Prototypes of the Toyota GR Yaris with extra aero parts have been spied testing at the Nürburgring in October 2020, and more recently in August 2021, hinting at a possible track-focused variant of the rally-bred hot hatch. It seems that Toyota engineers had another go with the tuned GR Yaris prototype, but this time they didn’t bother to add any camouflage, thus revealing all of the details.
As we can see from the pictures, the track-focused GR Yaris has a set of canards on the front bumper, additional vents behind the front wheels, an extra piece on the rear fenders, and a significantly larger rear wing. All extra aero components in this test car are black, and we suspect they could be made of carbon fiber. This time the car is fitted with production-spec wheels while it keeps the data-gathering sensors mounted at the back.
See Also: Track-Focused Toyota GR Yaris Continues Its Development
Our spy photographers spotted Argentinian racing driver Jose-Maria Lopez sitting behind the wheel of the prototype at the Green Hell
Toyota hasn’t released any details on future GR Yaris variants. However, given the popularity of the hot hatch and the investment they made for its custom-chassis and uniquely designed three-door body, it is highly likely that Gazoo Racing will continue its development.
Gazoo Racing’s naming strategy includes the GR Parts (extra parts), GR Sport (entry-level sports models), GR (serious sports models), and GRMN (extreme sports models). The latter is a good candidate for the Yaris since it was also used in its limited-production FWD predecessor.
See More: We Drive The 2021 Toyota GR Yaris Rallye Is The One You Should Go For
The stock GR Yaris is fitted with a turbocharged 1.6-liter three-cylinder producing 257 hp (192 kW / 261 PS) and 360 Nm (266 lb-ft) of torque in EU-spec. Power is transmitted to all four wheels through a six-speed manual and with the help of the rally-inspired GR-Four system, which comes with Torsen limited-slip differentials in both axles in the Circuit Pack.
We expect the more hardcore version of Toyota’s hot hatch to get all of the goodies from the GR Yaris Circuit Pack (aka Ralllye in Australia), and possibly come with an even more track focused suspension and extra power. That should make it quicker than the stock model, which sprints to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 230 km/h (143 mph), but most importantly, faster around the track.
Given that the prototype didn’t have any camouflage on and looked almost production-ready, the new GR Yaris variant could be revealed before the end of the year ahead of a 2022 market launch.
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