Video: Marvel at the sight of this 50-year-old, V12-swapped Celica

The first generation of the Toyota Celica came out 55 years ago and was aiming at the same market as the Ford Mustang. As chance would have it, Toyota decided to offer it overseas with a shortened wheelbase and only four cylinders, so it never became a true rival of the Mustang. Fast-forward to the present day, and Florida-based Attacking The Clock Racing (ACR) built a one-off Celica we all deserved.

According to the tuner, the original plan was to swap the car to a naturally aspirated V10 sourced form a Lexus LFA. That engine turned out nearly unobtainable, though, so a V12 from a Toyota Century was used instead. It was upgraded to rev up to 10,000 RPM and make 707 PS (697 hp / 520 kW) at the crank.

An eight-speed automatic transmission - ZF8HP, to be specific – was chosen for the torque delivery, but the car nonetheless has three pedals instead of two. ACR explains that the clutch pedal can still be used to send the Celica into tight corners by forcing oversteer or to rev the engine while stationary. Or you can just forget it exists and drive it as you would any automatic car, no problem.

What astonishes us even more than tripling the cylinder count is how much attention to detail went into this build. Handcrafted carbon-fiber trims are everywhere you look, and they look actually well-appointed and tasteful. The wheels are BBS E55 centerlocks, and the rear suspension uses a pushrod setup. The exterior shines in British Racing Green, and the interior is draped with tan leather. Touchscreens are non-existent, and with analog gauges like the ones seen here, we wouldn’t want it any other way.

An earlier version of the car debuted at the last year’s SEMA show. Watch the video for a more in-depth look at this truly impressive work.