Iconic two-door sports car rumoured for revival… 18 years after it was taken off the market

AN ICONIC two-door sports car has been rumoured for a revival 18 years after it was discontinued.

The model is one of a popular retro trio, all of which have either made comebacks or have been reported to be on the way.

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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, all of which revolutionised the affordable sports car market in the '80s and '90s.

The Supra already made its triumphant return back in 2019.

And the MR2 has been heavily rumoured to be on the comeback trail, with an unveiling possible within the next two years.

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Now, though, Japanese motor magazine , which broke the news on the MR2, is reporting that the Celica is also expected to be brought back.

The new model is reportedly set to take inspiration from the Audi Quattro, providing a more luxury-focused package than the original.

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

This could be souped up to produce 400 horsepower, based on a concept the manufacturer shared earlier this year.

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Best Car adds that it could be revealed as soon as next year's Tokyo Auto Salon in January.

The Celica first made its European debut in 1997, having already been on sale in the US for nearly 30 years.

Its popularity peaked in 2000, with over 7,000 sold, but numbers declined thereafter until it the model was pulled in 2006.

It comes amid Toyota's continuing resistance to the idea of transitioning to an EV-only lineup in contrast to many of its major rivals.

Masahito Watanabe, who heads up the company's GR model range, told : "We don’t want to give up.

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

Toyota declined to comment.