It had been an eventful period since Maesima first entered the US market in 1982. While the humble Celento family initially failed to capture the hearts and minds of the automotive reviewers or the public. It’s low price, relative safety and fuel economy earn it a small place in the market. But David R. Clark and his US division didn’t rest on their laurels. Instead, he set about improving the Celento based on all the reviews and feedback.
This work culminated in the April 1985 release of the refreshed Celento featuring a revised look with new front fascia, tail treatments in addition to mechanical changes including an automatic transmission option and further refinements to the ride and handling. The range was revised and the new limited edition Trail-Trek edition was introduced.
This update addressed many of the criticisms of the old model regarding its reliability, servicing costs and drive and handling characteristics. As a result, sales improved for the sedan, wagon and even liftback models. However, the limited edition Trail-Trek model an idea by Clark to tap into the growing sports utility trend failed to impress. This hastily developed variant was widely panned by the press for being underpowered, uncomfortable and generally failing to capture the public’s interest. An excerpt from the era summarizes the vehicle as such
“…for a van it is surprisingly difficult to load. This is probably because of the depth of the cargo bay, but having only one portal from which to load it. Those hoping to use it for an active lifestyle would also be disappointed by its performance in off-highway scenarios. Furthermore, we’ve found that Maesima vehicles have a propensity to prematurely rust out…”
Thankfully, Clark managed to find an even better idea betting the whole companies US market success on a ‘win on Sunday sell on Monday’ strategy. In the 1987 season of ASCAR Maesima would achieve an unlikely and still somewhat controversial nationwide motoring success teaming up with the UK firm Armada and their intrepid founder Arthur “Ableman” Herrington. Teaming up with their US racing operations to form the highly successful Maesima Armada Racing that dominated the 1987 season. Which despite controversies surrounding the wins led to a rapid rise in sales for the brand securing its future operations in the US.
The all-new Celento also known as the NV-988 in some markets, was part of Maesima’s expansion in North America after the success of the first generation Celento. It was introduced in 1988. Riding on an all-new UF-platform featuring a new torsion beam rear suspension which replaced the old solid rear design. This provided marked improvements in ride and handling. The exterior was all-new and followed the trend towards aerodynamic design.
While underneath the same venerable MCO series of single overhead cams and two valves per cylinder engines were carried over with improvements. The 1.5-litre options were dropped leaving only a 2.0 litre in the lineup. While still carbureted it featured improvements in power and economy. Celento were built in Anikatia at the main factory facilities in Namju.
Celento Tz 2.0L 4AT: $4,690*
(*+20% in 1982 value equal to 8,645.00 (+20%) or 6,916.00 (+0%) in 2010 Autiomation units)