Rally fans rejoice. The time has arrived for Toyota to be back in the rally scene, a scene that they have left a void, since the 1990s. Back in the days, the Toyota Celica ST165, ST185 and the ST205 were Toyota’s de facto rally cars. The 3 Celicas bagged a total of 30 WRC victories from 1989 till 1995. And now, Toyota is keen to give it another shot, with this Toyota GT86 CS-R3.
The GT86 CS-R3 is a proper rally car. The car is fully stripped, and tips the scales at a mere 1080kg. Under the hood, the familiar FA20 2.0L boxer engine has been slightly upgraded to produce 240-250hp. This is achieved by manipulating the compression ratio and cam lift. The ECU has been replaced with a proper racing type as well. Power from the FA20 is transferred via a 6 speed sequential gearbox to a rear limited slip differential. No 4WD trickery here, however.
On the safety and handling front, the GT86 CS-R3 features a FIA homologated roll cage, which has been weight optimized. Other than that, the car will also have tarmac and gravel specific suspension kit.
The Toyota GT86 CS-R3 is set to be this year’s Rallye Deutschland zero car. It wont actually be competing against the other cars, but it will be testing each rally stage before each stages begin. Toyota’s latest rally car is expected to arrive in kit form from 2015 onwards. Actual pricing of the car will be finalized once final specifications of the car has been confirmed.
Watch the video below as the GT86 CS-R3 tackles a rally stage.
