Classifieds' Car Of The Day: Toyota Celica GT-Four Carlos Sainz

The last Celica we saw in Toyota showrooms - while intriguingly styled - was nothing particularly exciting. It wasn't always that way, however, as in the 80s and 90s the Celica was available in four-wheel drive, turbocharged rally hero mode, as the GT-Four.

Kicking off with the fourth-gen Celica, the GT-Four was created for homologation purposes to allow Toyota to go rallying. It was pretty damn good at it, too: the fourth-gen Celica-based 'ST165' clocked up 13 WRC victories and the 1990 WRC driver's title at the hands of Carlos Sainz, while the fifth-gen-based 'ST185' amassed 16 victories, two manufacturer's titles and three driver's titles - which included another by Sainz.

When Toyota introduced the 'RC' version of the ST185, they even named the export version after its Spanish star driver. Carlos Sainz edition cars received - among other things - an uprated intercooler, a better vented front bumper and a shorter throw gear lever.

The 2.0-litre, turbocharged four-pot is good for 208bhp, which will send the GT-Four from 0-60mph in 6.7 seconds. Also, you'll get the entertaining spectacle that's missing from modern blown cars: turbo lag...

The number of decent GT-Fours - particularly the earlier ST165s and ST185s - have dwindled in recent years, so if you can actually find one in decent nick, it's not going to be cheap. This particular Carlos Sainz edition for example is up for £6,250, and while we think that might be a touch too much, it does look to be in superb condition. And with only around 400 making their way to the UK, you'll be in possession of something very rare indeed.