If you could recall, Toyota once brought down their GT86 CS-R3 rally car to last year’s Rallye Deutschland and gave it the role of the zero car where it tested each rally stage before each stage begins. It seems that back then the car was still in development stage as Toyota had recently revealed the full details and specifications of their rear-wheeler, dirt-kicking machine that will debut this year.
The CS-R3 prototype had been subjected to numerous tests since August 2014 and they had finally completed an extensive program to optimize design and the final specs of the kit which will find their way to private competitors and teams. Powering the CS-R3 is a 1,998cc boxer engine that produces 238-horsepower and 170 lb-ft of torque at 6,800rpm and mated to the engine is a six-speed sequential transmission.
The first batch of cars will be delivered to the customers by May, later than originally forecasted in order for Toyota to implement the improvements highlighted during testing. And for that, TMG has extended its introductory discount where the CS-R3 kit will come with a price tag of €79,000 (RM 320,310) for orders made before April 24, 2015, cutting off €5,000 (RM 20,270) from its retail price.
For that amount of money, the CS-R3 comes with the GT86 body shell, powertrain and all mechanical components needed to build the car. And with homologation to FIA R3 regulations will be certified at the beginning of July, the car will be eligible for national and international rallies which include the World Rally Championship.
“We have put a huge amount of effort into our testing and development programme in order to deliver a fast, reliable and spectacular car for drivers and fans alike. As always, there are a number of challenges with a new-car development; in this case we had quite some work to adjust our rear-wheel-drive car to regulations which were written with front-wheel cars in mind,” said Nico Ehlert, TMG Principal Engineer Customer Motorsport.
