Toyota GR 86 now turbocharged
But there’s a catch… Hot turbo initially restricted to Toyota GR race cars as testbed for synthetic fuelsToyota has finally granted enthusiasts’ wish of creating a turbocharged version of the Toyota GR 86 sports car, but there’s a catch – the new powertrain is currently reserved for its racing activities.
Toyota’s motorsport and performance division Gazoo Racing has created a small batch of Toyota GR 86 coupes powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder (G16E-GTS), which the company says will help with the development of synthetic fuels.
But there are high hopes it will eventually find its way into production models, providing a more explosive alternative to the current 173kW 2.4-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder sourced from Subaru.
When asked if the turbocharged engine found in the GR Corolla could slot into the GR 86, Toyota Gazoo Racing’s chief engineer Naoyuki Sakamoto said: “Yes, we are thinking for the future about the possibility of using it, but there are no concrete plans at the moment.
“For now, we’re just using it to develop carbon-neutral fuels.”
Instead of developing the new tech on road, Sakamoto said the turbo-powered GR 86 will race in the Super Taikyu race series held in Japan – the same endurance motorsport that helped develop the latest high-output version of the same G16E engine for the upcoming GR Corolla.
According to Sakamoto, Gazoo Racing believes motorsport is the best proving ground to test its experimental technology to ensure it is robust and durable for customers.
Incredibly, fellow Japanese firm Subaru is also competing in the same race series with its closely-related Subaru BRZ that runs a modified version of the FA24D boxer engine.
Toyota considered using the same engine, but scrapped that idea because it wanted to develop the new technology for a real ‘Toyota’ engine and not one sourced from Subaru.
To ensure it competes on an equal footing, Gazoo Racing have developed a short-stroke version of the Toyota GR Yaris powertrain that reduces the engine capacity from 1.6- to 1.4-litre, although total engine power remains at “more than 300hp (225kW)”.
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