After multiple blows to the head and too many shots of mystery water from Yamz' Juice Stand, our sense of reality has become a bit warped. Dreams have become so abstract that they seem like extravagant roller-coaster rides. The brief moments that we're awake are filled with gloomy weather, smog, and all types of nonsense to depress us. (Damn, we just figured out why Jonny is always sleeping.) But what if we could combine the two? You know, slap the excitement of dreaming with the authenticity of being conscious.
If we ever did try a combination like that, this '75 Toyota Celica would be a perfect representation of the end result. Unlike old man Nads who graduated high school in the early '60s, many of us haven't been alive long enough to appreciate what an OG tuner car has to offer. If it weren't for the Volk TE37 rims and R32 Skyline brakes tucked discretely in the wheelwells, this black Celica probably wouldn't have even gotten a second glance from us. Owner Sumiyasu Takeda keeps the car in immaculate condition, more so than we can say about any car we've ever owned, which isn't an easy task considering black cars attract dust like Jonny attracts fat jokes.
The interior of Sumiyasu-san's Celica gives the first hint that this car has something big up its sleeve, or under its hood in this case. Through the windshield, a pair of TRD racing buckets can be seen with Simpson racing harnesses draped over their backs. Then there's the row of Auto Meter gauges in the center console and a huge Monster Tach peaking through the spokes of the Nardi steering wheel.
Once the hood is popped, the real treat is the 2.0L motor force fed from a massive GReddy T78 turbo. Custom piping runs down through the Blitz three-core intercooler for a quick chill and eventually up to the Nissan Q45 90mm throttle body. Fuel is bumped up via SARD 800cc injectors, pressure regulator, and a very sick delivery system that can be found stowed in the trunk of this lift back. For tuning the timing and fuel maps, an A'PEXi Power FC computer was chosen because of its versatility. Surprisingly enough, the internals of this motor have been kept stock, with the exception of the Toda 264 intake and exhaust cams. We don't question the fact that Sumiyasu-san keeps the boost low with an SS Crazy Dual Boost Controller. When a car this light is making so much power, it's very easy to lose control. Even with the A'PEXi N1 Damper Pro coilovers stiffening up the chassis, keeping the car straight down the track while mashing through the six gears on the HKS transmission is a feat in itself. And nobody would want to crash something this nice--nobody.
If we ever had the time, money, or know-how to build an old-school car, we'd want it to look just like this. The closest thing we have is Yamz' '81 Celica, but he hasn't let us touch it ever since we spilled M&Ms into his air-conditioner vents. So the only options we have are either to fly back to Japan and try to jack this car, or go back to sleep and dream about it. We'll opt for the latter; it's just about time for another nap anyway.