The Toyota C-HR is a huge deal, even before its official reveal. The concept version has already been shown more times than we can count, while the real car plans to turn up in Geneva in about a week. But a debut of an entirely different type is also scheduled, a racing debut.
A few years ago, the GT 86 (European Scion FR-S) put on a big wing and some stiff shocks to race at the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring. If you can survive that, people will know the car is super-reliable, Toyota thought. Now the C-HR will pick up the mantle and enjoy the most famous circuit in Europe.
The endurance race is in late May, which doesn't leave Toyota much time to prepare. That could be why the racing crossover we're presented with looks like the concept car and not the production one. Toyota Gazoo Racing plans to outfit the C-HR for racing duty by using custom racing suspension, body bracing and aero effects that include a huge wing.
It goes without saying that TRD or Gazoo plans to offer similar features on the production crossover. There are no details about what will power this model, but rumors suggest everything from a hybrid drive to a small turbo unit. The production model will be rolled out from a factory in Turkey later this year while the engines will come from Great Britain.
Scion's long-awaited subcompact crossover will arrive too late to sell the brand. But Toyota may still do interesting things with the C-HR, as drifting and rallycross are within reach. While we all know hybrids can make excellent race cars, Toyota has yet to capture the imagination of the hybrid racing fans. But Toyota Gazoo Racing has experience building a Yaris rally car, Lexus LFA racing supercar, and the 2016 Dakar Rally Hilux truck.
The endurance race is in late May, which doesn't leave Toyota much time to prepare. That could be why the racing crossover we're presented with looks like the concept car and not the production one. Toyota Gazoo Racing plans to outfit the C-HR for racing duty by using custom racing suspension, body bracing and aero effects that include a huge wing.
It goes without saying that TRD or Gazoo plans to offer similar features on the production crossover. There are no details about what will power this model, but rumors suggest everything from a hybrid drive to a small turbo unit. The production model will be rolled out from a factory in Turkey later this year while the engines will come from Great Britain.
Scion's long-awaited subcompact crossover will arrive too late to sell the brand. But Toyota may still do interesting things with the C-HR, as drifting and rallycross are within reach. While we all know hybrids can make excellent race cars, Toyota has yet to capture the imagination of the hybrid racing fans. But Toyota Gazoo Racing has experience building a Yaris rally car, Lexus LFA racing supercar, and the 2016 Dakar Rally Hilux truck.