Can I put an EVO engine in a 1971 Celica?

Well that would make a distinctive and marvelous car. The '71 celica looks so good ,it looks like it was made in America in the 60s.

You would get the best of both worlds, classic looks , and state of the art power.

While you will find plenty of those ridiculiusly ugly evos in the junk yards, the problem is the celica.

The 1st generation celicas have been used as parts cars for the few classic celicas, so you probably won't be able to find one for sale, there just are'nt any left that have not been either restored or cannibalized.

You're gonna need more than just an evo engine. You'll need something to control it. An evo's electronic suspension control is very complex. The evo ecu controls all of this as the car is AWD, but not full time AWD and sometimes in a very powerful slide, the evo is effectively powering ONE wheel. You're probably not interested in all of the suspension interference though. This can probably be turned off. I'm imagining you need an entire evo minus the chassis and body.

Sounds like a nightmare to me. In my opinion, if you want a cheap fast drivers car that is a sport compact, see if you can find an early 90's Eagle Talon TSi or Eclipse GSX that you could work on. Might be able to find one that even needs an engine. I think you will have less of a headache matching an evo engine to a first gen talon or eclipse that is already set-up with a manual gearbox and all-wheel drive (AWD).

PS - I think the early 90's Plymouth/Dodge/Chrysler Laser is the same chassis also, just not turbo? Look into it. Good luck.

About as easily as you can make a submarine in your back yard. It will require so much custom fab work you would be better off getting a second job and buying a new Mitsubishi.