Concept We Forgot: 1999 Toyota Celica Cruising Deck

That time when Toyota built a Celica for the beach.

1999 Toyota Celica Cruising Deck concept

Adrian Padeanu

By: Adrian Padeanu

Jun 1, 2016 at 11:40am ET

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Name: Toyota Celica Cruising Deck

Debuted: 1999 Tokyo Motor Show

Specs: Based on the seventh-gen Celica, 187-hp 1.8-liter engine, six-speed manual, FWD

Why We Remember It Now:

An iconic nameplate applied on a sports car for outdoorsy people is not something that you get to see every day, and the Cruising Deck concept was Toyota’s idea for a beach-ready Celica. Based on the seventh (and final) generation of the model, the concept is a nod to the leisure-oriented CAL-1 which was introduced at the same car show 22 years earlier.

Aside from the unusual body style, the Celica Cruising Deck had 1920s-inspired rumble rear seats and there was a window between the front and rear seats. The glass was not fixed as those inside were able to lower it into the foldable divider that doubled as a lower cushion for the back seats. To make it even more special, Toyota affixed the rear headrests to the huge wing just because...

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When it came out, Toyota’s then CEO Katsuhiro Nakagawa described it as being “cool, sporty, and a heck of a lot of fun!” Looking like this and rocking a 187-hp 1.8-liter twin-cam engine, we agree we the statement. It was the same twin-cam engine from the regular seventh-gen Celica and was hooked up to a six-speed manual gearbox delivering those ponies to the front wheels.

Perhaps it would’ve been perfect with a RWD layout as the first three generations of the Celica, but that doesn’t really matter at the end of the day. The Cruising Deck remained strictly a concept, with a cool matching trailer carrying a jet ski we might add.