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Toyota GR Yaris Goes Rallying After All, but There's an Australian AP4 Catch

One of the coolest machines created in recent times by Toyota, the GR Yaris has been developed as a high-performance variant of the fourth generation Yaris. It’s also a homologation special for the company’s FIA World Rally Championship campaign. And a genuine pocket rocket with a feisty 1.6-liter three-cylinder that’s capable of an outstanding 357 horsepower.
Toyota GR Yaris AP4 in Australia for Asia-Pacific 4WD 7 photos
Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota GR Yaris AP4 in Australia for Asia-Pacific 4WDToyota GR Yaris AP4 in Australia for Asia-Pacific 4WDToyota GR Yaris AP4 in Australia for Asia-Pacific 4WDToyota GR Yaris AP4 in Australia for Asia-Pacific 4WDToyota GR Yaris AP4 in Australia for Asia-Pacific 4WDToyota GR Yaris AP4 in Australia for Asia-Pacific 4WD
Somewhere, somehow, somebody had to deliver a GR Yaris that was modified to do what it was meant to—a.k.a. go rallying. That would be Toyota Australia and Neal Bates Motorsport (NBM), as the partners recently unveiled the all-new GR Yaris AP4 created for Asia-Pacific 4WD.

Yes, we’re indeed dealing with a GR Yaris-based rally car, and one that will soon be tested in the melting pot of Australia’s Rally Championship (ARC), where it’s going to be used by the factory-backed Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia racing team.

NBM, in collaboration with the local division of Toyota, is also responsible for the engineering development and manufacturing of the GR Yaris AP4, and the Japanese company indicates that it’s actually “the first time (Toyota) has been actively involved in the development of the rally cars, with the bodywork designed by the team in its Product Planning and Development (PP&D) division.”

More precisely, the GR Yaris units built to AP4 specifications have been stripped down and reworked to something that’s “very similar to the global WRC-2 specification for manufacturer-homologated Rally2 and R5 cars that compete in the second-tier competition in the World Rally Championship (WRC).”

That means certain components (doors, roof, etc.) have to remain original as on the street-legal GR Yaris, but otherwise, anything else can be modified. For example, the minimum weight stipulated by AP4 regulation is 1,230 kg (2.712 lbs), but the GR Yaris AP4 will have to use ballast to achieve it.

Likewise, while the company hasn’t advanced any specific figures for the modified engine, it clearly comes above the standard output even with the mandatory air restrictor.

Additionally, the gearbox (a six-speed sequential unit) and AWD system have been sourced from Sadev, while many components have been specifically engineered by NBM or acquired from local Australian companies.

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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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