It was the car that Toyota built to make their first serious attempt on the WRC title. It was the car that ended the domination of the Lancia Delta Integrale's and gave Carlos Sainz the first driver's championship of his career. When launched, the road going version of the car had the most powerful 2 litre engine available in any Japanese car and hit the headlines for only running on unleaded fuel. The question is, if you saw a de-badged one on the road tomorrow, would you recognise it?

The MK1 Toyota Celica GT-Four is a rare sight on the roads today. A recent check with the DVLA showed that little over 100 roadworthy examples remain in the UK. It has reached that difficult age when many examples need a reasonable amount of work, but it is not quite old enough to be really considered a classic. Strangely, the road version's two main rivals at the time, the Lancia Delta Integrale and the Audi Quattro seem to have managed to escape this fate and are fondly remembered and cherished cars. The MK1 Celica GT-Four is somewhat of a forgotten car.

I have had a soft spot for Celicas for quite a few years now. After I left university I bought my first car, a 92 Ford Escort, which was promptly stolen a few months later. I lusted after something sportier as a replacement, and after a brief misguided search for a Rover 220 Coupe, my father encouraged me to buy a 1990 red MK5 Celica GTi-16. The Celica was a cracking car for me at the time - reliable but with a fantastically revvy engine and and a chuckable front wheel drive chassis. I owned that car for two years - but as my driving skills developed, I started to tire of front wheel drive and 160bhp. As is always the way, I began to lust after a car with a more performance orientated drive-train and more power.

I never intended to buy a MK1 Celica GT-Four (known in Celica circles by its model number, the ST165), although thanks to my involvement with Celicas I knew that I wanted a GT-Four at some point. I originally intended to buy a MK2 Carlos Sainz Edition GT-Four, but funds were tight and I couldn't really afford to spend the £4000 that a good Carlos Sainz commands. Like most people, even those in the GT-Four owners club, I had never really given the ST165 much thought as it was older, rarer and in stock form, slower than the other GT-Four's. Then one day, I was idly searching eBay when I spotted a ST165 for sale just down the road from where I was living and on a whim I went to see it. The car had been standing for a while and needed a reasonable amount of work, but I was smitten. I loved the 80's retro looks, the power delivery from the 2 litre turbo charged engine and the noise - which can only be described as a 'sucking' noise. So I did the obvious thing and bought the car, spent quite a lot of money on getting it back on the road and then in February this year, bought another one.

This isn't quite as daft as it sounds. The second car had been owned by one of the most experienced GT-Four specialists in the country, was well modified and was in better condition than the other car. The first car, which has now also had some decent modifications, is currently up for sale as I make a desperate attempt to reclaim some garage space and recoup some cash to spend on the new car.

The new car, as I mentioned, has had some well chosen modifications to it which have opened my eyes to the potential in the car. At a recent rolling road day, it put out a very healthy 209bhp with only an electronic boost controller set just above stock, exhaust and air filter. Attention has also been paid to the chassis, with new dampers and fast road springs all round serving to enhance the cars already excellent handling. A custom aluminium radiator (commissioned and fitted by myself), a short gear shifter from a later GT-Four and a set of OZ wheels as used on the rally cars complete the car in its current form. It is my plan to build the car into something I can take part in hill climb and sprint events plus the odd track day over the next year, and I will be doing as much of the work myself as I can. The question is can I reach my goal of getting the car to 300bhp+ without breaking the bank?

So why do I like the ST165? I love the point to point pace that the four wheel drive system and its incredible grip gives you. I enjoy learning about the car and expanding my rather limited knowledge of car mechanics. I love the way that the car loves to go into a four wheel drive drift around roundabouts, ending with a little flourish as the back end slides out into power oversteer. I love the looks (although I hate the ever present threat of rust, the curse of the ST165 with its non galvanised body). I love the lively owner's community and the events it organises. Finally, I love the fact that the car and my never ending project to keep it going and improve it is a great hobby, a hobby that I hope that you will want to share by reading my future articles.