2022 Toyota GR Yaris Circuit Pack*

When Toyota decided that they wanted their many years of success in International Rallying to continue, the initial problem was selecting a model that was going to be competitive in coming years. The regulations that govern WRC rallying dictate that your car has to be based on an existing road car, a process known as ‘homologation’, and although your rally car can deviate from the road formula in many areas, in most key ones it can’t. In the past, manufacturers were able to get around this because the regs didn’t insist on too many road-going versions, maybe 2,000 or even less, however that figure is now 25,000. Few manufacturers would even countenance building 25,000 seriously focussed rally cars and hope to find homes for them, but Toyota, always up for a challenge, did just that. Based on their successful little Yaris, and developed alongside their Gazoo Racing World Rally Team, the GR Yaris made its debut in late 2020.

This technological miracle may look like a Yaris but the similarities are few and far between. The roof is carbon fibre saving 3.5kg, the door skins, bonnet and tailgate are aluminium, removing another 24kg and the front half of the chassis is Yaris but the rear is adapted from the Corolla and CH-R. It has the Yaris’ 2,560mm wheelbase, its light clusters, door mirrors and roof fin but that’s about it. Under the bonnet is the world’s most powerful production three-cylinder engine, a 1.6-litre with 257bhp and 266lb/ft. It features a unique block, bespoke pistons and a single-scroll, ball-bearing turbo to reduce weight with the engine itself being hydraulically mounted on one side to reduce vibration and unwanted movement. All cars were fitted with a 6-speed manual gearbox and a remarkably light, four-wheel drive system with an aluminium central transfer case and Sport and Track Modes. At the rear, there’s an electronically-controlled clutch pack to divide torque between the wheels.

When new, the GR Yaris was available with a Convenience Pack or, as here, the Circuit Pack (£3,500) designed for drivers who want the ultimate in handling response and precision. This option included lightweight 18'' BBS forged alloys, retuned suspension, mechanical front and rear Torsen diffs, red brake calipers and Michelin Pilot 4S tyres.

Finished in Platinum White Pearl and fitted from new with the Circuit Pack option, this is a UK-supplied GR that’s being offered from its first owner, Iconic Auctioneers Chairman, Nick Whale. With decades of competition experience and much success both on the circuit and in European rallying in a huge variety of cars, Nick's judgement is pretty sound on a car's qualities and, in his opinion, the little GR Yaris is one of the most exciting, adrenaline-generating, addictive performance saloons he's ever driven.

Just 3,500 miles were showing on the odometer at the time of cataloguing, and the car is in the sort of condition that you might expect considering its tiny mileage and fastidious ownership. Original panels, original paint and essentially unmarked. Being offered at a very sensible and tempting guide price, this is a true modern-day ‘homologation special’, yet effortless everyday transport and currently, undoubtedly 'super cool'.