The Toyota GR Yaris is a very impressive car and perhaps the finest hot hatch currently on sale. It is also in very high demand, so much so that someone has just spent the equivalent of almost $140,000 buying a limited-edition variant.
The model in question is the special GRMN Yaris, unveiled 12 months ago as a variant limited to the Japanese market and benefiting from a plethora of upgrades. As noted by Autoracing and Drive, It was recently sold to an unnamed buyer at an auction in Japan for 18,165,000 yen ($139,497) before fees, an eye-watering sum and more than double the car’s MSRP.
Toyota is building just 500 examples of the GRMN and offers it with the Circuit Package or the Rally Package. The example sold at auction was fitted with the Circuit Package which, as the name implies, has been designed with an even stronger track focus than the standard model. In Japan, the GRMN Yaris with the Circuit Package is priced at 8,467,000 yen ($65,021).
Read: 2022 Toyota GRMN Yaris Is A Wilder And Lighter 2-Seater Version Capped At 500 Units
A host of upgrades have been made to the GRMN Yaris. For example, the rear seats have been removed and a carbon fiber hood has been fitted. In addition, the carmaker has increased the number of spot welds by 545 compared to the standard car to improve body rigidity. Circuit Package models also ride on 18-inch BBS forged wheels and are equipped with larger brakes, Bilstein adjustable shocks, extended side skirts, a new front lip, and a carbon fiber rear wing. It weighs 20 kg (44 lbs) less than the standard model.
Some small upgrades have also been made to the 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder. It continues to deliver 268 hp but torque has been increased from 272 lb-ft (370 Nm) to 287 lb-ft (390 Nm). A closer-ratio six-speed manual transmission is also fitted, as are mechanical limited-slip differentials at both the front and rear. The standard GR Yaris uses Torsen diffs.
The GRMN Yaris Circuit Package sold at the auction is painted in Matte Steel, a color that will be capped at just 50 units, and has only been driven 66 km (41 miles).
