Amazing resto

Bad form etc. but I meant to point out, there's more rally cars etc. in the "projects" sections of the website for those who (like me) fail to get excited by old jap tin ;)

Very impressive, but I really can't see the point.

They've effectively made a new body for it - which seems like a lot of effort to go to for a s**te old Celica.

Phwoar. That's some dedication...

Something along the lines of 'One man's knackered old Toyota is another man's knackered old Alfa'.

But the work would undoubtedly have been satisfying for the craftsmen involved. It's akin to those electronics and Hi-Fi buffs who refurbish old Valve amps so they can 'enjoy' the 'superior' sound on offer. Just subjective, personal-taste stuff ultimately.

# 274.

# 286 Fred sees the car for the first time and thinks "WTF!"

You'll be a wreck if you follow this link then

Juha was damn quick in that "s**te old Celica".

That is a piece of rallying history, not a fridge.

Erm, *was* a piece of rallying history.

Trigger's brush springs to mind in it's current incarnation.

A lot of original parts used on it, just restored.

I imagine it still drives like it did when it was Jahu's motor, the engine, box, diff, are all the originals, and the shell - whilst having had a lot of work is still the original shell, all the pick up points, reinforcements etc are all original.

I'd just class it as a very very good restoration using as many original parts as possible.

I'd rather see it like it is now than for it to be stripped and thrown away like my friends and I did to an ex-Tour De Corse Autodelta GTV.

It's a moot point with most competition cars anyway, 'cos they're rarely as original as they're claimed to be.

So there's no point in restoring competition cars then?

I didn't say that.

I just said that most restored competition cars are of questionable originality.

At least with that one there's a photographic record of what's original and what isn't. I've known rally cars go through seasons and use more bits than that has used in the restoration.

Shame it wasn't a Mk2 Escort though.

Another car out of Steves price bracket...

What you see there is worth about what you will earn in your whole lifetime.

You might not see the point why but then you are not into that kind of market. It strikes me as strange that a Brit cannot comprehend it: you might visit one of the few thousand restoration projects in the UK ranging from "s**te old cars" to broken up airplanes to find out.

But you won't.

A hint. The reason why they went through all the trouble has its picture taken: the chassisnummer of the original car.

A second hint: there are cars out there, rebuild so good, so true to original specs that even the original manufacturer cannot tell if it's a replica or the real thing. Some of the best one's sell over 30 million UKP...

Lovely what work, dediction, time and a lot of money can do.

Tom De Moor

Along with some screwed business sense. That car is made on order, such a work does not fall out of the sky.

Believe me: that car is not rallying anymore, that car starts a new life going from auction to auction. Somewhere in the line the differance between orginal and major restoration will fade. There might even come some inflicted dents "where Juha hit a tree in 1985" into a specified part of the car.

From auction to auction its worth will rise and the possibility exist that the car becomes "a hot potato".

Tom De Moor

Hmm , currencies... make that 3 million UKP.

Tom De Moor

You could easily use those criteria with any restoration. The story told by that picture series clearly indicate a procedure of refurbishment of original wherever humanly possible and replacement wherever absolutely essential and unavoidable. If that hadn't been the approach, the bodyshell work for one would have been far less intensive.

That is the orginal car IMHO, not a reshell, and that makes all the difference to me.

We know what you mean by that, but it is spelt 'Shrewd'. 'Screwed' has an all together different meaning!

It was a lovely piece of work though, I agree. Someday I'd like to do something similar.