Toyota GR Yaris (2021)

Toyota’s desire to be dominate the World Rally Championship resulted in their latest entrant built from the ground up. WRC regs require that at least 25,000 of the road-going variant are built. Long gone are the days where Ford and Peugeot could build just a couple of hundred of their RS200 and 205 T16 rally cars.

Its clear the GR Yaris sits within the Yaris family, but the design details have all come from the need for speed, and the best possible method of doing so. The sloped roofline for example, is to ensure the aerodynamic pathway to the rear wing is clear and unobstructed; the rules say you can’t fit aerodynamic devices to the rear doors…so there aren’t any…rear doors.

For a hot hatch, the weight saving methods are liberal. The roof is carbon fiber which saves 3.5kg, the door skins, bonnet and tailgate are aluminum, together saving a further 25kg. The chassis itself isn’t standard Yaris structure either; instead a combination of Corolla and CH-R combined with 4,175 weld points (259 more than a Yaris) and 35.4 meters of structural adhesive. This is a car designed to be stiff from the start.

The GR Yaris is powered by the worlds most powerful three-cylinder engine, a 1.6 litre with 257bhp and 266lb ft. The only gearbox option is a 6-speed manual, and the power is deployed through the lightest 4wd system available.

This example was first supplied on the 17th April 2021 and today presents with just 2 owners and 4,950 miles from new. Optioned in upgraded Platinum White Pearl, this example is also fitted with the desirable Circuit Pack comprised of 18inch BBS forged alloy wheels, retuned suspension, Michelin Pilot 4S tyres and red brake calipers. Additionally added are mechanical front and rear Torsen differentials and whilst the same torque split controller remains, the mechanical elements are upgraded.