Toyota has debuted its new mid-engined sports car in racing livery. Officially, it’s called the GR Yaris M Concept, but no one other than Toyota is actually referring to it by that name. Japanese media is confident that this vehicle marks the long-awaited resurrection of the legendary Celica.
The car debuted at Round 6 of the Super Taikyu endurance series at Okayama Circuit over the weekend. Piloting the car was Toyota works driver Masahiro Sasaki, who posted these photos to social media, co-driver Takamitsu Mitsui, president of Ogura Racing Clutch Yasuhiro Ogura, and the Chairman himself, Akio Toyoda.
Powering the coupe was the upcoming G20E engine, a 2.0-liter turbo four derived from the G16E three-cylinder in the GR Yaris and GR Corolla. It’s part of Toyota’s plan to keep internal combustion alive as it partners with Subaru and Mazda — with boxers and rotaries, respectively — to differentiate each marque’s core engine type. It is said that the G20E produces 450 to 500 horsepower, but can be tuned up to 600. A lightweight naturally aspirated version making around 220 horses may find its way into the next GR86. The M Concept is paired with a six-speed manual.
While the engine placement would seem to make a case for naming the car MR2, an argument for Celica is that it’s AWD, evoking the many generations of Celica GT-Four that Toyota campaigned in WRC. Early versions of the M Concept ran a 50:50 front/rear torque distribution, but now they’ve shifted the ratio to 20:80 or 30:70 front/rear.
Under the guidance of Akio Toyoda, engineers are reportedly trying to find the right balance of handling for a mid-engined car. They’re cognizant of the snap oversteer inherent in mid-engined cars and want the car to continue Toyota’s reputation for safety. They don’t want the handling so knife’s edge that only pro racers will be able to drive it. However, they’re also wary of being too cautious to the point of handicapping the car, and want owners to be able to unleash its full potential on track days.
Toyota had previously ran a mid-engined GR Yaris hot hatch in Super Taikyu, but the new body lengthens the car and lowers the roofline significantly. There’s GR Yaris elements in the front end, especially the headlights and grille, but the profile evokes a hint of the seventh-generation Celica. Massive intakes on each side funnel air to the mid-mounted motor.
The team finished sixth in the Gr.2 class among cars such as the Mazda Roadster, Civic Type R, Suzuki Swift, GR86, and GR Yaris. Winning the race wasn’t the point. For several years Toyota has been using the Super Taikyu series, especially the rounds at Okayama, as testbeds. Whether it’s called the Celica or, as some of us are hoping, MR2, this car’s production has already been confirmed by Toyota execs with a rally racing variant in the works as well. Expect an even more honed version to appear at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January.
