In an unprecedented announcement, Toyota has revealed its latest, and perhaps wackiest creation: the GR Coaster. That’s right, the 29-seater minibus now comes in a track-ready trim with upgraded specs for turning any field trip into a time attack event.
At least, that’s what we would have said if it wasn’t April 1st. Happy April Fool’s! Still, Toyota’s announcement is surprisingly detailed, enough to give us a glimpse into what giving the Coaster minibus the GR treatment could look like.
Starting with the exterior details, the GR Coaster can be seen finished in a shade similar to Emotional Red with black accents. Other two-tone finishes on offer also include the usual white option as well as a pale yellow—maybe a reference to the Celica’s Solar Yellow or the MR2’s Signal Yellow?
Other details include the sweet new rims, disc brakes (with red calipers, of course), a new rear spoiler, and the obligatory GR badge on the grille. Very sporty indeed.
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In the engine bay, a V12 1GZ-FE engine has been shoved inside—a 5.0-liter engine made for the second-gen Toyota Century good for 308hp and 480 Nm of torque. Talk about a sizeable upgrade over the stock four-cylinder engine’s 134hp and 390Nm. A note on the side also claims an HEV variant—very convenient with fuel prices being what they are today.
The announcement also shows a thumbnail of a redesigned cockpit. This in particular is interesting because I can’t find exact matches for where this cabin comes from. At best, it loosely resembles the GR Yaris’ layout with the whole center console angled towards the driver, but that’s still just a passing resemblance. Sure, it’s most likely a purpose-made render for the gag (see the real Coaster’s cockpit above), but I’m not ruling out the idea of this teasing a future GR model.
And even after all that, the GR Coaster still seats 29. Toyota even went as far as to replace all the seats with “contoured premium leather sport seats” complete with black and red upholstery. Very nice.
All in all, it’s a well-thought out April Fool’s gag. The absurdity of converting a humble minibus (or any seemingly un-sporty vehicle, really) into a track machine is always a great laugh. Toyota has made it clear that this is just a joke for the occassion, but would you like to see it in the metal in the future? BMW brought their M3 Touring race car to life after a similar April Fool’s joke, after all...
If you want to take a crack at it yourself, the (real) Toyota Coaster stickers for P4,114,000 and is available in a single trim level.
