Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
I’ve spent years wanting to drive a GR Yaris. It was the first expression of Gazoo Racing as an enthusiast brand, and it was a proper Toyota, unlike the BMW Supra that debuted alongside it. The difference in reverence was obvious—the GR Supra was celebrated but never quite loved by Toyota. The GR Yaris, like all great cars, had something beyond itself. An irrational objective, destined to be an art form rather than a spreadsheet-pleaser.
Akio Toyoda himself authorized the project. The official story was for World Rally Championship homologation; Toyota discontinued the normal three-door Yaris due to low demand, leaving the five-door version as the only one in production. Toyota’s world rally team said the five-door is less than ideal for maximum competitive potential, so a study into making a homologation special was undertaken, with all the accouterments that come with it.
Gazoo Racing developed an all-new three-door bodyshell, which shared almost nothing with the standard Yaris. The rear structure was heavily reinforced and reconfigured to accommodate the Corolla’s semi-trailing-arm rear suspension and a new rear differential. The fenders were widened 2.4 inches front and rear, and the roof was lowered about 1.8 inches above the driver, and 3.7 inches toward the rear of the car.
In the process, dozens of details were engineered to increase rigidity: feet of structural adhesives, small, triangulating braces underneath the body panels, and a carbon fiber roof. All in the name of rally homologation, though Toyoda later admitted the depth of the GR Yaris’ development could have only been possible as a passion project. Like the Lexus LFA he helped foster a decade earlier, he wished to see the ultimate Toyota, something to reflect the pride and craftsmanship Japan is so well known for.
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I’ve spent years wanting to drive a GR Yaris. It was the first expression of Gazoo Racing as an enthusiast brand, and it was a proper Toyota, unlike the BMW Supra that debuted alongside it. The difference in reverence was obvious—the GR Supra was celebrated but never quite loved by Toyota. The GR Yaris, like all great cars, had something beyond itself. An irrational objective, destined to be an art form rather than a spreadsheet-pleaser.
Akio Toyoda himself authorized the project. The official story was for World Rally Championship homologation; Toyota discontinued the normal three-door Yaris due to low demand, leaving the five-door version as the only one in production. Toyota’s world rally team said the five-door is less than ideal for maximum competitive potential, so a study into making a homologation special was undertaken, with all the accouterments that come with it.
Gazoo Racing developed an all-new three-door bodyshell, which shared almost nothing with the standard Yaris. The rear structure was heavily reinforced and reconfigured to accommodate the Corolla’s semi-trailing-arm rear suspension and a new rear differential. The fenders were widened 2.4 inches front and rear, and the roof was lowered about 1.8 inches above the driver, and 3.7 inches toward the rear of the car.
In the process, dozens of details were engineered to increase rigidity: feet of structural adhesives, small, triangulating braces underneath the body panels, and a carbon fiber roof. All in the name of rally homologation, though Toyoda later admitted the depth of the GR Yaris’ development could have only been possible as a passion project. Like the Lexus LFA he helped foster a decade earlier, he wished to see the ultimate Toyota, something to reflect the pride and craftsmanship Japan is so well known for.
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