Every GR Toyota Ever Built (And The Performance Specs That Make Them Special)

Car enthusiasts usually have their preferences when it comes to sports cars. JDM. BMW M. AMG. Mopar. Mustang. You name it, and there will be a large and dedicated cult following ready to defend its choice. Yet today, everyone seems to agree that the most enthusiast-friendly company is Toyota. Yup, the manufacturer once associated with boring cars now has a performance car for everyone.

Just like its German rivals, Toyota has created a special performance sub-brand, but with a way fancier name. Gazoo Racing sounds like it came out of an anime movie. It has that Japanese overtone, becoming instantly recognizable in the enthusiast community. Still, it's not just the name — GR is also super-successful in competition, which further strengthened the brand's image among car people.

The best part? Gazoo Racing produced some legendary road cars. Oh, and it did that in less than a decade! An FWD hot hatch. Rally-inspired homologation specials. Rear-wheel-drive sports cars. Gazoo Racing has been real busy giving us enthusiasts what we crave. There is more to come, as GR works on even better performance cars, with mid-engine configurations and twin-turbo V8 hybrid powertrains.

In this piece, we'll have a closer look at each GR's offering and tell you what made it special. However, we'll only feature the true high-performance variants, which means that there will be no GR Sport models. With that out of the water, here is every GR Toyota model ever built.

In 2005, Toyota discontinued its MR2 mid-engine fun machine. The front-wheel-drive Celica coupe got the axe, too. The company's regular offerings, like the Camry and Corolla, still sold like hotcakes, and Toyota remained the biggest automaker globally. Still, there was no enthusiast car in its range. Toyota's offerings were seen as appliances — good, but far from soul-stirring.

While Toyota was getting further and further away from enthusiasts, Akio Toyoda had been brewing a whole new performance brand ever since he was appointed to the company's board of directors. Akio was not only the grandson of Toyota's founder Kiichiro Toyoda — he was a real car enthusiast and racing driver. He formed the Gazoo brand during the 2000s to compete using Toyota vehicles at various racing events. He even raced under the pseudonym Morizo to hide his involvement.

There was a problem, though. Toyota had no sports cars in its range, so he had to race with older models like the Altezza. He later raced with Lexus models, but his dreams of Toyota-branded performance cars were still not fulfilled. Once Akio was appointed as the CEO in 2009, however, he could finally complete his mission of making better-driving cars.

Soon, Toyota launched the GT86 (Scion FR-S/86), bringing fun driving dynamics to the masses — but that was just the beginning. Gazoo Racing soon started competing legendary races, such as Dakar Rally, WRC and 24h of Le Mans and was dedicated to building even more high-performance road machines. It ended with the most impressive range of fun cars of any automaker globally.

With Toyota GR's newer models taking the spotlight lately, the automotive world has almost forgotten about the brand's first car — the 2019 Yaris GRMN. Sure, it's not technically a GR car, but make no mistake — this is the real thing. GRMN stands for "Gazoo Racing tuned by the Meister of Nürburgring" and stands above GR in the pecking order.

Based on the previous-gen Yaris, the GRMN gave the chosen few a taste of what was to come. The 600 examples made are pretty special. A 1.8-liter supercharged four-cylinder engine that pumps out 212 hp powers this tiny car, accompanied by a six-speed manual. The power goes to the front wheels only, though Toyota installed a Torsen limited slip differential to help with traction. The Yaris GRMN gets to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds. This might seem unimpressive, but a shift from second to third is necessary before you hit 60, adding a few tenths.

However, the Yaris GRMN isn't merely a one-trick pony. Sachs dampers take care of handling duties. According to reviewers, they are compliant, too. The 17-inch BBS alloys certainly help by lowering the unsprung weight. Oh, and the whole car weighs just 2,502 pounds, so it's incredibly agile and playful in the corners. Yes, Toyota didn't bother to improve the spartan interior, with most of the materials being low rent. At least the Yaris GRMN has bolstered seats, and a steering wheel borrowed from the GT86. That exterior Gazoo Racing livery looks nice too!

In 2014, Toyota teased us with one of the most attractive concepts it had ever produced with the FT1. Rumors about a fifth gen Supra immediately started swirling online, though at the time, Toyota said it was only a design exercise. Still, Akio Toyoda was already brewing the next-gen Supra with the help of BMW.

When it arrived in 2019, the GR Supra shared the DNA with the legendary Mk4. A turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six up front. Rear-wheel drive. The only catch — most of the parts came from BMW. The GR Supra shared the chassis and mechanical parts with the Z4, though Toyota did enough to distinguish it from the outside. The Z4 is a roadster, while the GR Supra is a coupe.

What matters is that the GR Supra ended up being an excellent sports coupe. With 382 hp and 368 lb-ft of torque on tap, and an eight-speed automatic, it arrives at 60 in just 3.9 seconds. The GR Supra 3.0 is also playful and engaging to drive, and the BMW-sourced inline-six sounds great. Toyota also offered a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo with 255 hp, good for a zero to 60 sprint of 5 seconds.

Of course, the pick of the range was always going to be the GR Supra with the six-speed stick shift, which is a blast to drive. It's slower to 60 (4.2 seconds), but way more enjoyable. Oh, and it's not a BMW gearbox; GR's engineers went directly to ZF and created their own with existing parts, showing dedication to the brand's mantra of creating ever better driver's cars.

