Photo: Powertune Australia
If you haven't added the Toyota GR Yaris to your list of cars we wish we could buy in America, you ought to. There's just something about such a small form factor jetting more horsepower than most domestic V8s made just a generation ago using just three cylinders that fills our hearts with a child-like wonder. As it turns out, this hot hatchback's 1618cc three-cylinder engine has considerably more latent power than you might think. How much? We're talking more than a base Hellcat engine these days; that includes the extra ten horsepower bump from older engines.
How do we know this? Thank the Aussies! Specifically, we need to thank Peter Freeman and his team at Powertune Australia, based out of Eastern Creek, New South Wales. The team is most well known for being one of the most skilled custom JDM tuners, not just in their neck of Australia but possibly all of Oceania. They also sell high-end ECU tuning items like plug-in electronics and wiring kits for brands like Toyota, Kia, Subaru, and Mitsubishi through their official website. It's because of this team's collective "cajones" and their considerable mechanical skill that the world knows the story of what the team calls the Rodent.
This highly modified GR Yaris has had its internals re-worked, upgraded, and generally souped up to the point its dyno sessions return power numbers in the 740 hp area. That's nearly 20 more than the 717 hp you'll find in a 2023 Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody. For some context, said Widebody Hellcat weighs in the ballpark of 4,586 lbs (2,080 kg), and a stock GR Yaris, all-wheel-drive and all, weighs a minuscule 2,822 lbs (1,280 kg). Yeah, 20 bucks goes to whoever picks which car would win in a drag race. If you're a betting person, you'd be hard-pressed to pick the big, heavy Charger.
This considerable power bump over stock, a nearly two-fold increase, is thanks to the plethora of new hardware installed by Peter and his team. Goodies like an upgraded Garrett G25-550 turbocharger with a Turbosmart 45mm wastegate and a Plazmaman 350-370kw intercooler take an inline-three engine already boosted to the gills and turns things up a notch. Further upgrades like cam retainers and valve springs from Gelford Performance make for a package that humbles modern supercars with its insane capabilities. The Rodent does so while sporting a wicked grey paint job with contrasting black digital-print decals and gold alloy wheels that take what was once a family eco-box and turn it into a certified head-turner.
We can't wait to see what kind of numbers the Rodent can muster at the drag strip or at a local autocross competition. If you ask us, it stands a good chance of upsetting vehicles several times its weight, engine displacement, and price, even with all the upgrades.
This highly modified GR Yaris has had its internals re-worked, upgraded, and generally souped up to the point its dyno sessions return power numbers in the 740 hp area. That's nearly 20 more than the 717 hp you'll find in a 2023 Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody. For some context, said Widebody Hellcat weighs in the ballpark of 4,586 lbs (2,080 kg), and a stock GR Yaris, all-wheel-drive and all, weighs a minuscule 2,822 lbs (1,280 kg). Yeah, 20 bucks goes to whoever picks which car would win in a drag race. If you're a betting person, you'd be hard-pressed to pick the big, heavy Charger.
This considerable power bump over stock, a nearly two-fold increase, is thanks to the plethora of new hardware installed by Peter and his team. Goodies like an upgraded Garrett G25-550 turbocharger with a Turbosmart 45mm wastegate and a Plazmaman 350-370kw intercooler take an inline-three engine already boosted to the gills and turns things up a notch. Further upgrades like cam retainers and valve springs from Gelford Performance make for a package that humbles modern supercars with its insane capabilities. The Rodent does so while sporting a wicked grey paint job with contrasting black digital-print decals and gold alloy wheels that take what was once a family eco-box and turn it into a certified head-turner.
We can't wait to see what kind of numbers the Rodent can muster at the drag strip or at a local autocross competition. If you ask us, it stands a good chance of upsetting vehicles several times its weight, engine displacement, and price, even with all the upgrades.
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