One of the last bastions of affordable performance, the GR86 entered its second generation last year with a larger engine that brought a bit more power. However, many enthusiasts still believe Toyota should use a turbocharger to significantly increase output and unlock the full potential of the sports car platform. Well, the Gazoo Racing-branded coupe has now been blessed with forced induction, but don’t get too excited just yet.
Australian magazine Car sell have learned from Toyota that a GR86 with a turbo has been made. The engine in question is the same 1.6-liter three-cylinder unit found in the GR Yaris and GR Corolla hot hatches. In the latter, that’s good for a healthy 300 hp and 295 pound-feet (400 Newton-meters) of torque if you step up to the two-seat Morizo Edition. Applying these output figures to the GR86 would provide a substantial boost of 72 hp and 111 lb-ft (150 Nm).
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However, the spicy coupe was engineered as a testbed to help Toyota further develop synthetic fuels. As a refresher, both the GR Yaris and GR Corolla have been modified to run in the hopes of eventually saving the combustion engine from extinction. There is a glimmer of hope that the turbocharged GR86 will go on sale someday. Asked by Car sell whether there is a chance, Gazoo Racing chief engineer Naoyuki Sakamoto replied:
“Yes, we are thinking for the future about the possibility of using it, but there are no concrete plans at this time. For now, we are only using it to develop carbon neutral fuels.”
Meanwhile, Sakamoto announced the GR86 equipped with the G16E-GTS engine will be evaluated in Japan’s Super Taikyu racing series. It would make sense for the potential production version to carry the GRMN badge and slot over the GR version, but we might go further. After all, we’re still waiting patiently for rumors about the GRMN Supra, but at least there’s now a GR Corolla for the US.
Let’s not forget the GR Super Sport hypercar and an electric successor from the Lexus LFA are both in the works, along with a small electric sports car bearing the Toyota badge that was teased late last year. Add to the mix a manual gearbox for the Supra, the Japanese automaker aims to please fans.
