The iconic two-door sports car is rumored to be reborn… 18 years after it was withdrawn from the market

AN ICONIC two-door sports car is rumored to be reborn 18 years after it was discontinued.

The model is part of a popular retro trio, which has returned or is on the way.

Toyota boss Akio Toyoda has been open in his admiration for the brand’s legendary “three brothers” models.

The unit was made up of the Celica, MR2 and Supra, which revolutionized the affordable sports car market in the 80s and 90s.

The Supra has already made its triumphant return in 2019.

And rumors abound that the MR2 is on the way to a comeback, with a reveal possible within the next two years.

Now, however, the Japanese car magazine Best carwho broke the news on MR2, reports that the Celica should also be brought back.

The new model is expected to be inspired by the Audi Quattro, offering a more luxury-oriented package than the original.

It is believed that it could feature a variant of the four-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive system that equipped the GT 400 version.

That could be boosted to produce 400 horsepower, based on a concept the manufacturer shared earlier this year.

Best Car adds that it could be revealed at next year’s Tokyo Auto Salon, in January.

The Celica debuted in Europe in 1997 and has been on sale in the USA for almost 30 years.

Its popularity peaked in 2000 with over 7,000 units sold, but numbers declined after that until the model was withdrawn in 2006.

This comes amid Toyota’s continued resistance to the idea of ​​transitioning to an electric-only vehicle lineup, in contrast to many of its main rivals.

Masahito Watanabe, who heads the company’s GR model line, said Car: “We don’t want to give up.

“It’s not over yet, because if you look at the internal combustion engine, there’s still hydrogen combustion that can be part of that zero-emission pipeline, so I think that’s going to continue.”

Toyota declined to comment.