Toyota has been on a roll with performance cars over the last few years. It’s leaned on other automakers for a couple of them, such as BMW for the Supra, and Subaru for the GR 86, but it’s had its own fully in-house products, including the GR Yaris and GR Corolla. Rumors and racing prototypes have also shown that the company has other cars on the way, possibly with the Celica and MR2 names.
We now know a little more about one of those prototypes, and it sure seems like it could be a precursor to a new MR2.
It’s The Weirdest-Looking Yaris We’ve Ever Seen
We first saw this car back in July when a video of an unmarked version was lapping Fuji Speedway. At the time, we thought it might be a Celica prototype, since we’d seen Toyota testing a somewhat similar-looking short-wheelbase coupe for the World Rally Championship. As it turns out, it’s an evolution of the Toyota GR Yaris M concept race car that’s been racing in the Super Taikyu endurance series. The M in that name is to indicate that it’s a mid-engine model, and that’s why we think this latest car could preview an MR2.
The powertrain and name aren’t especially new. According to the Super Taikyu website, the Ogura Racing Clutch team has been campaigning the coupe’s basic setup in a race car with a normal GR Yaris body for a few events so far. It has the engine mounted in the middle, but still has all-wheel drive.
Toyota GR Yaris M Concept race car from the front three-quarter angleSuper Taikyu
Of course, the car you see here does not have a normal Yaris body. It has cutouts for Yaris headlights and taillights, and the front bumper design has a passing resemblance to the hatchback. This new body is much lower with a fastback roofline. It also looks as though it may be wider and even a bit longer. According to Car Watch Impress, a Japanese car news outlet, the new design has significantly lowered the center of gravity, probably bringing the driver lower and maybe even parts of the drivetrain. It also reduced drag and allowed for the addition of more downforce with the large rear wing.
The outlet also showed that the car is still using the G20E 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder from the earlier Yaris M cars. It reportedly can make around 400 to 450 horsepower, with the potential to reach 600. This sleek new Yaris will also be put to the test this weekend in the sixth round of the Super Taikyu series at Okayama International Circuit.
What Do We Know About The Rumored MR2?
At the start of this year, the head of Toyota’s GR division finally confirmed that development had begun on a mid-engine production sports car. It came after years of teases such as the 2023 FT-Se concept, and last year’s reveal of the Yaris M race car. However, it likely won’t show up until the start of the new decade because it’s early in development.
We would expect it to use a version of the new G20E engine that’s also being tested. That engine could show up in other applications before the new MR2 goes into production, though, such as a new generation of front-engine GR Yaris and GR Corolla. The engine could even show up in a production Celica, which may look a bit like the rally car we mentioned earlier.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
It seems pretty clear that Toyota is using the Yaris M race cars as a way to do extra development for the eventual road-going MR2. The company must also be making some solid progress with the powertrain to be comfortable changing the chassis and the body to take better advantage of the layout. Also, even though the final shape could look notably different, we’re probably getting a decent preview of what the size and proportions could be.
We’re looking forward to seeing the evolution of this platform over the next few years.
Source: Super Taikyu, Car Watch Impress, All Things Super GT / Facebook
