Toyota GT86 CS-R3 takes shape

Toyota Motorsport could return to WRC proper some day but for now they are still evaluating things, weighing the options and waiting for the next set of tech rules and regulations to be revealed. Or at least we’re led to believe that is what they’ve been doing all this time. Either way, Toyota and WRC is not yet the thing, but it could be. Must be. Right?

In the meantime Toyota is working hard on another rally related promise and this one is also quite exciting. It’s a factory developed and built, rear wheel drive GT86 CS-R3 rally car. With rear wheel drive, in case you missed that part. Such cars are a rare sight these days. Well, actually they’re not if you count in all the Fords and Porsches and such, but this is a brand new car, built with a purpose to compete in officially sanctioned events alongside other R3 cars. Providing always welcome departure from the usual FWD or 4WD cars for those who enjoy the RWD challenges. Personally I think this is fantastic, because Toyota’s affordable sports car is quite popular among the buyers, and there is no better way to put some weight behind the sporty character claims than to actually race and rally the thing.

Toyota GT86 CS-R3 is said to deliver more than 200 HP and uses 6-speed sequential gearbox. Again, this is not just some car, made to clear the rules and nothing more. Carefully picked suppliers, fine tuned weight optimizations and performance upgrades should ideally translate into a very competitive and/or fun rally car.

But what about Subaru? Can we expect Subaru BRZ in R3 guise as well? And in blue… with golden wheels…

Nico Ehlert, Principal Engineer Customer Motorsport: “It’s very satisfying to see the GT86 CS-R3 taking shape and it is exciting to think it will be on the test track in just a few days. We have been working hard to reach this stage, with a lot of effort going into the preparation and planning to make sure we deliver a reliable and enjoyable car to customers from the beginning. Our engineer focus has been to develop a lightweight car which is safe, reliable and fun. So far everything is running on schedule and we are hitting our targets; we look forward to continuing that progress through the track-testing phase.”

More news and details about Toyota’s rally car can be found on Toyota Motorsport’s website.