The return of the Toyota MR2 may be delayed as the company is having troubles sorting out the driving dynamics of its mid-engine Yaris race car.
Toyota unveiled the GR Yaris M Concept (top and below) at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon in January, which featured the company’s new turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mounted behind the rear seats and driving the rear wheels.
At the concept’s unveiling, the company said the concept would be developed and honed by racing it in the Super Taikyu endurance series. It was hinted the race-bred mid-engine platform might then be used in a production car, widely believed to be the long-awaited successor to the MR2.
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Over the weekend, Toyota announced it wouldn’t enter the Yaris M in the fifth race of the Super Taikyu series at Autopolis due to “difficulties unique to midship-mounted vehicles in terms of braking, steering, and driving”.
The automaker said it was still committed to entering the car in future races, but didn’t commit to when this might happen.
The new 2.0-litre turbo powering the Yaris M is reportedly set to do duty in the upcoming front-wheel drive Celica, as well as the mid-engine MR2.
According to Japanese magazine Best Car the engine will make 221kW/400Nm in base spec, and around 294kW/550Nm in performance guise. A racing version of the engine could output as much as 441kW.
It’s unclear if the delay will impact just the MR2, or the Celica as well.
Production of the Celica ended in 2006 as affordable sporty coupes fell out of favour across the world. Although it’s now remembered a front-wheel drive model, it wasn’t until the fourth generation launched in 1985 it made the switch to the layout.
The axe fell on the MR2 in 2007, with the third generation roadster never gaining the sales or the cult status bestowed on the boxy original or the Ferrari-lite successor.
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