Toyota has answered its critics by giving the GR86 sports coupe a turbocharger and all-wheel drive, however you can’t buy one from your local showroom just yet.
Built for the SEMA trade show in Las Vegas, the GR86 Rally Legacy Concept is powered by the 1.6-litre three-cylinder engine from the GR Yaris and GR Corolla, mated to the pair’s all-wheel drive system.
Reports out of Japan in recent years have indicated the next-generation Toyota GR86 will get a turbocharged three-cylinder engine, potentially mated to a hybrid system which the Japanese car giant has become a specialist in.
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However, Toyota has made clear this concept is just a tribute to its iconic Celica GT-Four from the 1990s, which won multiple World Rally Championships across its ST185 and ST205 generations, wearing the Castrol red-and-green colours.
The hot Celica also featured in popular video games of the time, such as Sega Rally and Gran Turismo.
Unlike the standard GR86 four-cylinder engine – which is mounted longitudinally under the coupe’s bonnet – the turbo three-cylinder was fitted transversely in the concept car to cater for the all-wheel drive system, requiring significant chassis modifications.
A custom subframe holds the engine above the front drivetrain components, and has been equipped with GR Corolla hubs, spindles and axles to get power to the front wheels.
The GR86’s rear end also received extensive modifications to accept the GR Corolla’s differential, allowing the concept to retain the production hot hatch’s factory gear ratios, electronic functionality, and power distribution – though it still required custom half-shafts.
All that work allowed Toyota to install a turbocharged three-cylinder engine which produces 221kW of power and 370Nm of torque, well up on the 174kW/250Nm outputs of the naturally aspirated 2.4-litre flat-four in the production GR86.
While it doesn’t make any additional power or torque compared to the GR Corolla, the GR86 concept is equipped with a performance intercooler, an uprated oil cooler and a race-derived engine control unit (ECU) which can allow for increased outputs in the future.
There are additional upgrades inspired by the GR Corolla and GR Yaris, such as its central exhaust system.
Toyota understandably took the largest amount of inspiration from the Celicas of the 1990s, with a large rear spoiler, red mud flaps and Speedline five-spoke wheels.
The cabin has been fitted with a full roll cage and a racing seat with six-point harness, while it appears there’s a digital instrument cluster and sequential gear selector.
Among its media release detailing the Rally Legacy Concept, Toyota executives shared their interest for the World Rally Championship (WRC) to return to the US, having last held a race in the country way back in the late 1980s.
Toyota has won the last five WRC Drivers’ titles and the most recent three manufacturers’ crowns, all with the Yaris and GR Yaris.
