The transformation of Mark’s modified Toyota Celica GT4

Mark, a customer of ours, owns this beautiful Toyota Celica GT4. Would you believe that Mark imported this Toyota Celica GT4 (totally stock) all the way back in 2011? Well, he did!

It would be an understatement to say the car has changed. It hasn't just changed, it has transformed. Thanks to Mark's hard work and creative vision.

Mark kindly took the time to talk us through the various stages of the transformation...

The story: Toyota Celica GT4

Picture 1

This is how I got the car in 2011, totally standard other than an exhaust, lowering springs and alloy wheels.

I started to initially build the car as a fast road car that would be a clean example and look good at shows.

Picture 2

This was after the car blew a head gasket and I repaired it with a new head gasket. I also had the head reconditioned and upgraded to front mount intercooler in the process. Whilst doing this I relocated the battery to the boot and changed to a straight turbo intake with a custom cold air feed where the fog light was.

Picture 3

This illustrates the point in time where the work was almost finished.

After this I decided to set the car up as a fast road/track car. The car then had bucket seats fitted and I upgraded the suspension to coil-overs. But before I could get out on track severe restoration was required to the sill to get the car through an MOT and be completely ready for the track. The car passed its MOT on the Friday and it was on the track on the Saturday!

Picture 4

At this stage, the interior and bucket seats have been fitted!

Picture 5

Here's the Toyota Celica GT4 out on track at Oulton Park (covered by Safely Insured track day cover).

After the track day, I decided to get some paintwork done on the car and take it to some shows in 2014.

Picture 6

Here's the car prepped for being on display at Japfest 2.

The car ran well until 2015 when I fitted a new ECU and the aging engine didn’t take too kindly to the map, the ringlands had gone. So, I had the engine rebuilt with fully forged internals.

Whilst the car was off the road, I upgraded the clutch and flywheel. Then a set of Neochrome D2 Brakes caught my eye, as well as a fresh set of Enkei RPF1 wheels.

I got the car back with the fresh engine in spring this year and then proceeded to fit the new wheels and Brakes. Whilst doing this I fitted matching Neochrome wheel nuts that really compliment the brakes and catch people’s eyes at shows.

Picture 7

This is just after the Neochrome big brake kit and Enkei wheels were fitted.

After seeing how good the brakes looked on the front, the only thing that would look right on the back was to match up the rears, so I had the matching rear brakes fitted last month.

Picture 8

This is how the car stands now.

The car is setup to run just over 300bhp currently, however a turbo upgraded and adjustment to the map over winter will see it reach 380bhp, whilst the engine is good for 450. So, with everything over engineered it should be a useable, well-balanced, and reliable car, that I can hopefully enjoy with minimal hassle.

And that just about sums it up...

Insurance for a modified Toyota Celica GT4

If you want to modify a car, then you'll want to look into Modified Car Insurance. Standard Car Insurance often won't cover you for modifications.

Safely Insured offer Modified Car Insurance. We can offer things such as: 'Agreed valuations' and 'Like for like' modifications cover. You'll also have access to a team of experts who actually understand the car you want to insure - their car enthusiasts themselves.

For more information, just visit our website.

Further Information: Modified Car Insurance | Japanese Car Insurance | Imported Car Insurance