The Celica convertible concept was developed in Southern California through a collaboration of Calty Design Research, Inc., Toyota's U.S. styling studio in Newport Beach, The Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters, Inc. in Fountain Valley and TMS Product Planning in Torrance. Calty, designers of the all-new seventh-generation Celica, worked closely with Metalcrafters on the exterior conversion from hardtop to soft-top. Calty representatives teamed with TMS Product Planning to develop an interior color scheme that would blend with the convertible concepts bright blue exterior.

"During the planning stages of the seventh-generation Celica, Toyota's goal was to develop a car for the young and young at heart," said Dave Hackett, Calty executive director. "We feel this convertible concept is consistent with Celica's youthful spirit."

Conversion of the 2000 Celica to a convertible required very little design change. Major exterior alterations were limited primarily to the rear deck lid.

Metalcrafters removed the hardtop roof and liftback from the Celica GT-S. A soft-top was installed along with a Calty-designed coupe-like deck lid. The sleek lines that run from the front hood into the front air dam are adopted in the designing of the new rear deck lid. The rear stop lamp was lowered from the top of the roofline and integrated into the deck lid. The soft top folds neatly under a hard tonneau cover. A unique blue exterior finish was developed by Calty with the use of Sikkens paint products. Application consisted of a three-stage process starting with a base coat, followed by a color coat and topping it with a clear coat finish.

The interior was fashioned to give it a feeling of race car aggressiveness blended with sophisticated style. The center console shares the convertible's blue exterior color. The seats are upholstered with Spinney Beck leather and Toyoda Boshoku fabrics. Front seats are trimmed in gray and vivid blue ultrasuede accented with gray pearlized leather. The back seats consist of solid gray leather with gray perforated seat backs over blue fabric. Pearlized gray leather is also applied to the top and bottom of the steering wheel.

The convertible is powered by a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder DOHC all-aluminum engine that generates 180 horsepower at 7,600 rpm and 130 lbs.-ft. of torque at 6,800 rpm. The GT-S powerplant, co-developed with Yamaha, utilizes variable valve timing and lift, with intelligence control (VVTL-i) to open up a new era of performance from 6,000 rpm to the redline at 7,800 rpm. VVTL-i increases the intake/exhaust lift when the engine speed is high to improve output and fuel efficiency.

The Celica convertible concept is equipped with a four-speed automatic transmission with sport-shift steering-wheel mounted buttons, similar to a Formula 1 race car. The sport-shift feature allows "manual" shifting of the automatic transmission via buttons embedded in the steering wheel when the gear shift lever is in the "M" mode position. To upshift, simply press one of the two buttons on the back of the steering wheel spokes. To downshift, depress one of the two buttons on the front of the spokes. For enhanced performance and an added look of aggressiveness, the Celica convertible is equipped with 17-inch TSW alloy wheels and Toyo Tires.

"Celica has a rich convertible heritage that helped create a natural inspiration for this concept," added Hackett. "The Celica convertible concept fits nicely into the spirit and imagination of California's unique car culture."

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