In an excellent display of domination by Volkswagen in winning the ADAC Rallye Deutschland last weekend with a 1-2-3 finish, there was another manufacturer that had managed to catch our attention as well. While Toyota was not competing in the event, they were present and fielded one special car to showcase their commitment in producing sporty cars.
And very fitting to its “zero car” role, the zero-emission Mirai was present and was piloted by Mitsuhiro Kunisawa, a former motoring journalist who has also competed in the WRC Japan and Asia-Pacific Rally Championship series.
To assume the “zero car” role, the hydrogen saloon was fitted with a roll cage, race seats, upgraded brake pads and some proper tires. Other than those upgrades, the Mirai was left completely in stock configuration. The electric motor still produced the same 150-horsepower which has the ability to do a zerotohundred in 9.6 seconds.
The Mirai was put under the care of Toyota Germany where they were in charge of refuelling the car with a mobile hydrogen refuelling unit which is able to fill the Mirai’s hydrogen tanks to the brim in just three minutes.
“It is our dream that one day our fuel cell vehicles will be able to compete in WRC. Therefore, we will continue to develop this technology with great ambition,” said the Mirai’s Chief Engineer, Yoshikazu Tanaka.
