1/18 Toyota Celica GT Four ST205 1995 No.1 Rally Tour De Corse, Drivers D. Auriol/ B.Occelli

1/18 Toyota Celica GT Four ST205 1995 No.1 Rally Tour De Corse, Drivers D. Auriol/ B.Occelli

When Group B ended, Delta held the brand new Group A in its fist. But a Japanese manufacturer quickly arrived with its coupe named Celica. The ST165 version in 1990, then ST185 in ‘92, ‘93 and ‘94, won various titles in the World Rally Championship. Then, at the end of 1994, the ultimate version was launched: the ST205. Considered the most beautiful of the Celica, this ST205 remains a legend all because of… a bridle. In 1995, Juha Kankkunen was contending for the driver's title and Toyota was ahead of Mitsubishi in the constructor championship. But at the end of the 1995 Rally Spain, the Celica GT Four ST205 were excluded from the championship for the use of a rigged bridle giving them a power gain of 25%. The titles flew away for the Japanese brand whose official team, Toyota Castrol Europe, was deprived of the championship for 12 months. Fortunately, Didier Auriol had managed, a few months earlier, to give the only victory of the season to the ST205: it was in the Tour de Corse.