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 pre–facelift GR Yaris was powered by the world’s most powerful three-cylinder engine, a 1.6 litre with 257bhp and 266lb ft. The only gearbox option being a 6-speed manual, with the power deployed through the lightest 4WD system available.
4 years after the launch of the original car, Toyota unveiled the facelifted GR Yaris at Tokyo Auto Salon in January 2024. Following feedback from enthusiasts and the press alike, the new car comes with a smorgasbord of improvements, including but not limited to a new centre console, better visibility enabling lower dashboard, lower seating position, increased spring rates, improved cooling and an all-important intercooler water spray button. Meanwhile the revised engine rounds off the list of changes, now finding an additional 20hp for a total of 280hp.
This specific facelift example was ordered through Toyota GB and delivered on 30th October 2024, presenting in the optional pearlescent Scarlet Flare red, with the UK–market mandatory Circuit pack. Covering only 530 miles from new, this GR Yaris is offered from the collection of its sole keeper and is available to view at our showrooms just outside London immediately.
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