mercy. That said, below its peak the 1,996cc 16-valve unit sounds like a bag of nails, rattling away. Rod Millen took up the honours of putting some figures on the car, since he had serious concerns about transmission life in this half-million-pound prototype. That's understandable, considering the first attempt at testing resulted in a blown clutch. Its replacement for our second try was a heavier-duty Centreforce unit.

It's not easy getting off the line in a car with four-wheel-drive traction and a massively turbo-lagged engine that suddenly comes to life with explosive violence. However, Millen ended up with a 0-60mph time of a mere 4.9 seconds, and sprinted on to pass the quarter-mile mark in 13.3 seconds at a speed of 108mph. On the way, it took 11.6 seconds to hit 100mph, although more impressive is the mid-range acceleration. Here, the Celica defies all convention, surging ahead without a mom- ent's hesitation for the laws of physics.

And all this came about with a gearshift that is, frankly, not much help; the five-speed manual unit is far from co-operative. The plain numbers do little to describe the intense blast of power that arrives when the boost kicks in, and nor can they tell of the basic problem: it just can't operate in the main powerband for very long.

The lengthy turbo lag and widely spaced gear ratios mean you are constantly working at the lever to keep the engine on the boil, yet the moment you shift up a ratio it falls back out of the powerband! But then, this is no production-finished car. Still, the handling more than helps matters. The Celica is sharp, agile and grippy, with a direct and accurate feel that pays testament to the four-wheel-drive, rally-bred chassis. There's just the slightest amount of understeer right at the limit, which helps inspire confidence, while the brakes are supremely powerful and totally resistant to fade. It takes a lot of guts to criticise a car as gratefully received as this but, after driving it, something that would really make a difference would be a six-speed sequential gearbox. Oh, and how about a more exciting interior?

But that's nit-picking. Toyota's most exciting machine ever is a show car more than a go car. That it runs so well is testament to Rod Millen and TRD's car building talents. The Ultimate Celica lives up to its visual promise, delivering a driving experience that's as frenzied as you'd expect. Start obsessing.

The Ultimate Celica proves every bit as wild as you'd expect. It's an uncompromising, unfiltered supercar that puts Toyota on the map as a passionate sports cars builder. But for now, it remains a one-off. And given the horrendous practicalities of building anything approaching this level of performance - even on a limited basis - it may stay that way. But it's great to think otherwise...

At a glance

*Ultimate Celica debuted at Detroit Motor Show - never driven... until now!

*2.0-litre turbo engine churns out a huge 497bhp and 468Nm

*Rally-bred 4WD chassis helps contain massive power output

*Costs nearly