Akio Toyoda—a.k.a. ‘Morizo’—really enjoyed himself behind the wheel of a specially-equipped Toyota GR Yaris at the Nurburgring last year, where he completed more than his allotted laps of the Green Hell in the 24hr race. He came away not with an overwhelming desire to never again race more than his allotted laps at the Green Hell, but instead to make a (limited) production GR Yaris that felt just as good as his race car.
This is it. Welcome to the uniquely specced and uniquely cool Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR. In short, it’s a very limited edition of the bombastic GR Yaris equipped with a suspension setup that honors Morizo’s Nurburgring setup, and a funky rear wing. Among a few other choice mods.
That suspension setup has been “optimised to achieve damping forces that keep the tyres in firm contact with the road, including on uneven surfaces like those found at the Nurburgring,” said Toyota. The result, apparently, is “performance that allows for stress-free everyday driving while maintaining sporty performance.”
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That allowance for different tarmac should make it uniquely fit for our rubbish road network, while that rear wing atop a spunky hot hatch brings back pure ’90s tuning car memories. Sure, it generates downforce, but more important, it looks ace.
As does the new front spoiler, side skirts, and carbon-fiber hood. It’s been decked out in a sort of military-spec body color Toyota’s calling ‘Gravel Khaki,’ finished off with a set of matte bronze wheels hiding yellow brake calipers.
There’s a special mode for the GR Yaris’s 4WD system called—that’s right!—‘Morizo,’ which replaces the not-at-all-regular GR Yaris’s gravel setting. In Morizo mode, the torque distribution is set to 50/50 front and back. The electric power steering has been tweaked, too. No notes on the engine, which likely remains the same 276hp from a boosted 1.6-liter three-pot.
Elsewhere, there are the usual special edition trappings: a signed Morizo windscreen, a suede finish for the steering wheel, seats with modified headrests and yellow stitching, a piano black grille, a full TFT display, and a serial number plate.
Which shows which number you’ve got. Just 100 are set to be built exclusively for Japan…with a further 100 scheduled for European markets. The one you see here is an ‘under-development’ prototype, and the final car is scheduled for spring 2026. Get on the blower to Toyota, ASAP.
More photos of the Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR:
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
