In the late 1980s, the Swedish Toyota importer brought a Celica convertible over from Germany. Those who had the chance to drive the car were very impressed, but despite this, a convertible version of the Celica was never sold by Toyota dealers in Sweden. That makes the Toyota Celica convertible now going under the hammer at Bilweb Auctions an extremely rare car in this country.
The auction car is a 1990 model and was originally sold in the United States. It is one of the Celicas converted into a convertible by the American company ASC (American Sunroof Company, later American Specialty Cars) on behalf of Toyota. In other words, it was sold through authorised Toyota dealerships in the US as an official Toyota model.
A Company with Saab Connections
For many Swedish car enthusiasts, the name ASC may sound familiar. This is because Saab’s American executive Robert J. “Bob” Sinclair initiated the development of a convertible based on the Saab 900. The idea was for the convertible to serve as an image-enhancing model for the brand, and ASC was commissioned to develop the open-top Saab.
The prototype of the Saab 900 Convertible was later displayed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1993. The positive response from both the public and motoring journalists led Saab’s management to put the convertible into production.
Shipped to the US, Where the Roof Was Cut Off
Toyota’s collaboration with ASC took a different direction. Toyota did not build any Celica convertibles in its own factories. Instead, during the 1980s and 1990s, Toyota shipped factory-built coupés from Japan to ASC’s facilities in California. There, the roof was removed and the floor structure reinforced.
The cars were then fitted with convertible tops before being sold as official Toyota products through Toyota’s dealer network.
Gold-Coloured Details
The Toyota Celica convertible now being offered at auction was sold new in the United States and arrived in Sweden as personal import goods in July 1994. As you would expect from a US-market convertible from the 1990s, the car is equipped with both air conditioning and an automatic transmission.
The black car’s full model designation is Toyota Celica GT Gold Emblem Package. The GT designation means it is fitted with the more powerful 137 hp four-cylinder engine. The Gold Emblem Package adds gold-coloured badges, keyholes and stripes, as well as gold-coloured details on the ROH alloy wheels.
A Sports Car with Japanese Quality
Toyota introduced the Celica as early as 1970, and the model name was subsequently used for seven different generations of cars until 2006. What all generations of the Celica had in common was a sporty character combined with Toyota’s renowned build quality.
It was a combination that attracted buyers all over the world, and as early as 1977, the one-millionth Celica rolled off the production line. In total, more than four million Toyota Celicas were built before the model name was retired.
A Car to Get the Pulse Racing
The auction car belongs to the fifth generation of the Celica, produced between 1989 and 1993. It was available with a wide range of four-cylinder engines, both turbocharged and naturally aspirated.
There will, of course, always be different opinions about which generation of Celica looks best, but a 1990s convertible is sure to get the pulse racing for many enthusiasts. Compared with its predecessor, the fifth-generation Celica featured significantly rounder styling, which still gives it a modern and fresh appearance today.
The Auction Ends on Wednesday, 23 September
Read the full vehicle description and see more photos at Bilwebauctions.se: https://bilwebauctions.se/en/septemberauktion-4-2026/toyota-celica-gt-cabriolet-gold-emblem-package-55297