You can't blame the media for stating that Toyota couldn't produce a thoroughbred GR sports car. After all, the GT86 is mostly a Subaru underneath, while the GR Supra is a BMW. However, the GR division answered its critics with a bang in 2020 when it introduced one of the craziest homologation special rally machines ever made — the GR Yaris.

This wasn't just an amped-up Yaris, mind you. It was a completely new car, combining the front end of a Yaris with the rear end of a Corolla. It was a two-door instead of a four-door and it was much lower, too, with a dramatically wider body kit. Crucially, though, it was a mechanical extravaganza, with a rally-derived GR-Four AWD system and a brand-new 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder, good for 261 hp.

Today, the refreshed GR Yaris makes 280 hp. It has an upgraded GR-Four system and it weighs just 2,822 pounds, so 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) takes only 5.2 seconds. The GR Yaris also comes with a six-speed manual, alongside an eight-speed auto.

Publications loved it. Everyone was talking about its agile handling, excellent AWD traction, and stability. The spirited, characterful engine also drew praise, as did the great-feeling stick-shift. Predictably, Toyota has already sold over 40,000 units globally, despite the GR Yaris' exorbitant price of £44,250, equivalent to about $57,500 in the U.S. As such, it's the hot hatch we wish Toyota sold in the States.

After showing it was capable of great things on its own, Toyota Gazoo Racing, together with Subaru, launched the much-improved GR86/BRZ affordable sports car twins. The GT86 and previous-gen BRZ were already popular among enthusiasts, with an incredibly balanced RWD chassis, a responsive, naturally aspirated boxer engine, and affordable prices. Still, most agreed they had one glaring flaw — the 2.0-liter boxer engine needed more power.

GR and Subaru weren't going to mess with the recipe, though. So, instead of going the turbo route, the Japanese automakers installed a larger 2.4-liter naturally aspirated boxer engine. Yes, a boosted engine would've been more potent, but also laggy and more expensive. Don't forget, the Toyota GR86 is all about being affordable and fun. To that end, it has a great, short-shifting six-speed manual, and a sharp, direct steering. It weighs nothing, too, with the scale showing just 2,811 pounds.

The GR86 sits on a predictable, balanced chassis, with a low center of gravity thanks to the boxer engine. It's a car that allows you to grow as a driver, pushing it harder as you learn. You can enjoy this fun machine on track days or on twisty roads. No doubt, the GR86/BRZ twins are still some of the most engaging drives you can have, regardless of the price range. They are quick, too. With 228 hp on tap and six-speed manual, the GR86 arrives at the 60 mph mark in 6.1 seconds. Let's hope Toyota and Subaru continue their partnership with another generation.

Gazoo Racing wasn't going to leave its American fans without a four-wheel-drive hot-hatch. So, in 2022, it introduced the GR Corolla, a rally-inspired sports car tailored for the U.S. and Canada. Using the same 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder, but amped up to 300 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque, the Toyota GR Corolla set a new standard for hot hatches in the U.S.

Of course, the engine was just one piece of the puzzle. The GR-Four system from the Yaris also made an appearance, allowing the driver to select between three predetermined modes — 60:40, 50:50, and 30:70 for some tail-happy shenanigans. A slick-shifting six-speed manual was the only transmission on offer, providing drivers with the engagement they've come to expect from a GR product. There was even a track-focused Morizo edition with no rear seats, more torque, and less weight.

Still, like every other GR model, the GR Corolla served as a platform for continuous improvements. The refreshed 2025 model now comes with an eight-speed auto, though the GR Corolla still shines with a stick shift. Still, better cooling is available on all models, enhancing the trackability of the GR Corolla. Toyota GR also fine-tuned the suspension and increased the engine's torque to 295 lb-ft, while zero to 60 takes just 4.9 seconds.

That's just the beginning. Toyota GR already teased an even more hardcore model for 2026. Probably carrying the GRMN moniker, this new track-focused model will have even more torque and aerodynamic improvements, like a larger rear spoiler.

Wait, so is the Celica also returning? Heck yeah! So is the MR2, as well as a small, affordable Mazda MX-5 rival. And a twin-turbo V8 supercar. Of course, you should take all these with a pinch of salt. Still, Toyota Executive Vice President Yuki Nakajima confirmed that the Celica is coming. Moreover, in Season 2 Episode 1 of the Toyota backed anime "Grip" on YouTube, GR all but confirmed that a Celica, MR2, sixth-gen Supra, third-gen GR86, and a GR GT3 cars are coming.

So what would these cars look like? Well, the Celica and MR2 will almost certainly use Toyota's new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that's good for 400 hp. Both will have AWD, though the Celica will be a front-engine, while the MR2 a mid-engine car. We expect both to be available with a stick-shift, as that has been a huge selling point for GR. The next gen Supra might also use the same engine, albeit with hybrid assistance for even more power. According to the latest rumors, it could even feature a Mazda-sourced turbocharged inline-six! Meanwhile, the tiny MX-5 rival could have RWD, and a 1.3-liter turbocharged three-cylinder.

Oh, and the Toyota GR GT3 was already shown as a concept at the Tokyo Auto Salon in 2022 and has been seen testing at the Nürburgring multiple times. The production version might be called the Lexus LFR, but it could also arrive as a standalone Gazoo Racing model. Regardless, with a rumored 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 hybrid packing 900 hp, it will be a pureblooded Gazoo Racing supercar!