Toyota is commemorating the Celica's return in the most epic way possible.Toyota's highly-anticipated Celica revival continues to keep sports car fans at the edge of their seats. But if you still had any skepticism towards its return, you can definitely put those second thoughts to rest.That's because Toyota apparently is solidifying the Celica's return in one of its most iconic ways: by bringing it back to rallying. Not only would reviving the Celica in the World Rally Championship hark back to one of the automaker's most notable motorsports eras.AdvertisementAdvertisementBut why else would Toyota go through all the effort of taking a new Celica racing? Other than to help justify its return to form?Toyota will be rallying like it's the '90s againThe Celica may be known as one of Toyota's definitive affordable sports cars. But it's also an absolute motorsports icon.Back in the 1980s and 1990s, Toyota really upped its game in the World Rally Championship. As European competitors like Lancia, Peugeot and Audi dominated the game, Toyota stepped in to put them in their place.And they did so by taking the fifth- and sixth-gen models rallying, beginning in 1989. Toyota's other competitors and future rally champions, Mitsubishi and Subaru, were still crawling their way into relevance at the time. They wouldn't start winning until several years later.Toyota is looking to recapture the Celica's glory bigtime by bringing it back to the stage that made it an icon. - Credit: Toyota Gazoo RacingNot only did the Celica score its first championship win in 1990 with Carlos Sainz driving. Ultimately, beating out the legendary Lancia Delta.AdvertisementAdvertisementIt ended up taking the title consecutively, three times in arow between 1992 and 1995. That is until the Subaru Impreza took its first championship title in 1995, with none other than the late Colin McRae at the wheel.Now, Toyota's looking to recapture that original, legendary glory with the new Celica revival.We already know Toyota's testing the Celica in motorsports Toyota Celica in WRC Through the Years 5 photos Toyota Gazoo Racing - Credit: Toyota Gazoo RacingToyota Gazoo Racing - Credit: Toyota Gazoo RacingToyota Gazoo Racing - Credit: Toyota Gazoo RacingToyota Gazoo Racing - Credit: Toyota Gazoo RacingAdvertisementAdvertisementToyota Gazoo Racing - Credit: Toyota Gazoo Racing Expand gallery 10 1 / 5 Previous slide Next slide Return to story AdvertisementAdvertisementToyota Gazoo RacingToyota Gazoo RacingAdvertisementAdvertisementToyota Gazoo RacingToyota Gazoo RacingToyota Gazoo Racing 10 1 / 5 Previous slide Next slide It's already widely known that Toyota's working on reviving the Celica. From Mr. Toyoda and other executives confirming its return, to countless rumors and spy shots of test mules.For example, some of the most recent prototype shots involved an apparent Celica rally car undergoing testing.The case just continues getting stronger for its return. And it's getting to the point of being nearly without any doubt.The fifth-gen Celicas became motorsports icons, all thanks to its wins in the WRC.AdvertisementAdvertisementHelping the case for the Celica's return was a recent development via Spain's RallyJournal, who caught up with legendary Spanish co-driver, Luis Moya, who's currently racing with Toyota's WRC team in Paraguay.According to Moya, who has the inside scoop, Toyota's looking to ditch its current WRC rally car platform, which is based on the current GR Yaris. In its supposed place for the near-future: the next-gen Celica.Toyota's depended on the Yaris for its rally car racing platforms, but that's about to change. - Credit: Toyota Gazoo Racing"We need to be patient about next year. At the moment, only a few teams have been confirmed, so we have to wait and see what happens," Moya commented, when asked about Toyota's near-term plan for WRC. "Next year will be a bit of a dull year, but we already know that the Toyota team is going to have a Celica."Toyota's own internal publication, ToyotaTimes, also recently published a brief interview between Mr. Akio "Morizo" Toyoda and Hitoshi Hongo. Hongo is the former editor-in-chief of Japan's auto publication, BestCar.The fifth-gen Celica GT-Four is one of Toyota's most iconic race cars, ever. - Credit: Toyota Gazoo RacingIn that discussion, Morizo once again comically hinted at the Celica's return.AdvertisementAdvertisementRegardless of your stance on the model's revival, there's enough evidence out in the field to convince us that Toyota's iconic sports car is most certainly on the path to coming back. And this all just got us even more excited about it.About the Author: Chris Chin is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, trucks and anything else with four wheels. He has over a decade of experience writing news and reviews but considers himself an enthusiast first, with a passion for classics and European cars. His daily driver is a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL with nearly 250,000 miles (87,000 are his).Want to stay up to date on the latest product news and releases? 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